Berta A. DeFrench: State’s courts plagued by even more problems

Re “Recent auditor’s report slams California’s judiciary” (Opinions, Jan. 14): I read with great interest Dan Walters’ opinion regarding the results of the state auditor’s conclusion of the Judicial Council and Administrative Office of the Courts.

The AOC has imposed requirements on the re-certification of court interpreters that are both ridiculous and hard to comprehend. Interpreters are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years while the State Bar requires attorneys to complete only 25 hours every three years. Not only that, we can only fulfill those requirements by taking courses from providers approved by the AOC at an astronomical cost. No self-study. Attorneys can complete 12.5 hours as self-study. But they are too arrogant to review the court interpreters program.

This office sends me and thousands of other interpreters one sheet of correspondence in a manila envelope. Apparently they have enough money to pay for large envelopes and higher postage for a one-page document. By the way, these are the same individuals who approved our future Stanislaus County courthouse in an undesireable location.

This story was originally published January 15, 2015 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Berta A. DeFrench: State’s courts plagued by even more problems."