SECTIONS 77650-77655 - California Statutes

GOVERNMENT CODE

SECTION 77650-77655

77650. The Task Force on Court Facilities is hereby established in
state government and charged with identifying the needs related to
trial and appellate court facilities, and options and recommendations
for funding court facility maintenance, improvements, and expansion,
including the specific responsibilities of each entity of
government.

77651. The task force shall be composed of 18 members, appointed as
follows:
(a) Six members appointed by the Chief Justice who shall be from
urban, suburban, and rural courts. Four representatives may be either
trial court judges or trial court administrators. One representative
shall be a justice of the courts of appeal.
(b) Six members appointed by the Governor from a list of nominees
submitted by the California State Association of Counties, who
represent urban, suburban, and rural counties. Four representatives
may be either county supervisors or county administrators. One
representative shall be a person with court security responsibility.
(c) Two members appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, one of
whom shall represent the State Bar or an associated attorney
organization, neither of whom would be eligible for appointment under
subdivision (a) or (b).
(d) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, one of
whom shall represent the State Bar or an associated attorney
organization, neither of whom would be eligible for appointment under
subdivision (a) or (b).
(e) The Director of General Services and the Director of Finance.
(f) The Chief Justice shall designate one of these representatives
as the chairperson of the task force.

77652. The Judicial Council shall provide staff support for the
task force and shall develop guidelines for procedures and practices
for the task force. The Department of General Services, the
Department of Finance, and the Legislative Analyst shall provide
additional support, at the request of the Judicial Council. The
California State Association of Counties is encouraged to provide
additional staff support.

77653. The duties of the task force shall include all of the
following:
(a) Document the state of existing court facilities.
(b) Document the need for new or modified court facilities and the
extent to which current court facilities are fully utilized.
(c) Document the funding mechanisms currently available for
maintenance, operation, construction, and renovation of court
facilities.
(d) Examine existing standards for court facility construction.
(e) Document the impacts of state actions on court facilities and
other state and local justice system facilities.
(f) Review and recommend operational changes which may mitigate
the need for additional court facilities, including the
implementation of methods to more fully utilize existing facilities.
(g) Review and provide recommendations on concepts regarding
security; operational flexibility; alternative dispute resolution;
meeting space; special needs of children, families, victims, and
disabled persons; technology; the dignity of the participants; and
any other special needs of court facilities.
(h) Recommend specific funding responsibilities among the various
entities of government for support of trial court facilities and
facility maintenance including, but not limited to, full state
responsibility or continued county responsibility.
(i) Recommend funding sources and financing mechanisms for support
of court facilities and facility maintenance.

77654. (a) The task force shall be appointed on or before October
1, 1997.
(b) The task force shall meet and establish its operating
procedures on or before September 1, 1998, and submit its plan for
the entire review of court facilities by October 1, 1998, to the
Judicial Council, Legislature, and Governor.
(c) The task force shall review all available court facility
standards and make preliminary determinations of acceptable standards
for construction, renovation, and remodeling of court facilities,
and shall report those preliminary determinations to the Judicial
Council, the Legislature, and the Governor in an interim report on or
before July 1, 1999.
(d) The task force shall complete a survey of all trial and
appellate court facilities in the state and report its findings to
the Judicial Council, the Legislature, and the Governor in a second
interim report on or before January 1, 2001. The report shall
document all of the following:
(1) The state of existing court facilities.
(2) The need for new or modified court facilities.
(3) The currently available funding options for constructing or
renovating court facilities.
(4) The impact which creating additional judgeships has upon court
facility and other justice system facility needs.
(5) The effects which trial court coordination and consolidation
have upon court and justice system facilities needs.
(6) Administrative and operational changes which can reduce or
mitigate the need for added court or justice system facilities.
(7) Recommendations for specific funding responsibilities among
the entities of government including full state responsibility, full
county responsibility, or shared responsibility.
(8) A proposed transition plan if responsibility is to be changed.
(9) Recommendations regarding funding sources for court facilities
and funding mechanisms to support court facilities.
(e) The interim reports shall be circulated for comment to the
counties, the judiciary, the Legislature, and the Governor. The task
force may also circulate these reports to users of the court
facilities.
(f) The task force shall submit a final report to the Judicial
Council, the Legislature, and the Governor on or before July 1, 2001.
The report shall include all elements of the interim reports
incorporating any changes recommended by the task force in response
to comments received.
(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the period
from July 1, 1997 to December 31, 2002, inclusive, the board of
supervisors of each county shall be responsible for providing
suitable and necessary facilities for judicial officers and court
support staff for judicial positions created prior to July 1, 1996,
to the extent required by Section 68073. The board of supervisors of
each county shall also be responsible for providing suitable and
necessary facilities for judicial officers and court support staff
for judgeships authorized by statutes chaptered in 1996 to the extent
required by Section 68073, provided that the board of supervisors
agrees that new facilities are either not required or that the county
is willing to provide funding for court facilities. Unless a court
and a county otherwise mutually agree, the state shall assume
responsibility for suitable and necessary facilities for judicial
officers and support staff for any judgeships authorized during the
period from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2002, inclusive.

77655. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including
Section 68073, the findings of the task force shall not be considered
or entered into evidence in any action brought by trial courts to
compel a county to provide facilities that the trial court contends
are necessary and suitable.