Modesto, Sonora courthouse projects on life support

It’s now official.

The projects to build new courthouses in Modesto and Sonora and elsewhere across California can finish their current phases but not proceed to the next ones as state courts officials work on solving a funding crisis for new courthouse construction.

The Judicial Council of California on Friday accepted the recommendation from its Court Facilities Advisory Committee to essentially put the projects on life support. Council members also accepted a second recommendation to work with the committee on persuading state legislators and the Governor’s Office on restoring the funding.

“We need to work with our friends and colleagues in the other two branches of government,” Court Facilities Advisory Committee Chairman Brad Hill told Judicial Council members at their meeting in San Francisco. The council is the policymaking body for the state courts. Hill – who is a justice on the 5th District Court of Appeal – also will enlist the help of officials with courthouse projects to make the case for more funding in Sacramento.

“The days of being able to limp along are over,” Hill said in a news release. “We are out of money and there is nothing we can do at this point, short of getting that money back.”

Stanislaus County Superior Court officials have been counting on the new $267 million courthouse opening in downtown in May 2021. But with the Judicial Council’s decision, the project will complete its preliminary plans over the next six to eight months and then stop.

“We are pleased the council accepted the recommendation, and we are moving forward and working diligently (on our current phase) to keep this project on time and on budget,” Stanislaus County Superior Court Facilities Manager Brandi Christensen said.

The Tuolumne County Superior Court project is further along. It will complete the working drawings and get the final approvals for a new $65 million courthouse at the future Law and Justice Center in Sonora. But it won’t be able to proceed to its next step of issuing bonds to build the courthouse. Tuolumne officials had expected to start construction in summer 2017.

Modesto and Sonora are among 23 courthouse projects. Six of the projects – including courthouses in Los Banos and Stockton – are under construction and will be completed.

The funding crisis has been caused by money being diverted from the court construction fund and falling revenues. Since 2009, some $1.4 billion has been diverted from the fund to make up for budget cuts to trial courts or gone to the state’s general fund budget during the Great Recession and its aftermath. And the court assessments, fees and fines – including traffic tickets – that feed the construction fund are plummeting. This has been made worse by the state’s amnesty program in which some people can pay less than what they owe on outstanding traffic and other tickets.

“We were expecting the council would approve the committee’s recommendation,” Tuolumne County Superior Court Executive Officer Jeanine Tucker said. “Obviously we are very disappointed, not in the council approving the recommendation, but that we are this point. The courts are sort of political pawns between the state and judicial branch.

“All of these projects are critical, righteous projects and need to move forward. The state should recognize it’s time to restore the $1.4 billion. … We did our fair share to support the state during the budget crisis.”

The Court Facilities Advisory Committee made its recommendation at its Aug. 11 meeting in which it heard from officials from 16 counties with courthouse projects, including from Stanislaus and Tuolumne. The officials spoke of the dire need for new facilities to replace ones that are outdated, overcrowded and unsafe. Hill spoke then of the need to advocate for more funding in Sacramento.

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Modesto, Sonora courthouse projects on life support."