BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           2763 (Feuer)
          
          Hearing Date:  08/12/2010           Amended: As proposed to be  
          amended
          Consultant:  Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Judiciary 3-1
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          ____
          BILL SUMMARY: AB 2763 authorizes the Judicial Council to convert  
          up to an additional 10 subordinate judicial officer (SJO)  
          positions to judgeships each year, upon vacancy, if the  
          conversion of these additional positions will result in a judge  
          being assigned to a family or juvenile law assignment previously  
          presided over by an SJO.  This bill also would require the  
          Judicial Council to provide the Legislature with a special  
          assessment of the need for new judgeships in the family and  
          juvenile law assignments for each superior court and a report on  
          the effectiveness of the additional conversions.
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          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13       Fund
           Up to 10 SJO conversions      up to $310      up to $620         
          up to $930          General*
                                                        
          Reports to Legislature                                            
                 Minor and absorbable   General*

          *Trial Courts Trust Fund; annual cost pressure.
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          ____
          STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
          
          This bill seeks to ensure that a greater number of family and  
          juvenile law cases are presided over by judges, rather than  
          SJOs. Under existing law, up to 16 vacant SJO positions, as  
          specified, can be converted into judgeships. Functionally, the  
          money that paid the salary of an SJO position which is vacant  
          could be used toward a new judge's salary (which is  
          approximately $31,000 more than an SJO salary). 

          Similar to the conversions authorized under existing law, this  
          bill would authorize up to 10 additional SJO conversions only in  










          those superior courts selected pursuant to specified uniform  
          criteria for determining the need for additional superior court  
          judges.  Further, an eligible court would only be entitled to  
          the judgeship if the conversion will result in a judge being  
          assigned to a family or juvenile law assignment previously  
          presided over by an SJO. By allowing up to 10 new conversions,  
          this bill could result in new annual state cost pressure of up  
          to $310,000 each year, since the bill allows for up to 10 new  
          conversions annually (added to the previous year's number). The  
          Judicial Council has indicated that this $310,000 cost could be  
          absorbed within existing resources of the Trial Courts Trust  
          Fund.

          This bill requires Judicial Council to submit specified reports  
          to the Legislature. This workload will be minor and absorbable  
          within existing Council staff and resources. 
          
          The author's proposed amendments would specify that additional  
          SJO conversions are permitted only to the extent that the  
          conversions may be accomplished within existing resources.