Assistant Presiding Judge Morris Jacobson held a Town Hall Meeting at the ACBA on August 19th to introduce his vision for reorganizing the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. By the time the Court completes transition in the middle of 2017, there will be a number of changes.
We’ve compiled a list below of the top 10 things to know (so far) about the Court’s upcoming reorganization for those who were unable to attend.
10. The East County Hall of Justice (ECHOJ) will be opening in the spring of 2017, and there will be net gain of 8 courtrooms in the East County.
9. All family law departments will be consolidated in Hayward.
8. All unlawful detainer matters will be handled in Hayward – from motion practice through trial.
7. Probate ultimately will be merged with the “Miscellaneous Civil” group, and will be heard in Hayward.
6. The Self Help Center will be consolidated in Hayward, and will no longer have satellite offices in other courthouses.
5. Free-standing Domestic Violence Restraining Orders will ultimately be merged into the Miscellaneous Civil group.
4. The Court is increasing the resources dedicated to settlement, and creating a new standalone settlement unit, with two thirds of the workload coming from civil, and one third from family.
3. Criminal matters will be concentrated in four courthouses:
• Felonies: Rene C. Davidson and ECHOJ
• Misdemeanors: Wiley Manual and Fremont
2. Details are still being hammered out, come to the upcoming town hall meetings (listed below) to learn more and give feedback.
1. The Court is making do with 70%of the budget and staff that it had six or seven years ago, and is trying to respond to that situation, as well as to streamline court services for the public and attorneys.
Want to know more? Assistant Presiding Judge Morris Jacobson is holding several town hall style meetings to share the plan, and hear your feedback. These meetings are free of charge, but RSVPs are required.
Upcoming Town Hall Meetings:
- Criminal Defense (Rene C. Davidson Courthouse, Department 1A) – September 2nd at 12:30 p.m. RSVP here
- Criminal Defense (Hayward Hall of Justice, Department 511) – September 3rd at 12:30 p.m. RSVP here
- Probate (Hayward Hall of Justice, Department 511) – September 30th at 12:30 p.m. RSVP here
- Family Law (Hayward Hall of Justice, Department 511) – October 1st at 12:30 p.m. RSVP here
- Unlawful Detainer – To be Scheduled