Assembly Vote to Help Courts Draws Near

An emergency bill that would provide the funding needed to avert a threatened shutdown of the county courts is expected to come before the state Assembly for a vote today and might land on Gov. Pete Wilson’s desk by Friday.

But anxious county officials said Wednesday that court funds are rapidly being depleted and will probably run out within two weeks unless the state bailout is approved.

“A delay in the legislation could throw us for a loop,” said Alan Slater, executive officer for the Orange County Superior Court. “We are basically in week-to-week mode.”

Slater said the courts can cover the Friday payroll but it remains unclear whether the May 17 payroll can be met without state aid.

The proposed legislation would provide the trial courts with $8.8 million in state funding and require the county to provide about $13 million. But over the past few months, the county has allocated more than $8 million to the courts, reducing the amount it will have to give if the bill becomes law.

The courts have faced a roughly $20-million shortfall, which could force a shutdown through the end of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. The deficit has its roots in state cuts in trial-court funding. For a while, the county was able to fill the funding gap. But the December 1994 bankruptcy forced it to cut back.

If the Assembly approves the bill today, officials hope the Senate will quickly follow suit. They expect Wilson to sign the legislation, which provides emergency court funding for several financially troubled counties.

The bailout plan got a boost Wednesday when a subcommittee of the state judicial council signed-off on the bill.