77650-77655
GOVERNMENT CODE
SECTION 77650-77655
77650. The Task Force on Court Facilities is hereby established in state government and charged with identifying the needs related to trial and appellate court facilities, and options and recommendations for funding court facility maintenance, improvements, and expansion, including the specific responsibilities of each entity of government. 77651. The task force shall be composed of 18 members, appointed as follows: (a) Six members appointed by the Chief Justice who shall be from urban, suburban, and rural courts. Four representatives may be either trial court judges or trial court administrators. One representative shall be a justice of the courts of appeal. (b) Six members appointed by the Governor from a list of nominees submitted by the California State Association of Counties, who represent urban, suburban, and rural counties. Four representatives may be either county supervisors or county administrators. One representative shall be a person with court security responsibility. (c) Two members appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, one of whom shall represent the State Bar or an associated attorney organization, neither of whom would be eligible for appointment under subdivision (a) or (b). (d) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, one of whom shall represent the State Bar or an associated attorney organization, neither of whom would be eligible for appointment under subdivision (a) or (b). (e) The Director of General Services and the Director of Finance. (f) The Chief Justice shall designate one of these representatives as the chairperson of the task force. 77652. The Judicial Council shall provide staff support for the task force and shall develop guidelines for procedures and practices for the task force. The Department of General Services, the Department of Finance, and the Legislative Analyst shall provide additional support, at the request of the Judicial Council. The California State Association of Counties is encouraged to provide additional staff support. 77653. The duties of the task force shall include all of the following: (a) Document the state of existing court facilities. (b) Document the need for new or modified court facilities and the extent to which current court facilities are fully utilized. (c) Document the funding mechanisms currently available for maintenance, operation, construction, and renovation of court facilities. (d) Examine existing standards for court facility construction. (e) Document the impacts of state actions on court facilities and other state and local justice system facilities. (f) Review and recommend operational changes which may mitigate the need for additional court facilities, including the implementation of methods to more fully utilize existing facilities. (g) Review and provide recommendations on concepts regarding security; operational flexibility; alternative dispute resolution; meeting space; special needs of children, families, victims, and disabled persons; technology; the dignity of the participants; and any other special needs of court facilities. (h) Recommend specific funding responsibilities among the various entities of government for support of trial court facilities and facility maintenance including, but not limited to, full state responsibility or continued county responsibility. (i) Recommend funding sources and financing mechanisms for support of court facilities and facility maintenance. 77654. (a) The task force shall be appointed on or before October 1, 1997. (b) The task force shall meet and establish its operating procedures on or before September 1, 1998, and submit its plan for the entire review of court facilities by October 1, 1998, to the Judicial Council, Legislature, and Governor. (c) The task force shall review all available court facility standards and make preliminary determinations of acceptable standards for construction, renovation, and remodeling of court facilities, and shall report those preliminary determinations to the Judicial Council, the Legislature, and the Governor in an interim report on or before July 1, 1999. (d) The task force shall complete a survey of all trial and appellate court facilities in the state and report its findings to the Judicial Council, the Legislature, and the Governor in a second interim report on or before January 1, 2001. The report shall document all of the following: (1) The state of existing court facilities. (2) The need for new or modified court facilities. (3) The currently available funding options for constructing or renovating court facilities. (4) The impact which creating additional judgeships has upon court facility and other justice system facility needs. (5) The effects which trial court coordination and consolidation have upon court and justice system facilities needs. (6) Administrative and operational changes which can reduce or mitigate the need for added court or justice system facilities. (7) Recommendations for specific funding responsibilities among the entities of government including full state responsibility, full county responsibility, or shared responsibility. (8) A proposed transition plan if responsibility is to be changed. (9) Recommendations regarding funding sources for court facilities and funding mechanisms to support court facilities. (e) The interim reports shall be circulated for comment to the counties, the judiciary, the Legislature, and the Governor. The task force may also circulate these reports to users of the court facilities. (f) The task force shall submit a final report to the Judicial Council, the Legislature, and the Governor on or before July 1, 2001. The report shall include all elements of the interim reports incorporating any changes recommended by the task force in response to comments received. (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the period from July 1, 1997 to December 31, 2002, inclusive, the board of supervisors of each county shall be responsible for providing suitable and necessary facilities for judicial officers and court support staff for judicial positions created prior to July 1, 1996, to the extent required by Section 68073. The board of supervisors of each county shall also be responsible for providing suitable and necessary facilities for judicial officers and court support staff for judgeships authorized by statutes chaptered in 1996 to the extent required by Section 68073, provided that the board of supervisors agrees that new facilities are either not required or that the county is willing to provide funding for court facilities. Unless a court and a county otherwise mutually agree, the state shall assume responsibility for suitable and necessary facilities for judicial officers and support staff for any judgeships authorized during the period from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2002, inclusive. 77655. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including Section 68073, the findings of the task force shall not be considered or entered into evidence in any action brought by trial courts to compel a county to provide facilities that the trial court contends are necessary and suitable.