Oversight of Court Construction Program

January 12, 2012

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Independent Consultant Selected to Assist in Oversight of Court Construction Program

Will Report to Court Facilities Working Group

SAN FRANCSICO—Pegasus-Global Holdings, Inc. has been selected as an independent consultant to assist the Court Facilities Working Group in its ongoing oversight of the judicial branch's court construction program.

"I'm pleased with this selection because members of our working group led by Santa Clara Judge Pat Lucas reviewed the proposals and conducted in-person interviews with each prospective consultant," said Administrative Presiding Justice Brad R. Hill of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District, and chair of the working group. "The Chief Justice set up the Court Facilities Working Group to provide comprehensive oversight of the facilities program. We want to make sure that we make good decisions based on the best information. We expect Pegasus-Global will provide an independent assessment and analysis, which will be critically important as we review every aspect of the court construction program."

"This is an important step in providing ongoing direction to the facilities program in the wake of unprecedented cuts," said Interim Administrative Director of the Courts Ron Overholt. "Because of the state's fiscal crisis, more than $500 million in court construction funds were borrowed, swept into the state's General Fund, or reallocated to trial court operations in the current fiscal year. Despite this, the need to maintain, upgrade and replace aging, inadequate, and unsafe court facilities is critical."

Pegasus-Global is an international consulting firm with extensive experience auditing project management and fiduciary processes in multi-billion-dollar capital construction and infrastructure projects. Its clients include state, federal, and local government entities in numerous jurisdictions in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The firm will report directly to the Judicial Council's Court Facilities Working Group and will monitor and evaluate the budget, scope, schedule, risks, and outcomes of the facilities program.

The Court Facilities Working Group was appointed by the Chief Justice in July 2011 to oversee the work of the Administrative Office of the Courts in its management of 20-million square feet of court facilities and a building program with close to 50 courthouse projects. Last December, the Judicial Council approved the group's recommendations to cancel two construction projects in small counties, and to seek cost-savings in other projects.