Administrative Office of the Courts

Provides training and education for judicial officers and court employees, including 749 courses for judges and justices, 124 for court staff, 23 for court executives, and 331 for AOC staff, serving more than 9,200 participants.

Provides classes, curriculum development, and training for faculty. Includes 30 courses and 730 faculty members who teach judicial and staff programs.

Creates, publishes, and provides educational materials and resources in print, Web, and video. Includes 59 publications, 250 downlink satellite sites, the broadcast of 70 courses, creation of 71 online courses, and 119 other online resources.

Implements education plan based on needs expressed by nine Curriculum Committees that include 302 individual education events and products.

Delivers educational content through traditional and distance education, develops delivery infrastructure, and oversees content management projects.

Consults with justice partners on education design and faculty development.

Provides logistical and support services, including records management, print and copy services, and conference services for 2,000 on-site meetings and 22 off-site conferences.

The AOC Office of Court Construction and Management (OCCM) division is responsible for:

• approximately 20.8 million square feet of real estate assets;
• ensuring compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations,
• management of all aspects of facility maintenance, repair, and minor improvements for courthouse facilities, as well as new courthouse construction,
• coordination of 52 capital projects in site acquisition, design or construction phases, valued at $6.4 billion, with an estimated job generation of 134,000,
• management of 298 leases and licenses with full-term value of $304 million, and
• research for and analysis and oversight of court facility projects statewide as well as operation and maintenance budgets for the state’s courthouses.

Currently, more than 4,755 modifications are completed or under way, at a value of $107 million. OCCM receives on average 8,400 calls a month at a 24/7 call center for court staff to report facilities issues.

AOC staff provides professional risk management support to all superior courts in the operation, management, and construction of court buildings. Sponsors commercial property and crime insurance programs utilized by 42 superior courts, and 2 courts of appeal.

Staff implement the California Trial Court Facilities Standards, adopted by the Judicial Council in 2006, to apply best practices in the design of trial court buildings and maximize value to the state in their construction and operation.

MORE »

Provides fiscal, budgeting, auditing, and treasury services to the judicial branch. Includes 91 monthly financial reports, daily assistance to approximately 32 trial and appellate courts, and an average of 15 comprehensive audits each year. Manages 277 bank accounts for 58 courts and collects $45 million monthly from uniform civil fees.

Provides payroll and controller services to trial courts and assigned judges. Includes the processing of 180 payrolls each year for trial courts totaling $146 million, 134,576 annual payroll payments, 860,000 checks issued, and 56,000 customer service calls each year. Includes 11,000 payrolls processed each year for assigned judges totaling $26.2 million.

Procures and negotiates goods and service contracts for the AOC, appellate courts, and the Habeaus Corpus Resource Center; creates master agreements for use by all judicial branch entities; and provides procurement guidance to all appellate and trial courts. 102,000 vendor invoices totaling $280 million are processed each year.

Provides budget oversight, management, and support of the judicial branch’s $3.7 billion budget. Works with state Department of Finance and legislative staff on judicial branch budget issues and tracks and projects court-related revenues. Approximately 59,000 hours per year are devoted to state budget planning.

Through the Enhanced Collections program, assists courts and counties statewide in their efforts to develop or improve collections programs for fines, fees, and penalties imposed by court orders as directed by the Judicial Council in accordance with Penal Code sections 1463.010 and 1463.007.

MORE »

Responsible for the development, acquisition, implementation, and support of automated systems in the appellate courts and the AOC. Plans and coordinates implementation of statewide judicial branch technology initiatives in the trial courts. Supports 110 individual technology projects, and maintains and supports 72 applications.

Designs, acquires, develops, deploys, and supports judicial branch technologies for use in appellate courts, trial courts, and AOC in more than 400 locations around the state. Manages, operates, and supports more than 5,000 hardware components valued at approximately $20 million.

Develops and supports the California Court Case management system (CCMS) for statewide deployment. The interim civil application processes 25 percent of the state’s civil caseload.

Facilitates electronic information sharing and telecommunications between and for courts, justice partners, and the public, including CCMS and rollout of a centralized repository for protective order information.

Gathers and facilitates court statistical reporting for decision makers.

Develops and supports information systems to support financial and personnel systems for the entire branch. Payroll application has 3,643 users statewide.

