Court Efficiency BILL
Will increase efficiency and avoid
unnecessary costs $$$
TODAY Friday
August 14, 2015, from the Capital of California, Sacramento ___ Assemblyman Jay Obernolte
(R-Hesperia) announced that Governor Brown has
signed into law his bill aimed at increasing court efficiency.
Once enacted, Assembly Bill #249 will
prohibit a defendant from filing a formal appeal solely on the basis of an
error in the calculation of fines, penalty assessments, surcharges, fees, or costs.
Instead, these common calculation errors will be handled administratively,
making the process more efficient by avoiding the costs and burdens associated
with a formal appeal and freeing up time for staff to tackle California’s
increasing judicial workload.
“In recent years, courts across
California have been subjected to severe funding cuts, and many have been
forced to simply shutter their doors. Nowhere has this been more apparent than
right here in San Bernardino County,” stated
Assemblyman Obernolte. “While we have a long way to go (travel) in order to
fully fund our courts and ensure that Californians have access to justice, I am
proud to have authored a bill that will increase efficiency and avoid
unnecessary costs.”
According to the Judicial Council of California, “court
closures have deprived more than 2
million Californians of access to justice in their local communities.”
Residents of the 33rd District in particular have borne the brunt of these
closures, as the San Bernardino County Superior Court is ranked as the second most
underfunded and under resourced court in the state. As the largest
geographical county in the contiguous United States, some San
Bernardino County residents have been forced to drive over 6 hours round trip
to attend court hearings and obtain court services.
“The courts are striving to be more efficient,” said Marsha
G. Slough, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, San Bernardino County. “Assembly
Bill #249 will save the courts time by requiring defendants to request a
trial judge to review potential errors in the calculation of fines and fees
before bringing the issue to an appellate court if that is the sole issue on
appeal.”
AB #249 is the Assemblyman Obernolte’s third bill
to be signed into law by the Governor. Last month the Governor signed Assembly Bill 250, which
allows marriage and family therapist interns and trainees to practice
telehealth in order to secure hours toward their licensure, and Assembly Bill 868,
which will assist fire departments in San Bernardino County that wish to
consolidate services by allowing employees to transfer their pension credits to
a new system when necessary.
Assemblyman Jay Obernolte
represents the 33rd Assembly District, which includes the San Bernardino County
communities of Adelanto, Apple Valley, Baker, Barstow, Big Bear City, Big Bear
Lake, Big River, Crestline, Fort Irwin, Hesperia, Johnson Valley, Lake
Arrowhead, Lenwood, Lucerne Valley, Needles, Oak Hills, Phelan, Running Springs,
Silver Lakes, Trona, Twentynine Palms Base, Twin Peaks and Victorville.