Dedication Held for Remodeled Courthouse

Los Angeles County officials Monday dedicated the remodeled and expanded San Fernando Auxiliary Courthouse in a ceremony at the facility at 919 1st St.

The $1-million overhaul of the auxiliary courthouse created a new courtroom that opened in mid-September and has relieved crowding in the court’s primary arraignment court, said Rob Quist, deputy court administrator for Los Angeles Municipal Court branch operations.

The new courtroom, Division 139, handles between 150 and 200 traffic arraignments a day that previously were part of the caseload in Division 130, the main arraignment court. Division 130 was cited last summer by county fire officials for allowing the number of people in the court to exceed its legal capacity of 119.

Division 139 also has its own cashiers office so defendants can pay their fines, Quist said.

The yearlong remodeling and expansion project also added one hearing room and handicapped access ramps and gave face lifts to three existing courtrooms and one hearing room, Quist said. Small-claims cases and misdemeanor trials are handled in those rooms, he said.

Among dignitaries attending the dedication were Supervisor Mike Antonovich, Appeals Court Justice Armand Arabian, Los Angeles Municipal Court Presiding Judge Larry P. Fidler and Supervising Judge Gregg Marcus of the San Fernando branch court.