Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee

The advisory committee is comprised of superior court judges, court executives, advocates, subject matter experts, and advisory staff from the Judicial Council and reports directly to the Judicial Council of California. The current membership term runs until September 2024.

Download the Committee Roster.
 

• Hon. Lawrence G. Brown, Chair, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento
• Hon. Charles A. Smiley, III, Vice-Chair, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda
• Mr. Brian Bloom, Assistant Public Defender (retired), Alameda County
• Mr. Scott D. Brown, Special Projects Manager, Superior Court of California, County of San Diego
• Mr. Aaron Michael Buck, Treatment Court Graduate, Superior Court of California, County of Sierra
• Ms. Crystal L. Davis, Division Manager, Ventura County Probation Agency
• Ms. Debra Dugan, Deputy Manager, Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
• Mr. Mark Gale, Criminal Justice Chair, NAMI Los Angeles County Council
• Hon. Susan M. Jakubowski, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo
• Hon. Kathleen Kelly, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
• Hon. Karla D. Kerlin, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
• Ms. Sherin Larijani, Deputy District Attorney, Orange County District Attorney’s Office
• Hon. Sam Lavorato, Jr., Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Monterey
• Ms. Veronica D. Lewis, Director, Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System
• Hon. Stephen V. Manley, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
• Ms. Rebecca Marcus, Deputy Public Defender, San Francisco Public Defender’s Office
• Mrs. Katie Mayeda, Founder and CEO, Mayeda Consulting
• Hon. Eileen C. Moore, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal Fourth Appellate District, Division Three
• Ms. Gabby Olivarez, Division Director of Criminal Justice, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department
• Ms. Melanie A. Rhodes, Deputy Director, Monterey County Behavioral Health
• Mr. Brandon E. Riley, Court Executive Officer, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
• Ms. Rachel B. Solov, Chief Deputy District Attorney, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
• Hon. Mary K. Varipapa, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange

TCPJAC Liaison

• Hon. Charles H. Ervin, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Sierra

OGA Liaisons

• Mr. Dana Cruz, Attorney, Governmental Affairs, Judicial Council of California

Judicial Council Staff to the Committee

• Ms. Deanna Adams, Supervising Analyst, Criminal Justice Services, Operations & Programs Division, Judicial Council of California
• Ms. Carrie Zoller, Supervising Attorney, Center for Families, Children & the Courts, Judicial Council of California

Juvenile Subcommittee

• Hon. Kathleen Kelly (Chair), Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
• Ms. Crystal L. Davis, Division Manager, Ventura County Probation Agency
• Ms. Veronica D. Lewis, Director, Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System
• Ms. Rebecca Marcus, Deputy Public Defender, San Francisco Public Defender’s Office
• Mrs. Katie Mayeda, Founder and CEO, Mayeda Consulting
• Hon. Charles A. Smiley, III, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda

Mental Health Subcommittee

• Hon. Stephen V. Manley, Chair, Judge of the Superior Court of CA, County of Santa Clara
• Mr. Brian Bloom, Public Member, Assistant Public Defender Alameda County (Ret’d)
• Hon. Lawrence G. Brown, Judge of the Superior Court of CA, County of Sacramento
• Mr. Mark Gale, Board of Directors, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) CA
• Hon. Karla D. Kerlin, Judge of the Superior Court of CA, County of Los Angeles
• Hon. Mary Kreber Varipapa, Judge of the Superior Court of CA, County of Orange
• Ms. Katherine Mayeda, Mayeda Consulting, Community based provider
• Ms. Melanie A. Rhodes, Deputy Director, Monterey County Behavioral Health

Veterans in the Court and Military Families

• Hon. Eileen C. Moore, Chair, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three
• Hon. Charles H. Ervin, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Sierra
• Hon. Stephen V. Manley, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
• Hon. Mary K. Varipapa, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange

Background
The Judicial Council of California’s Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee, created pursuant to rule 10.56 of the California Rules of Court, makes recommendations to the Judicial Council on criteria for evaluating and improving adult and youth collaborative programs that incorporate judicial supervision, collaboration among justice system partners, or rehabilitative services. Collaborative programs include collaborative justice courts, also known as problem-solving courts, diversion programs, and similar court-monitored programs that seek to improve outcomes and address problems facing court–involved individuals and those at risk of becoming involved with the adult or juvenile justice system. These issues can include, but are not limited to, mental health issues, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders. The committee is jointly staffed by the Criminal Justice Services office and Center for Families, Children & the Courts.

Mission
The mission of the Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee is to:

• Make recommendations to the council on best practices and guidelines for collaborative programs;
• Assess and measure the success of collaborative programs, including assessing and recommending methods for collecting data to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs;
• Identify and disseminate to trial courts locally generated and nationally recognized best practices for collaborative programs, and training and program implementation activities that support collaborative programs;
• Recommend to the Center for Judicial Education and Research Advisory Committee minimum judicial education standards on collaborative programs, and educational activities to support those standards;
• Advise the council of potential funding sources, including those that may advance collaborative programs;
• Make allocation recommendations regarding Judicial Council-administered grant funding programs that support collaborative programs; and
• Identify and disseminate appropriate outreach activities needed to support collaborative programs, including but not limited to collaborations with educational institutions, professional associations, and community-based organizations.