Los Angeles County's Superior Court system announced Monday that it will offer a one-time payment of $35,000 to current full-time employees with five or more years of continuous service to resign from their jobs due to cutbacks in state funding.
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The court's Voluntary Separation Incentive Program enables eligible regular-status employees to apply for the voluntary program and resign on or before Oct. 1 if approved, according to the court.
The vacated positions will be eliminated, and employees who leave their jobs under the program will not be eligible for employment within the court for a year, officials said.
"We are never happy to say goodbye to our dedicated and talented staff. However, given the difficult financial circumstances the court finds itself in due to the cuts, we are hopeful that a sufficient number of court employees will take the incentive to voluntarily separate from court service, which will provide significant savings heading into the next fiscal year," David W. Slayton, the court's executive officer/clerk of court, said in a statement announcing the program.
Court officials warned that court users should expect reduced or delayed service because of staffing reductions and other operational cuts, adding that longer lines at clerk's office windows and delays in call center response time and legal document processing are anticipated.
Officials cited the court's "historically prudent financial planning" that will allow it to narrowly avoid layoffs and furloughs during the fiscal year that started Monday, but said that they must implement cost saving measures to stabilize their budget heading into the next fiscal year when further cuts are likely.
There will also be broad restrictions on non-critical expenses including travel and certain training for judicial officers and court employees, along with the delay or elimination of certain special projects, according to the court.
Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner called the cuts to the state's trial courts "concerning and consequential."
"While the court is leveraging every tool at its disposal to minimize impacts on core services, actions such as the VSIP will result in staffing reductions that will no doubt impact the court's ability to provide timely and efficient access to justice for Los Angeles County residents," Jessner said in the statement.
The court noted that the state budget that became effective Monday closed a $46.8 billion budget deficit by reducing ongoing funding for state government operations, including trial courts, by nearly 8%.
The court's portion of that cut is estimated at $30.3 million, with an additional $3.9 million in reductions in state-funded programs including the statewide Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act and pre-trial release programs, according to the court.
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