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Next we’ll from judge brian walsh assistant presiding judge
Santa Clara county
thank you for
doing the difficult work of the Judicial Council
entering into the discussions of hard choices that you must make
I was on the judicial council as an attorney member for four a half years in
the mid nineties
I know your pain
We’re here to discuss the SEC report
And our court certainly believes that every successful organization must be
reevaluated from time to time
and for the AOC
now is the appropriate time
i've read the SEC report and I want to compliment its authors and the
committee for its thorough report it contains some excellent ideas and
recommendations including
greater clarity to budget reporting wouldn’t it be great if we could follow
last
year's budget and compare it to this year's budget comparing apples to apples wonderful
it recommends downsizing and consolidating certain functions and divisions
it recommends that the AOC participate in absorbing some of the
budget reductions that we in the trial courts must endure
But on behalf of our court we urge that any downsizing any consolidating any
budget-cutting
be done thoughtfully
the goal should not be simply downsizing but right-sizing
so that the AOC organization that results from your decisions can properly
fulfill its mission
the SEC reports
point out that many smaller courts be benefit directly
from AOC services but I want to stress that our court a larger court
benefits directly from AOC services
we just lost our general counsel a phone call away it was a general counsel's
office from the AOC seamlessly stepping in
to give us their help and their guidance and their legal work
uh... the office of government affairs in Sacramento often
helps us
work through the byzantine hallways of sacramento to work through our issues
uh... the office of construction has been invaluable in helping us with the
courthouse we’re attempting to build in these difficult budget times that we
badly need and that we could not succeed on getting without the talent
that they provide talent we could not go anywhere else
we need those services but
we agree with the SEC that those services must be provided
with a service provider mentality and that the AOC staff
must serve of the trial court's not run the trial court
we also agree with the SEC recommendation four dash one which
states quote
the judicial council must take an active role in overseeing
and monitoring the AOC we have no doubt that this council is doing so
and that that active role will continue
but there are some kind of judicial council should
simply this judicial council that has failed it
leadership role should then simply
adopt the recommendations of the SEC in whole that
seems to me and consistent if you must adopt a leadership role then by all
means do it and doing it
that means you must make the final decision
when I was on the judicial council we have many important reports presented to
us
the race and ethnic bias report the blue-ribbon commission on injury
improvement
excellent people got together with thorough study and made wonderful
recommendations but we didn't just adopt it we vetted edited each and every one
of them
it became the judicial council’s decision
not the blue-ribbon commission's decision
and that must be the case here (Chief Justice: Excuse me Judge Walsh, you have thirty seconds)
finally I urge find urge that you do it quickly I agree with those that the
credibility of this entire project
is not just in the quality
of the decisions but in making those decisions now
with all deliberate speed not too much public input you've had plenty of that
the decision is yours and we urge them to have our courts to make it now
thank you very much thank you judge walsh