Monday, August 14, 2006
Page 3
CCW Courthouse to Remain Closed While Undergoing Electrical Repairs
By TINA BAY, Staff Writer
The Central Civil West Courthouse, 600 S. Commonwealth Avenue, will remain closed today but will hopefully reopen on Wednesday, court officials said.
Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini told the MetNews Friday that the ongoing closure is due to fairly extensive repairs that are being made to the building’s electrical system, knocked out last week when an electric generator overheated and caused a fire on the 19th floor.
“We are in the control of essentially the electricians and the building owner,” Parachini said. “Until all the repairs are complete and city inspectors have certified that, we will not reoccupy the building.”
The court held a staff meeting Friday afternoon at which CCW employees and judges were informed of new developments and thanked for their work throughout the week, he said.
CCW staff have been remarkably resilient and have turned the very difficult transition into a smooth, coherent operation, Parachini added.
Superior Court Presiding Judge William A. MacLaughlin credited Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl, Site Judge for CCW, with leading exceptional efforts by staff to accommodate everyone affected by the shutdown.
“The staff did a great job of getting in touch with attorneys who had matters on calendar this week,” MacLaughlin told the MetNews.
The judges from CCW are in “very good spirits,” he said, despite undergoing considerable inconvenience and hardship because of inaccessible files and personal chambers.
Parachini noted that attorneys have been very cooperative and helpful to court staff during this emergency, often providing the court with courtesy copies of documents that would otherwise have been unavailable
In several cases, he said, attorneys established very useful intranet networks for the purpose of sharing documents, thereby creating electronic access to much of what was needed in the courtrooms.
“It’s been limiting but it’s been amazing to see some creative solutions materialize,” the spokesman remarked.
As far as operations and traffic at the Mosk Courthouse, MacLaughlin said CCW’s closure has had minimal impact because staff vacations freed up courtroom space at Mosk to accommodate relocated CCW judges.
Services normally available at CCW will continue at Mosk on a limited basis, officials said, with CCW judges and staff for the Complex Litigation Unit and Dept. 316 handling matters in temporary locations at Mosk.
All documents in pending Complex Litigation Unit cases should be filed in Room 102 of Mosk, and fax filings for CCW should be sent to (213) 625-3244, officials advised.
Additionally, the court is directing clients with appointments for the Los Angeles County Child Support Services offices to call 1-800-615-8858 for information.
Copyright 2006, Metropolitan News Company