Child-Support Collections Up 24%
The Orange County district attorney’s family-support division collected and distributed more than $131 million in child support last year, a 24% boost over 1998 and the agency’s largest amount yet.
The increase was a result of more staffing, training and automation, said Jan Sturla, a senior assistant district attorney.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 3, 2000 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday February 3, 2000 Orange County Edition Metro Part B Page 3 Metro Desk 1 inches; 27 words Type of Material: Correction
Family support--A story Jan. 27 incorrectly stated the number of attorneys who work for the Orange County district attorney’s office family support division. The division has 18 attorneys.
It was unclear from the figures released Wednesday what percentage of cases on file the $131 million represented. In the previous year, Orange County collected in only about 15% of its 142,000 cases.
The state Senate voted last year to strip child-support enforcement from state prosecutors after the system was criticized for inefficiency. A new, independent agency will replace state prosecutors as child support collectors before the end of 2002, Sturla said.
In Orange County, the division, with 145 attorneys and a support staff of more than 600, accounts for 38% of the $78 million annual budget of the district attorney’s office.
The division recoups from the federal government nearly 70% of money it spends on child-support enforcement.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
