EDITOR’S COLUMN
I hear the phrase “access to justice” every day in my job. It seems to mean different things to different people. I started working the question into conversations.
Interpretation
Some say, in the Inland Empire, residents’ access to justice is threatened by the consequences of insufficient court funding and a backlog of cases. Getting a trial date can be a struggle. Whether you are accused of or the victim of a crime, you depend on your right to a speedy trial.
“It’s delaying people that have been sitting in custody their opportunity to have their due process rights, to have their jury trial, as well as it’s affecting victims of crime to have their day in court, because we can’t get these current jury trials out,” said Riverside Superior Judge Jay Kiel, during his candidacy for judge in May.
Many people responded “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Others say that the point is ensuring everybody’s access to justice is the same, that a member of a marginalized population walking into a courthouse should have an equal experience to someone with conventional advantages.
“I believe that’s one of our obstacles that the courts need to focus on, ensuring that everyone who walks in is on equal footing, whether that is provided through education, through resources, through services,” said Riverside Superior Court Commissioner Laura Garcia, during her candidacy for judge in May.
Some describe access to justice as inadequate funding of mental health services, a failure to “break the cycle” for the uneducated, apathy, a lack of understanding of legal procedures or inadequate funding for law enforcement.
Legal Aid
To the Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, which serves both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, access to justice means people who can’t afford an attorney have the same access to counsel as people who can. The mission statement is, “The Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino improves the lives of those in need in San Bernardino County, and surrounding communities by providing counsel, education and legal services regardless of ability to pay.”
Local advocates
Every year, L.A.S.S.B holds an awards dinner to recognize people in the Inland Empire who contribute meaningfully to this goal.
The 2023 gala is a little more than a month away, so I called L.A.S.S.B. executive director Pablo Ramirez to talk about the obstacles to justice he sees locally, and what this year’s honorees are doing to overcome them.
The first thing he mentioned was the combination of indigence and geography. Our county is the biggest in the nation. I put together this map showing the county’s facilities, and which departments they each have, so I could get a better idea how many county residents were underserved because of where they live.
I’m just a few minutes from San Bernardino, which has everything – civil, criminal, juvenile, family law, probate, traffic, small claims and landlord/tenant departments. I told Ramirez I had wanted to go to the ribbon cutting for expanded services at the Needles courthouse in January. It was far. I hit traffic and turned around when it was certain I would miss the whole ceremony. This was not a crisis. I had spent my coffee time comfortable in my car with an audiobook.
2023 ACCESS TO JUSTICE GALA
What An annual awards dinner to highlight individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Riverside and San Bernardino counties community in securing and promoting justice for others, particularly the indigent and underserved.
When April 14 from 5 to 9 p.m.
Where Goldie Lewis Community Center, 11200 Base Line Road, Rancho Cucamonga
Who Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino
Cost $125 per person; $175 per couple, which will benefit the organization’s work. Tickets are included in sponsorships, which are available now at various levels.
How Buy tickets or sponsorships on the L.A.S.S.B. website.
Ramirez said, now imagine if you had been trying to get to a court hearing. For someone who doesn’t have a reliable car, can’t afford the gas or just gets stuck in traffic, the distance can be a crisis. Those making remote-appearance technology available, finding ways to help people resolve their issues in one day so they don’t have to make multiple trips, changing policy with them in mind — they’re promoting access to justice.
Even with a courthouse in a neighboring town, he said, “I’ve seen people in the low-income and senior communities face big problems getting there. They may have to take a bus, take time off to work, find daycare, only to find the bus was running late or they have to take three buses and they end up missing it. They have to rearrange their life and their schedule to attend a hearing.”
L.A.S.S.B finds people every year who help the more vulnerable by being creative. He referenced the idea of getting mobile courts out to those who need them, especially to homeless encampments, that could get all issues resolved in one visit. “That is an out-of-the-box effective way to equalize access to justice,” he said.
The honorees
He said the L.A.S.S.B. board selects awardees who have made an impact locally, either directly or indirectly, maybe by funding projects, creating policy, or proposing or supporting new approaches to getting things done. Last year an honoree was chosen for mentoring attorneys who incorporated legal aid into their work.
“We identify community leaders who go above and beyond helping the less fortunate access the justice system,” he said.
This year the awards will go to three people: Assemblymember James Ramos, whom Ramirez says was chosen for helping organizations that serve the low-income community prosper through funding donations; San Bernardino Superior Judge Khymberli Apaloo, chosen for her service on the court’s Elimination of Bias committee; and attorney Eugene Kim of Stream Kim Hicks Wrage and Alfaro, P.C., who is a member of several organizations, including Legal Aid Society, that provide resources to the underserved.
“He does a great job finding attorneys to volunteer, through Legal Aid and other nonprofits,” said Ramirez. “As nonprofits, we can only do so much. We need people willing to give an hour or two of their time.”
The gala
This year’s theme is “Give My Regards to Broadway.” I had hoped that meant we were expected come dressed as cats, Tudor queens or Sweeney Todd, but no. I will struggle to keep my Broadway zeal on a low boil.
There will be cocktails, dinner, a presentation, live music, dancing and auctions.
Organizers are seeking sponsors and donations for the live and silent auctions. Shoppers may bid online for silent auction items in advance of the event, as early as now, but items are still being added.
Tickets are available for sale now here.
