San Diego courts say budget shortfall will mean backlogs, longer waits

SAN DIEGO — A $9.6 million budget shortfall this fiscal year means San Diego Superior Court customers likely will see more delays and backlogs in the coming months, particularly toward the end of the holiday season, court officials said last week.

The court — the third largest Superior Court system in California — is essentially in a hiring freeze and is moving staffers around to plug vacancies as it grapples with the deficit. The court is also down one commissioner, which is similar to a judge. And administrators are also using money earmarked for technology projects to help cover the shortfall.

The combined efforts have allowed the court to stave off mandatory furloughs or layoffs. Still, expect delays and backlogs because there are fewer staffers to file and process court workloads, court officials said in a news release earlier this month.

“We’ve explored all of our options and made every effort to make cuts that have the lowest impact on the public, but closing a $9.6 million budget gap will be noticed by court users,” said court Executive Officer Michael Roddy.

This year’s budget is about $222.6 million, roughly $1 million less than last fiscal year, which ended in June.

Increases in labor and operating costs this fiscal year require a budget closer to $233 million, court officials said. But cuts at the state level have led to less money allocated to each of the state’s 58 county court systems. That’s the source of the deficit.

Court users might notice the staffing squeeze most over the holidays, particularly between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3, when the court will operate with significantly reduced staffing. As part of cost-savings, the court is offering employees the opportunity to volunteer to take one or both of those weeks off, unpaid. (The lost hours will be deducted from paychecks over several months to lessen the financial sting for staffers willing to voluntarily take the time off.)

Officials said they selected those two weeks because that is when the courts are generally the quietest. Courthouse traffic may be slower, but fewer staffers will result in reduced judicial calendars. Lines and wait times in the business offices are expected to be longer.

The court is also closing children’s waiting rooms from Dec. 23 to Dec. 27, except at the Central Courthouse in downtown San Diego. The children’s waiting room at the Juvenile Courthouse will be closed both holiday weeks.

As staffers have left, the court has held those positions open. Court officials said the staff has dropped from 1,150 filled employee positions three years ago to about 1,100 by the end of June. Since then, another 20 people have left their jobs.

Not all jobs are in a hiring freeze. Positions critical to ongoing operations and those covered by grant funds may be filled.

In another effort to help fill the gap, officials are plucking $2 million from court reserve funds earmarked for technology. The court has made a number of tech updates recently, but moving the funds could affect future projects, such as replacing the telephone system, which runs through the computer/internet system.