Orange County Superior Court Furloughs
Orange County Superior Court Furloughs
Orange County Superior Court Furloughs were the result of the State of California’s financial crisis hit in 2008, it showed up in the tax income for the State of California in 2009. One of the most expensive operations is the California Court System, which provides constitutional hearings for criminal cases, civil cases, and family law and other, related types of cases (such as Orange County Probate) for the residents of each county.
When releasing the 2009 budget, it was immediately apparent the there would be a shortfall. In Los Angeles County Courts, the largest county court system in California, they agreed to close all courts once a month. Likewise, in Orange County, it was agreed that courts would be closed the third Wednesday of each month, but started taking furlough days each month.
The furlough dates in Orange County, which shut down courts the third Wednesday of each month, started in 2009, and lated until June of 2010.
The only purpose of Orange County Furlough dates, was to save money. There are about 1,700 employees in the Orange County court system, and the presiding justice announced to attorneys in Orange County that they were able to save about $5 million over the course of each year with furlough dates.
The Furlough dates also extended to the DMV, which had a temporary suspension of hearings during Mondays and Fridays through 2009 and 2010.
It is always possible, based upon a number of economic factors, for the court to reinstate furlough dates in the future to help meet the budget goals and to save money. In the Los Angeles Criminal Defense courts, the court decided eventually to close a number of facilities that had a high cost per defendant processed cost, and consolidate operations using the same employees at fewer courthouse locations.
Furlough dates have ended in Orange County, and in all other counties, and all Orange County Courts, the Orange County DMV Office of Driver Safety, and all Courts in California are back to providing services to all five days a week, except for court holidays.