Hundreds of people showed up at courthouses across LA County today only to learn that courts were closed and they would have to come back tomorrow.
LA County court employees fanned out to courthouses from Pomona to Palmdale to Downtown L.A. to hand out a flyer informing the public about why courts were closed and what they can do.
Ciara Tymony, a Court Services Assistant III, spoke to people at the Metropolitan Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, one of the busiest traffic courts in the County.
“When the courts are closed it impacts the public not just the employees. When people come back the lines are going to be a whole lot longer than they normally would, which will cause frustration to the public,” she said.
Watch Ciara on YouTube then click here to watch her interviewed on Fox-11.
Many people in line had taken time off to come to court, only to be told they would have to come back the next day or face increased fines and penalties. One young couple, both college students, had driven from Bakersfield to show proof of insurance to dismiss a ticket they received when they spent their anniversary in LA this year. “If the governor’s failing anyone, it’s college students,” said one.
The closures could cause extra headaches for people seeking to deal with urgent court business. Court administrators handed out proof that residents had appeared, but that might not be enough for some.
“These people can walk out and get arrested. I think that’s going to be a major issue,” said Janet Mercer, a Court Services Assistant III in Long Beach criminal courts.
Court employees on their furlough day dispensed free advice and sympathized with residents. “Did you get proof you were here?” they asked courtseekers as they left away, many of them worried about what it would mean for their cases.
Download the flyer now in English and Spanish.