Maintains and supports Web presence so that the public can access information through the Internet and so that justices, judges, and court employees can access information through the Intranet. Maintains 35 Web sites that receive approximately 20 million visits and 400 million hits each year.

Provides analytical and logistical support for the 31-member Judicial Council,  the policymaking body of the California courts, the largest court system in the nation. Under the leadership of the Chief Justice and in accordance with the California Constitution, the council is responsible for ensuring the independent, impartial, and accessible administration of justice. Council membership includes representation from the bar and Legislature.

The AOC provides administrative and research support for subject matter advisory committees and task forces as they work towards developing policy recommendations for the Judicial Council.

• These committees and task forces are appointed by the Chief Justice and the Judicial Council, and
• consist of judicial officers, court officials, attorneys, and members of the public who serve without compensation.

Legislative Affairs
The Office of Governmental Affairs Division, located in Sacramento, represents and advocates for the Judicial Council on legislative, policy, and budget matters and monitors and reviews about 1,000 court-related bills each year—approximately a third of all legislation introduced.

Judicial Branch Administration and Planning
Staff throughout the AOC support strategic planning activities, including the development of strategic and operational plans for the branch. Staff work to identify areas of court administration and judicial practice that can lead to improved trust and confidence in the courts and increased fairness in acces to justice for all Californians.

Court Research and Statistics
By mandate, the judicial branch is required to submit to the legislature reports on court activities. The AOC Court Programs and Services Division:

• conducts research and analysis on key issues of judicial administration and court operations, and
• gathers and studies data on filings, time to and manner of dispositions, and other indicators of trial court workload and performance to ensure timely, accurate, and relevant data for policy, planning, and program evaluation.

Communications and Media
Distributes news and information to the branch, public, and media through print publications, the California Courts and Serranus Web sites, California Courts News, Court News Update, YouTube, Twitter, and other channels of communication. The California Courts Web site receives more than 9 million visits each year, including 2.2 million annual visits to the online Self-Help Center and downloads of more than 5 million legal forms annually.

Provides media services for the Judicial Council, Supreme Court, and Commission on Judicial Appointments. Issues approximately 154 news releases each year and each month handles 150 to 250 press calls.

Handles 400 requests a year for research assistance from trial courts, the public, and sister branches.

In 2010, responded to approximately 200 complex requests by the public for judicial administrative records maintained by the AOC.

MORE »

Manages, defends, and resolves lawsuits and claims involving the Judicial Council, appellate and trial courts, judicial officers, and court and AOC employees, approximately 500 each year. Supports trial courts’ responses to 200 subpoenas and DQs each year.

Responds to requests for legal opinions and advice for the Judicial Council, courts, and the AOC on dozens of issues, from the use of public funds to ethics. In fiscal year 2009–2010, received 532 requests for legal opinions and advice from the Judicial Council, courts, and the AOC, and provided guidance responding to 473 requests. In the current fiscal year (2010–2011) to date, received 329 requests and provided guidance responding to 236 requests.

Provides real estate legal services, including transfer of responsibility for 501 court facilities, support for 57 court construction projects, 200 leases and licenses for court facilities, and compliance with environmental regulations.

Provides legal services on labor and employment issues, including wage and hour issues, leaves of absence, discrimination, harassment, unfair labor practices, workers’ compensation, workplace safety, complaint investigation and resolution, and personnel policies and procedures. Each year handles about375 inquiries, 50 litigation-related claims, and 50 labor arbitrations.

Provides legal assistance and advice on court and AOC business operations and transactions including negotiating and drafting contracts and MOUs, as well as business and legal issues involving procurement, outsourcing, security, intellectual property, and risk management. Over 400 matters of varying complexity handled last fiscal year

Conducts emergency planning for the courts, overseeing continuity- of-operations planning, all-hazard emergency planning, and preparedness training.

Conducts courthouse security assessments (160 facilities assessed so far) and conducts planning to improve overall court security and assist courts with selection and purchase of security equipment, conducts surveys to evaluate and make recommendations with regard to physical security, security procedures, and fire life safety systems within court facilities. Offers personal security training/consultation for justices and judges. Establishes statewide contracts for wireless duress alarms, closed circuit television camera and access systems, alertcast systems, and other security equipment.

