Courts

March for Monterey County Services

May 12 - More than 100 Monterey County, Courts and City workers marched through downtown Salinas and converged on the steps of the Superior Court.
Our message: Protect services and restore the local economy.

» Read more; view video & photos

Santa Cruz County, Courts Workers Rally to Protect Services

May 11 - About 250 Santa Cruz County and Courts workers converged on the steps of the government center on Tuesday to call for protecting services amid budget cuts. The workers' action was covered by News Channels 8, 46 and Univision, as well as the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

» Read more

News for Court Workers

Victory for Court Accountability and Oversight SupportAB2521

April 20 - We won this fight, but the battle continues!
Our phone calls and testimony from SEIU 521 court worker Annette Ruiz-Vides on Tuesday worked! An Assembly committee has voted 10-0 to pass AB 2521, which will bring transparency to the state court system. The bill now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

» Read more

In the News

- Tulare County Court Workers Volunteer on Furlough Days
Workers put furloughs to good use
USA Today, Feb. 28, 2010

Employees at the Tulare County courthouse learned in November that they would be furloughed one day a month. Courtroom clerk Miguel Espinoza and SEIU organized a volunteer day at a Visalia food bank, where 20 furloughed workers prepared care packages. "Giving back made furloughs a little easier to swallow," he says.

Photo on the right: Courtroom clerk Miguel Espinoza volunteering at a Visalia food bank along with fellow SEIU 521 members.

- LOIS HENRY: Closing courts wrong approach
The Bakersfield Californian, Nov. 14, 2009
News article | Blog

Newsletter - The Court Reporter

TheCourtReportFebruary2010

February 2010

In this issue:

- Weather can't keep 521 members down

- Corporations Given More Political Power

- Judicial Council votes to keep courts closed

- Stay In Touch
Courts workers can stay in touch with each other through a Yahoo e-mail group. Send an e-mail to: Local_521_Superior_Courts-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (note that's three underscores and then one hyphen).

- Court-county squabble endangers and unites retirees

September 2009

May 2009

October 2008

We represent court workers in the following counties:

Kern
Kings
Fresno
Mariposa
Monterey
San Benito
San Mateo
Santa Clara
Santa Cruz
Tulare

Despite Storm, Workers Protest Court Closures and Service Cuts

Jan. 20 - Even gusty winds and flooded roads couldn't stop SEIU Local 521 members from protesting against court closures and service cuts. Watch video

» Read more

President of CA Judges Association: More oversight needed

Dec. 16 - News of salary increases creates "serious crisis of confidence in the Judicial Council's ability to provide proper oversight to the Administrative Office of the Courts."
CJA President Urges Stronger Oversight by the Judicial Council Regarding AOC Salary Increases: Read the CJA President's Letter

Members bring truth about court closures to public

Members bring truth about court closures to public

Dec. 16 - Workers from the Kern County Superior Court informed members of the public not only that the courts were closed, but why. And they encouraged the public to call their Assembly members to demand the courts stay open.

Photo on the right: Refujio Lopez's speeding ticket said to appear on Dec. 16. So he followed directions, driving from Sacramento to Bakersfield, only to find the doors locked.

» Read more

Retirees Make their Case on Health Care

County Hears and Responds

Dec. 1 - When a squabble between Kern County and the Kern County Superior Court forced some retirees to change their health care plans – costing them hundreds of dollars more a month and making them change their doctors – the retirees didn't take it laying down.

» Read more

Head Case: Courts Retirees Falling through the Cracks

Double-click for full screen video

Diane Lopez worked for the courts in Kern County for 14 years, plus two years with the Public Defender. She worked in the traffic, revenue recovery and civil divisions. "I always wanted to learn," she said. "I was a good recovery." Now, she's about to fall through the cracks because neither the courts nor the county want to provide her with the health care she earned.

Learn more about the need for Healthcare Reform.

State Hearing on Transparency of the Courts

Oct. 28 - Court Workers Rachelle Hill from Bakersfield and Annette Ruiz-Videz from Stockton took time off work to drive to Sacramento to speak on behalf of their co-workers and to respond to the judges the AOC brought in to defend it.

» Read more

San Mateo County and Superior Court Workers Rally to Save Services

San Mateo County Superior Court Workers Held Bake Sale to raise money for an audit for transparency and accountability on Friday, Sept. 11 in front of Hall of Justice.

"It's easy to say it's the state budget's fault. Somebody should have seen this coming," said Ken Wood, Lead Deputy Court Clerk in Family Law Division. "You cannot have an accounting mistake this large and not find out until so late. This affects so many people's lives."

» Read more

County Court Workers Say NO to Closing Court Days

May 28 - SEIU county court workers from throughout the state marched in front of the State Building in San Francisco Thursday to protest plans to shut down courts one day each month.

» See photos and video

Court Industry Council

- Feb. 2009 - Courts members lobby against bad budget
- Oct. 2008 - First Court Industry Council (CIC)

» See event photos