Los Angeles Courts Offer $35,000 Bonus to Staff Who Want to Leave

Los Angeles Superior Court Stanley Mosk Courthouse is shown in Los Angeles on March 2, 2004. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

In response to state budget cuts, the Los Angeles Superior Court is offering $35,000 to employees who want to leave.

Full-time staff with five years or more of continuous service are eligible for the one-time payment. Those who take advantage must voluntarily resign on or before Oct. 1 and can’t be rehired by the court for one year.

Positions vacated as part of the program will be eliminated, according to the court.

The court is still accepting applications from those wanting to participate, but the total number of applications received is not yet available, the court’s communications office told The Epoch Times.

The court must eliminate up to 130 positions to stabilize its budget during this fiscal year, and hopes to reach that goal with voluntary departures and eliminating vacant positions, the communications office said.

The Los Angeles Superior Court’s budget for the 2024–25 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, has been reduced by more than $30 million in the revised state budget signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 26.

“Make no mistake—the cuts to California’s trial courts in the [fiscal year] 2024–2025 state budget are concerning and consequential,” said Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner in a statement on July 1.

The adopted state budget addressed a $46.8 billion funding shortfall partially with a $16 billion spending reduction. Mr. Newsom also declared a fiscal emergency, allowing the state to tap reserves to help cover the shortfall.

Budgets for California’s trial courts were slashed by nearly 8 percent, translating to a $97 million reduction statewide.

As the largest trial court in the state, the Los Angeles Superior Court’s portion of the budget reduction is about $30.3 million.

The court will also see a $3.9 million cut in state-funded programs, such as community assistance, which connects people to a broad range of services including mental health and housing, and its pretrial release program, which requires that employees monitor defendants before their trials.

The governor also increased the trial court budget reserve cap from 3 percent to 5 percent, meaning the court must set aside more money to weather further budget cuts, according to the court.

Other cost-cutting measures will include restrictions on travel and training expenses.

“While the Court acknowledges the need for belt-tightening in light of California’s fiscal circumstances, the significance of a $30.3 million ongoing cut to the Court’s operating budget cannot be overstated,” Los Angeles Superior Court Clerk David Slayton said in a statement.

The court is also notifying the public to expect reduced or delayed service because of staffing reductions and other operational cuts.

The public should also expect longer lines at the clerk’s office service windows and delays in call center response times and legal processing, according to the court.