Provides professional life and health safety services, ensuring that court buildings are safe for employees and the public.

Responding to the diverse needs of court users and the growing number of self-represented litigants, produces guidelines for court-based self-help centers and develops information to aid litigants. Creates guides and curricula for those assisting self-help litigants and publishes material for all branches of government and the public on issues and needs relating to self-representation. Assists courts with interpreter funds and plans for court users with limited English proficiency. Provides forms translation. Responds to an average of 1,800 public inquiries each year regarding family law, juvenile law, child support, domestic violence, and collaborative justice.

Supports programs dealing with foster care, child dependency and delinquency. Recommends ways courts can improve safety, permanence, and well-being of children and reduce the number of children in foster care. Engages in delinquency system improvement efforts to advance major federal and state efforts to use evidence-based practice in adjudication, sentencing, and re-entry.

Assists family courts, practitioners and litigants. Staffs the Elkins Family Law Implementation Task Force to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of family law practice throughout the state. Supports Family Law Facilitator program, which served 581,909 court users and Family Court Services, which conducted over 100,000 mediations.

Provides statewide, regional, and local court training opportunities designed to meet continuing education requirements mandated by statute or court rule. Orientation and training for new judicial officers, mediators and evaluators, family law facilitators and commissioners in child support proceedings. Curricula and courses

in collaborative justice, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Other curricula and interdisciplinary education in a range of issues affecting cases involving families and children.

Distributes and administers over $70 million in grants to local courts and court-connected programs. Administers funding for dependency counsel and DRAFT program, Equal Access Partnership grants for legal services agencies, federal and foundation grants for the Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Office of Violence Against Women, and the Archstone Foundation. Manages and implements interagency agreements with the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Department of Child Support Services, Department of Mental Health, Department of Social Services, Office of Emergency Services. Co-administers state drug court dependency counsel collections program.

Supports expansion and enhancement of collaborative justice models through cost effective state and local collaborations with justice system partners. Developing a Web-based tool to allow courts to self-assess the costs and benefits associated with their own drug court programs.

Partnerships with Indian tribes regarding court-related programs and community-court partnerships to address homelessness.

MORE »

Oversees about 9,400 attorney appointments each year for the Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal, which generates 15,500 claims for and 489,000 hours of legal work on behalf of indigent defense. Performs all budgeting, contracting, and caseload forecasting for several statewide programs affecting the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and superior courts, including the Court-Appointed Counsel program, the Civil Case Coordination program, and the Assigned Judges Program.

Acts as liaison to appellate court clerk/administrators, appellate research attorneys, and appellate librarians to identify and resolve administrative, budget, and staff training issues in the Courts of Appeal.

Manages the assignment of active and retired judges in the trial and appellate courts statewide, implementing the policies and procedures approved by the Chief Justice. The program manages more than 5,500 assignment requests per year, providing the equivalent of 143 full-time judgeships in fiscal year 2009–2010.

Coordinates over 580 complex civil actions for the more efficient and effective use of judicial resources statewide, at the direction of the Chief Justice and under statutes and rules of court governing coordination.

Oversees maintenance and court dissemination of the vexatious litigants list, which currently includes 1,235 litigants and has risen 9 percent each year for the last five years.

Supports committees consisting of all trial court presiding judges and executive officers. Prepares a reference manual on the administration of trial courts.

Researches and recognizes innovative court programs that improve the administration of justice and are transferable to other courts.

Provides a court interpreters program that oversees recruitment, testing, certification, education of court interpreters, and promotion of professional standards. More than 200 languages are spoken in California, and over 7 million state residents, or 20% of the state’s population, are not English proficient and require a court interpreter to access the courts.

Provides statewide planning, development, and implementation of innovative jury system improvements, including the one-day or one-trial program for jury service, research on reducing panel sizes, and best practices in jury management.

Oversees a partnership between trial courts, AmeriCorps, local universities, community-based organizations, and the AOC that provides trained college students as assistants at trial court self-help centers. In the 2009−2010 program year, 284 California JusticeCorps members served more than 47,000 hours in 6 counties, assisted 60,000 litigants, provided 24,942 referrals, and helped to complete 38,900 forms.

Provides assistance to trial courts through three regional offices that play a central role in facilitating the transition of local trial courts from county- to state-provided services consistent with the requirements of the Trial Court Funding Act.