As State of California government flounders from a lack of money, the Legislature has spent dedicated funds just to deal with the overall budget shortfall. This fiscal year, the Legislature has spent or redirected nearly $1.7 million in court construction funds toward budget problems. Now, the Judicial Council has approved major cost-cutting in court construction plans, which includes a significant reassessment of Inyo County’s new court building.
In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon by the California Judicial Council, officials said that the Court Facilities Working Group has recommended canceling some court projects and seriously reducing others. Inyo County’s project is among 13 that will not move forward but will be “reassessed to find significant ways to reduce costs, including where feasible, reducing square footage, undertaking renovations of existing buildings instead of new construction, evaluating lease options, and using lower-cost construction methods.” 24 other projects will move forward with cost reductions.
The news release from the Judicial Council says that the Administrative Office of the Courts will “collaborate with the affected courts with projects to be reassessed.” The AOC will report back to a subcommittee to seek further direction. Officials say all projects to be reassessed will be “required to significantly reduce their costs in order to move forward.”
The Judicial Council documents say projects like Inyo’s will have to reduce costs from 6% to 14% at this point. The State had described Inyo’s project as one with two courtrooms, 28,774 square feet and a cost of $32,286,000. The project still has no definite site in Bishop.
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I counted 8 Highway Patrol vehicles headed south between Independence and Bishop one morning on my way to work. Do we really need that many Highway Patrol vehicles on the road? Each one represents the cost of probably two or three fully staffed classrooms.
small point. a majority vote does not make the rules. the rules are debated in the supreme courts state and federal, and the lawyer who argues the best sways the courts to his or her point of view. if majority ruled i’m sure taxes and government fines would be very inexpensive.
$324,000 A YEAR!!! There must be some huge profits being made due to the lack of competition to pay out that kind of money.
If that doesn’t make the Sheeple boycott Von’s nothing will.
You put the court and other administrative buildings, workers, adminstrators, etc. where they will do the most good (for the taxpayers who pay for them) – where the majority of the people live.
If they really want a courthouse in Bishop. Why don’t they lease the former Kmart building and remodel it to suit the needs of the court,,, all for 1/10th the cost. Then take the remaining budget money and put it into the schools.
Just my 2 cents
When we checked last year, the owners of the Kmart building (who received at the time $27,000 per month from Vons not to rent to another grocery), did not want to sell or lease to anyone else. Benett Kessler
I know where they can get some savings…the new court in Mammoth has ALL its lights on 24/7. Talk about light pollution and a waste of energy…I suppose they’ll claim its a safety issue but no way. They could keep just a couple lights on and meet that purpose…or if all the lights were off, any flashlight or headlamp would be pretty noticeable. TURN OF THE LIGHTS dammit!
Big Al there will still be a courthouse in Independence. Somehow, people got misinformed that there will only be court in Bishop. In fact, the new Independence courthouse process has begun.
Great , that means soon we will have 4 court houses for two Judges. I don’t care who’s money this is, it’s a waste.
Spend the money on our schools. Screw the Judges.
I’m with ya there trouble, spend the money on the schools, is my vote .. but unfortunately the courts seem to carry more water.
With more and more stupid laws coming … down the drain .. they will need more facilities to deal with everyone getting busted, so I guess they better do something .. LOL
My choice … is take the scam money from the lottery, and give it to the schools, after all that is what … the lotto was set up for .. but instead they have to fund raise for everything, grovel for donations and cut home ec. shop class and such to barely make ends meet.
If we build a new center in Bishop .. then all of folks here won’t have to drive to Indy for court or jury duty .. but then everyone else down there will have to drive here, how about we meet in the middle and build it in Big Pine .. init? LOL
Spend the money on birth control!
Population control is the answer to many of our problems. 🙂
Rob- are you suggesting birth control for all potential bloggers?
This reminds me of the question: Why is the Mono County Seat in Bridgeport?
Do you have any idea how many tax dollars are wasted due to this foolishness?
Because Bridgeport was the county center pretty much when it was founded, there was no metropolis of Mammoth Lakes and June Lake.
You put it in Mammoth Lakes, you will save you for having to drive to Bridgeport … sigh .. but then everyone in the northern half would have to drive to ML for court and such .. sigh again.
Inyo County is faced with the same dilemma as you say. But then you have to build a whole new government facility for it, that is what is happening in Inyo, no one wants to spend the money, when what they have works.
The times-they-are-a-changin’ Big AL.
A representative government has always been about The People.
When The People by sheer numbers find themselves in a clear-cut majority and prefer to settle in towns like Bishop or Mammoth Lakes (where the population, the jobs and the money are, it makes total sense to go where the majority rules.
It’s all a dollar-and-cents thing. No change no longer works today.
Get used to it.
Badfinger You and your pro LADWP views hold no weight in my book, If I had a continous resource like water to profit from i would be able to give lessons on sustainability also!!!!!
what does LADWP give back for all they take? NOTHING INLESS THE COURTS TELL THEM TOO!!!!!!!!
NewEra,
To be reasonable, you need to remember that LADWP provides water and power to one of the largest urban areas in the country, and they probably employ more people (including a lot of Inyoites) than the entire population of Inyo County. They also actually make a profit for the City of Los Angeles (so they can pay off all the lawsuits against the cops!)
LADWP is a public utility what do you want them to “give back”? They do donate the use of time and equipment for local projects.
well RoadRage your right they do donate to local projects I will agree. I dont feel the cost of depleting the valley of life in many ways is worth what they serve! And i have heard that arguement that they serve way more people then they hurt, so does that justify everything bad thing they do to the valley??
I will forever fight for which does not have a voice, like the plants and animals!!!!
That’s good news!
No it’s not!
Haha Looks like the county needs to take lessons on how to manage costs from LADWP, when are you tax-eaters gonna realize that you just can’t spend more than you take-in, it just is Not Sustainable eventually u gonna get a reality-check 🙂
It’s not a county project. The courts are run (and funded) by the state.
It will never happen.. They will just increase your taxes instead….
and the STUPID Sheeple will vote for it on the ballot..
“Thank you sir may I HAVE ANOTHER”…
GGW
That’s still 15 million per Judge in a county that already has two court houses. Give me a break.