News Release

Date: October 12, 1999

Number: 62

Task Force on Trial Court Employees Issues Second Interim Report

San Francisco — The Task Force on Trial Court Employees, charged with developing and recommending a personnel structure for California trial court employees, today will release its Second Interim Report describing its work and recommendations.

The report discusses the development of the task force’s recommendations for the many components of a personnel system for trial court employees. The recommended components have “uniform statewide applicability.” Established by the Trial Court Funding Act of 1997, the task force is chaired by Justice James A. Ardaiz, Administrative Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District (Fresno).

The task force’s proposed recommendations include the following:

Definition of trial court employee.

Definition of employment status options, state, county, or court.

Components of a personnel system, including:

- Classification/compensation and accrued leave;

                - Employment protection system, a minimum protection standard that includes
                  “for cause” and progressive discipline;

                - Benefits to include group insurance and other employer-provided benefits,
                  federally regulated benefits, deferred compensation, defined-benefit retirement
                  plan, retiree group insurance; and

                - Local meet-and-confer.

Transition Issues.

The task force is submitting this report for comment to the counties, the judiciary, the Legislature, the Governor, and local and state employee organizations. The report describes the framework of the 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 Second Interim Report, during the comment period ending November 1, 1999. The task force will consider comments received regarding its Second Interim Report and then will submit a final report late in December 1999 to the Legislature, the Governor, and other interested parties.

The Second Interim Report will be available today on the task force’s Web site at www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/tcemployees. The site also houses information about upcoming meetings and about the Trial Court Funding Act, as well as meeting minutes, a task force roster, and Frequently Asked Questions.

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