Courts Furlough Employees, Continue Serving up Justice
By Pasadena Independent
Published: Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Court employees had their first budget driven mandatory furlough day on Wednesday, July 15. Court reporters and clerks as well as the court security officers had an unpaid day off. The deputy sheriffs who act as bailiffs in some courtrooms were not forced to take the day off as they are not employees of the Superior Court. As elected officials, the judges, whose salaries are set by the legislature, were required to be at work.
According to Candace Beason, the Supervising Judge at Pasadena Superior Court said that the court had been planning for the furlough day for weeks and that most cases were not continued to that day. She said, “One courtroom in each courthouse will be fully staffed and prepared to handle all those matters which legally have to be handled.”
Beason explained that there will also be clerks available for necessary filings. She said those staff members who worked on Wednesday would have a furlough day on Thursday.
She explained that the judges not assigned to the one open courtroom would be working in their chambers during the furlough day for the staff. Judges contacted indicated that they often have matters “taken under submission” and that the time not spent in the courtroom on the furlough day could be used to decide these matters. Others suggested that it would be a good quiet time to review pending motions and to do legal research on other matters.
Beason stressed that with all the advance planning done by the courts, justice was not being denied and that the only difficulty the Pasadena Court faced was an ex-parte hearing noticed for Wednesday by a local attorney. The opposition counsel and his client flew in from Northern California not being aware of the court’s furlough.
The next furlough day is set for August 19, then September 16. Beason suggested calling the court in advance if you have matter set on those days.
By Susan Motander
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