News Release

Date: May 7, 1999

Number: 30

Task Force on Trial Court Employees Issues Interim Report Today

Report On Personnel System for Trial Court Employees

San Francisco — An interim report will be issued today by the Task Force on Trial Court Employees, a statewide panel established by the Trial Court Funding Act of 1997 to develop and recommend a personnel structure for trial court employees.

The task force is chaired by Justice James A. Ardaiz, Administrative Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District (Fresno). The report is available on the task force’s web site at www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/tcemployees.

The interim report discusses the development of and the considerations behind the task force’s preliminary recommendations for the various components of a personnel system for trial court employees that has “uniform statewide applicability.” The report also describes the comprehensive survey about trial court employees, which was conducted by the task force to document existing salaries, benefits, retirement systems, and contractual agreements.

Recommendations in the report include these topics:

Definition of Trial Court Employee;
Protection of current employees’ salaries, benefits and retirement;
Broad classification and salary systems that allow local differences;
A minimum standard of “cause” for discipline and termination; and
Local meet and confer processes.

In the interim report, the task force outlines its method for conducting an advisory vote of trial court employees and a public entity poll of counties and trial courts. The vote and poll will allow counties, courts and employees the opportunity to provide input regarding the recommendations of the task force. In making its final recommendations, the task force will take into consideration the data from the trial court employees advisory vote as well as the input from the public entities.

The task force is submitting the interim report for comment to California counties, the judiciary, the Legislature, the Governor, and local and state employee organizations.

The interim report describes the framework of the proposed trial court employee personnel structure and provides an opportunity for comments and suggestions by interested parties. The task force welcomes comments, in the format specified in the interim report, during the comment period by June 2, 1999. The task force will consider comments and submit a final report to the Legislature and Governor on a personnel structure for trial court employees by September 3, 1999.

In addition to the interim report, the task force’s web site, www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/tcemployees, houses information about upcoming meetings, meeting minutes, a task force roster, the Trial Court Funding Act and Frequently Asked Questions.

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