Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

 

Page 1

 

Superior Court Confirms Plans to Lay Off Hundreds

 

By a MetNews Staff Writer

 

The Los Angeles Superior Court plans to lay off hundreds of employees at the end of the fiscal year, a spokesperson confirmed yesterday.

Among those who will lose their posts are 50 judicial assistants, 20 courtroom assistants, at least 60 court reporters, and 100 non-courtroom employees. In addition, 60 court reporters will be downgraded from fulltime to part-time status.

At least 50 courtrooms will be closed around the county.

Presiding Judge Lee Edmon was not available yesterday for comment, but the court released a document showing that its cuts in staffing and services will close a projected deficit of $145.4 million for FY 2012-2013. Layoffs and reductions were widely expected after Edmon and Executive Officer/Clerk John Clarke said last August that the court would operate with a “drastically reduced budget” over the next three fiscal years and anticipated laying off about 1,000 employees over that time.

The court had no information about layoffs of subordinate judicial officers, but sources said several, if not all, of the court’s fulltime referees in juvenile traffic court and delinquency court were informed that they will no longer be employed as of June 30.

One of those, Claire Vermillion, who sits in Long Beach, is the president-elect of the statewide Court Commissioners Association. Vermillion did not return a MetNews phone call.

 

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