Jack Clark is stepping down as the court administrator in Los Angeles. Clark is among the nation’s most able court administrators so he will be a very hard act to follow. But there is of course more than the challenge of following someone who excelled at their job.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court recently announced plans to eliminate 511 positions by June in a sweeping cost cutting effort to close an $85 million dollar budget shortfall by the beginning of the next fiscal year.
The Presiding Judge, David Wesley, said all of the cuts are necessary. Including cuts made over the past four years, the court has lost 24 percent of its employees. Meanwhile the workload continues to increase.
Nearly 50 judges and staff spent 5 months coming up with a cost-cutting plan. This involved caseload analysis, study of court facilities and discussions with attorneys and stakeholders. The cuts will result in court closures, higher court fees and longer waits for cases to be heard.
During the State of the Judiciary speech to state legislators this year, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye pleaded with lawmakers to restore some of the funding. She stated that our court system, which is the largest in the country, is facing a “crisis in civil rights” because of the cuts. Applications for Clark’s position are still available.
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