A $42 million increase in expected trial court funding across the state has caused Riverside Superior Court to keep its regular hours without planned closures.
The court had announced Nov. 15 that it would be closing its courtrooms one day a month in response to a decrease in funding. Those planned closures were going to happen Jan. 17, Feb. 14, March 28, April 18, May 23 and June 20.
The trial courts will still be defunded by $55 million compared to last year’s funding—but less than Gov. Gavin Newsom’s previously planned reduction of $97 million.
“We are committed to providing access to justice for our community, and this funding allows us to maintain operations without disruption,” said Presiding Judge Jacqueline Jackson. “While this is not a complete restoration of funding, we are confident that our other cost-saving measures mean we can balance our budget and continue serving the public effectively.”
The court had previously moved the Temecula Courthouse’s sole probate courtroom to Murrieta’s Southwest Justice Center. That move saved the court $189,000 in annual personnel costs and $148,000 in annual contract services, Travis Trapp of the court’s Media Information Office told Follow Our Courts in an email.
