BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1900
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
1900 (Jones-Sawyer) - As Amended March 31, 2016
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Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill authorizes the sale of the San Pedro Courthouse.
Specifically, this bill:
AB 1900
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1)Authorizes Judicial Council to sell the San Pedro Courthouse,
a surplus property, at fair market value, upon the terms and
conditions that the Judicial Council deems in the best
interests of the state, conditioned on the Council consulting
with LA County on the sale and first offering the County the
right to purchase the property at fair market value.
2)Provides that the proceeds from the sale shall be deposited
into the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties, and then
immediately transferred to the Immediate and Critical Needs
Account (ICNA) of the State Court Facilities Construction
Fund.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Up to several million dollars of one-time revenue to the ICNA
from the proceeds of the sale, less the Judicial Council's
administrative costs, and ongoing savings in avoided operations
and maintenance costs for the courthouse.
COMMENTS:
1)Background and Purpose. As a result of budget constraints,
since 2008, 53 courthouses (215 courtrooms) were closed
statewide. Currently, 48 courthouses and 200 courtrooms remain
closed, including eight courthouses and 78 courtrooms in LA
County. In June 2013, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County
closed the San Pedro Courthouse and shifted the court's
caseload to the new Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach.
Currently, there are no plans to reopen the San Pedro
Courthouse. Although the San Pedro Courthouse has been
vacated since its closure, the Judicial Council continues to
pay for the costs of the operations and the maintenance of
that site. This bill allows the Judicial Council to sell the
AB 1900
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San Pedro Courthouse in accordance with authority provided to
the Council under current law.
2)Immediate and Critical Needs Account. The Immediate and
Critical Needs Account of the State Court Facilities
Construction Fund (ICNA) was established by SB 1407 (Perata),
Chapter 311, Statutes of 2008, and provides funds for court
construction projects and other facility-related expenses.
Under SB 1407, Judicial Council is authorized up to $5 billion
in bond financing for court construction projects, to be
repaid by revenues from increases in civil and criminal fines
and fees and other revenue.
Judicial Council initially selected 41 immediate and critical
need projects. However, revenues intended for INCA projects
were instead diverted for several years due to court budget
shortfalls, hence two projects were cancelled and 11 projects
have been delayed indefinitely.
Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916)
319-2081