Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

2 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

3 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

3 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

3 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

3 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

3 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

3 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

3 days ago
With Federal Aid Stalled, No Help for California Budget Cuts
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 12, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — When state lawmakers in July cut $150 million from the California court system, they offered this hope to stressed-out administrators: The cuts would vanish if Congress sent the state more money before Oct. 15.

Riverside County Superior Court officials were optimistic. They stopped buying things and halted all travel and training but put off more painful cuts while they waited for relief from Washington. By Oct. 1, they couldn’t wait any longer and announced the court would shut down for one day each month through June.

“We had no choice,” said Marita Ford, the court’s chief financial officer, who said she lost $10 million from her normal $175 million operating budget.

The federal government has sent California more than $31 billion in coronavirus relief, not including loans to prop up the state’s fund for unemployment benefits. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers bet Congress would send more, especially in an election year marred by a pandemic.

But it appears that gamble won’t pay off, meaning more than $11 billion in state spending cuts and deferrals will likely stay in place through the end of the fiscal year on June 30. More than $1 billion will be cut from public colleges and universities. Another $2.8 billion will come from state worker salaries.

“I believe the strategy was a prudent one,” Newsom said last week. “I believe the strategy is still one that will bear fruit.”

The Newsom administration could still adjust the budget if Congress were to send the state more money after Thursday. But it’s unclear if that will happen.

Republican President Donald Trump announced last week he was ending negotiations for a coronavirus relief package until after the election. But he seemed to reverse himself on Friday, saying negotiations would continue.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, said he didn’t think a deal would happen anytime soon, as his priority is confirming Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I don’t know where this roller-coaster ride is going to end,” said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the California Department of Finance.

Court Funding Was Slashed During the Great Recession a Decade Ago, and It Has Never Returned

The state budget cuts have hurt the courts, which have struggled with pandemic-induced backlogs and delays in processing criminal charges and settling disputes among the state’s nearly 40 million residents.

Court funding was slashed during the Great Recession a decade ago, and it has never returned to earlier levels. Newsom announced increased funding for courts in January, back when he thought the state was headed toward another multi-billion surplus. But that funding vanished when the coronavirus ushered in an economic downturn that led to a projected $54.3 billion state deficit.

In San Diego, the Superior Court has lost about 85 positions since the beginning of the year and is now at its lowest staffing levels since the late 1990s, said Michael Roddy, the court’s executive officer. Remaining employees are required to take 10 days of unpaid furlough to help make up for the $15 million cut.

“The level of funding we’ve gotten seriously impairs our ability to serve the public and get cases done in a timely way,” Roddy said.

Court delays are impacting other services, including child support. Across the state, local child support agencies have handled cases involving 2.2 million adults and nearly 1.7 million children. The budget slashes $46 million from child support administration, which means fewer workers are processing cases.

State lawmakers had increased funding for child support administration in each of the last two years and had planned to do so again this year. Instead, they took all the money back, leaving child support officials at 2018 funding levels.

Local child support agencies get involved when a parent files a case, most often seeking payment from another parent. The agencies often spend time and money on outreach, going to malls, libraries, farmers markets and community fairs to get the word out about their services.

But Greg Wilson, executive director of the Child Support Directors Association, said most local agencies are cutting back on outreach to save money.

“We felt like we took a nice step forward only to be pushed back by the winds of COVID,” he said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

DON'T MISS

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

4 hours ago

Musk Announces Forming of ‘America Party’ in Further Break From Trump

4 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 59, Including 21 Children

4 hours ago

California’s Politics Drifts Right While New York’s Leans Left

4 hours ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

1 day ago

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

1 day ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

2 days ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

2 days ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

2 days ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

2 days ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

A suspected DUI driver crashed into a parked California Highway Patrol motorcycle and tow truck along Highway 99 near North Avenue, missing ...

3 hours ago

A 22-year-old suspected DUI driver crashed into a parked CHP motorcycle and tow truck on Highway 99 near Fresno, narrowly missing an officer and bystanders, CHP said Saturday, July 5, 2025. (CHP)
3 hours ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Defense Ministry Says

An Israeli tank maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 6, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
4 hours ago

Israel Sends Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Talks Ahead of Netanyahu Trip to US

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned nearly 80,000 acres as of Sunday, July 6, 2025, morning, prompting widespread evacuation orders and warnings across three counties. (CalFire)
4 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk gets in a Tesla car as he leaves a hotel in Beijing, China May 31, 2023. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Musk Announces Forming of ‘America Party’ in Further Break From Trump

A search dog operates at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 5, 2025. (Reuters/Sergio Flores)
4 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 59, Including 21 Children

2024 Democratic National Convention
4 hours ago

California’s Politics Drifts Right While New York’s Leans Left

Solar Farm in Riesel, Texas
1 day ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend