The Trial Court Funding Workgroup has concluded its efforts to determine how the state has progressed since the Trial Court Funding Act, to ascertain whether the goals of the Trial Court Funding Act have been met, and to propose options to the Judicial Council to effectively meet and maintain the goals of state-funded trial court system and enhancing transparency and accountability.  The workgroup’s report, including findings and recommendations, will be presented to the Judicial Council on April 26, 2013.

The workgroup concluded that that the judicial branch has substantially complied with the Trial Court Funding Act. However, the judicial branch must continue to work to ensure that litigants across the state have equal access to justice and that funding for the branch is allocated in a manner that promotes greater access. The report contains 18 recommendations for consideration by the Judicial Council. Among other continuing work set forth in detail in the recommendations, the workgroup recommends that the branch identify and consider implementing efficiencies and best practices more uniformly, and adopt appropriate measures to assess improvements in providing access to justice for all Californians.

This collaborative effort between the judicial and executive branches was a successful approach to tackling these long-standing, complex issues facing the judiciary.

• Trial Court Funding Workgroup Report *
• April 26, 2013 Judicial Council Report
• Letter to Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. and Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye
• Membership Roster
• Charge Composition and Activities

* _{Due to the length of this document, readers are encouraged to read it online rather than to print it out in its entirety.}