About a dozen court rooms are going to be closed and 56 impacted countywide after massive layoffs are announced to deal with crippling state budget cuts. Along with cancelled programs and administrative shifting, the cuts are being called the end of justice in the County.
Los Angeles Courts are losing another $30 million in state funding as part of the budget deal that was struck on Friday. On the heels of $70 million in savings achieved over the last few years, the latest cuts reach deeper and have greater impacts than previous cuts. 431 court employees are expected to be impacted, with about 150 being laid off, others having their hours cut to part-time, and some being shifted into new roles and positions.
Union officials representing the impacted employees say that residents can expect longer lines to pay traffic citations, seek restraining orders, or file lawsuits. Court reporters will no longer be available for civil trials.
From the LA Daily News:
Squeezed by state budgets cutbacks, the Los Angeles County court system is launching massive job layoffs, pay cuts and transfers, court officials said Thursday.
Cutbacks that will be implemented Friday will affect 431 court employees and 56 courtrooms throughout the nation’s largest superior court system.
Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon bemoaned the loss of longtime employees as well as the impact on public services. “We are laying off people who are committed to serving the public,” she said. “It is a terrible loss both to these dedicated employees and to the public.”
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