Santucci Justice Center to Reduce Hours, Limit Service

In an effort to reduce costs, The Superior Court of Placer County will have limited service days and cut hours on Fridays.

They hope these two actions will cut between $700,000 and $750,000 from the 2012-13 fiscal year budget, according to a press release from the Superior Court of Placer County.

Starting Friday, Oct. 5, public filing windows will shut down two hours earlier on Fridays at three locations — the , Juvenile Courthouse and Tahoe City Courthouse. They will close at 1 p.m. Fridays.

Also, Nov. 20 will be the first of eight limited service days for the courts. During the limited service days, only the Auburn courtroom, Department 13, located at the Placer County Jail, will remain open, according to the release; everything else including courtrooms and clerk’s offices will be closed.

Limited service days will be:

• Tuesday, Nov. 20
• Wednesday, Nov. 21
• Monday, Dec. 24
• Wednesday, Dec. 26
• Thursday, Dec. 27
• Friday, Dec. 28
• Monday, Dec. 31
• Friday, April 26, 2013

“The Court is extraordinarily sensitive to the fact that reducing the court’s operating hours impacts the public’s access to justice. These actions, which represent the third time in four years we have been forced to implement closures or limited services, will impact those exercising their rights in criminal cases, those seeking resolution to business disputes, and families looking to resolve their divorce or child custody situations,” Placer County Superior Court Judge Alan V. Pineschi said in a release. “The cost-savings measures being adopted by our court are preferable to more drastic measures, such as permanently closing courtrooms, or laying off more court employees.”

In the last four years, the Placer County Superior Court has cut its workforce by more than 30 percent through furloughs, closing two courtrooms, reducing the self-help center hours and discontinuing the Family Law Case Management and Criminal Domestic Violence Case Management programs, among other cuts, according to the release.

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