Take Action: Budget Agreement Could Cut Courts Deficit

After hearing from SEIU 721 members about the impact on the public, legislators have agreed to shift some money from a $1.9-billion computer system and cut the statewide Courts deficit in half.

The agreement would still leave LA Courts more than $60 million in the red. Legislators need to approve the plan, and SEIU members are pressing the AOC to open its books, increase accountability find more money for California’s hardest-hit courts.

Take Action: Call your state Senators today to demand accountability and open courts

“The AOC has come up with $106 million just from the IT system that they wanted to implement,” said Attorney Damien Rosen of the Children’s Law Center.

The law center, which represents 25,000 vulnerable children in the LA County foster care system, faces an $865,000 deficit. That’s “pennies in comparison to what the AOC has shown they have available,” said Rosen.

Cuts at the Children’s Law Center could mean children stay longer in foster care or separated from their families, costing the state more money and traumatizing kids.

Take Action Today

Call state senators with this message:

“In this time of fiscal crisis, it’s critical that every single branch of government be open and transparent in its budget decisions, and that serving the public remains the number one priority. The Administrative Office of the Courts is the ONLY agency in the state that is not required to explain its fund transfers to the legislature. The public also needs to have open and timely access to the local trial courts’ budget decision-making. We need transparency and oversight to strengthen public confidence in our government at every level.”

“Will you support budget transparency and accountability at the AOC?”