Welcome to the
Superior Court of California,
County of Butte
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Agenda/Table of Contents
Snapshot of Butte County…………………………..……………………….3
Court Programs and Specialty Courts
Court Overview
Family Law Facilitator and Self-Help………………………………18
Judicial Officers……………………………………………........................6
Family Court Services Mediation Program…………………….20
Organization Chart………………………………………………………………7
Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation………………23
Employee Overview…………………………………………………………….8
Court Facilities…………………………………………………………………..10
Innovative Technology……………………………………………………….12
Budget………………………………………………………………………………13
Strategic Planning………………………………………………………….....16
Collaborative Courts………………………………………………………25
Court Statistics
Total Annual Filings………………………………………………………..27
Average Filing Per Month………………………………………………28
Age of Pending Cases…………………………………………………….29
Changes in Filings………………………………………………………….30
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Butte County Snapshot
As of 2012, Butte County’s population was 221,539.
While the population growth rate has been declining
since 1980, it is expected to greatly increase from 8%
in 2010 to 52% in 2020.
There are 5 incorporated cities in Butte County as
well as several unincorporated areas. Butte County
is the 28th largest county out of California’s 58
counties at 1,636.46 square miles.
Butte County is home to 135.4 persons per square
mile. Comparatively, Los Angeles County is home to
2,455.2 persons per square mile.
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Butte County Snapshot
The unemployment rate in Butte County hovers
above both the California and United States
unemployment rates. It increased between 2006 and
2010 and has since been decreasing. The
unemployment rate in 2013 was 10.2.
Almost 75% of Butte County residents are White
Non-Hispanic. The second largest group represented
is Hispanic or Latino at 14.8%.
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Court Overview
5
Judicial Officer Overview
The Butte County Superior
Court has 11 Judges and 2
Court Commissioners.
Kristen A. Lucena
Presiding Judge
Stephen E. Benson
Assistant Presiding Judge; Supervising Judge – Family Law Division
Clare Keithley
Judge; Presiding Judge – Juvenile Division
Robert A. Glusman
Judge; Supervising Judge – Civil Division
Tamara L. Mosbarger
Judge; Supervising Judge – Criminal Division
Michael P. Candela
Judge
Michael R. Deems
Judge
Denny R. Forland
Judge
Sandra L. McLean
Judge
James F. Reilley
Judge
Barbara L. Roberts
Judge
Leonard D. Goldkind
Court Commissioner
David E. Gunn
Court Commissioner
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Organization Chart
Board of Judges
Presiding Judge
Fiscal Services
Family and
Children’s
Services
Family Law
Facilitator/
Self-Help
Court Executive
Officer
Court
Commissioners
Assistant Court
Executive
Officer
Human
Resources
Research
Attorneys
Court
Operations
Court Services
Information
Technology
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Employee Overview
The chart at left shows
the number of
employees per
division. The chart
shows currently filled
positions only. The
total number of
employees is 110.
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Employee Overview
Bargaining Units Represented by SEIU Local 1021
Professional
2 employees
Supervisory
7 employees
General
76 employees
Unrepresented Employees
Executive Management
9 employees
Confidential
12 employees
Extra-Help
4 employees
Court Commissioners
2 employees
Court employees, if they desire formal
representation, are represented by Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) Local
1021. Not all court employees are
represented by this union. Some employees
remain unrepresented, as shown.
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Butte Superior Court Facilities
• Oroville Courthouse – 11 courtrooms
• Case types: Misdemeanors and felonies, appeals, civil harassments,
family law (including family support cases), infractions, small claims,
juvenile law, traffic, and unlawful detainers.
• Chico Courthouse – 2 courtrooms
• Case types: Probate, general civil (including small claims, unlawful
detainers, limited and unlimited cases), infractions, and traffic.
• Paradise Courthouse – 1 courtroom
• Closed to the public as of September 30, 2011.
• Juvenile Hall – 1 courtroom
• North Chico County Courthouse – Under Construction
• Capital Construction Project estimated completion December 2014.
• SHARP Center
• Office of Self-Help services and the Family Law Facilitator.
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North Butte County Courthouse
Capital Construction Project
• North Butte County Courthouse will replace the
existing Chico Courthouse and the Paradise
Courthouse.
• The courthouse will total 67,433 square feet with 5
courtrooms.
• The total project cost is estimated at $65 million.
• The Capital Construction Project is funded by Senate
Bill 1407 and through trial court user fees.
• The project is estimated to have a positive economic
impact on the county by creating over 275 onsite
jobs and positively benefiting hundreds of other jobs
as well.
• The construction is scheduled to be completed in
December 2014.
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Innovative Technology
Public and Justice Partner Access:
• Electronic Probable Cause: mobile iPad fax station for on-call Magistrate
• Electronic Search Warrants: via DocuSign application managed by District Attorney’s Office
• Traffic Payments Online
• Butte Justice Agencies Data Sharing (BJADS) Interface: County Electronic Warrant System
• Justice Partner Access to Court Case Management Software (CMS)
• California Court Protective Order Registry (CCPOR): Butte County was an early adopter of the
statewide protective order registry created by the AOC
Internal Applications:
• CourtKB: knowledgebase software
• MAJIC: court resource assignment software
• Online Purchase Requisition Application (OPRA): software to help manage purchases
• Human Resources Management Information System (HRMS): a collection of software that
manages employee information
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Budget
This pie chart shows budget
expenditures for fiscal year
2013-2014. Personnel services
account for the largest part of
the budget at 69%. It is
followed by operating
expenses and equipment,
which comprise 26% of budget
expenditures.
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Budget
Alternatively, this pie chart
shows budget financing
sources. The majority, 70%, of
the court’s budget is financed
by the State Operations
Allocation. Remaining funding
sources individually comprise
less than 10% of the total
funding.
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Budget
How do those two pie charts compare?
Because of the state-mandated elimination
of reserve funding, the Butte Superior Court
used existing reserves to account for excess
spending. Thus, the budget for fiscal year
2013-2014 was balanced.
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Accomplishments of Strategic Planning
• Additional forms and informational materials for the Family Court Services Division
(child custody mediation) were translated into Spanish to increase multi-lingual
access to justice.
• The Self-Help and Referral Program (SHARP) expanded workshop offerings and
streamlined staff training and support resources. The SHARP Family Law Facilitator
and SHARP Managing Attorney was awarded the 2014 Legal Aid Association of
California (LAAC) Family Law Award.
• In 2012, the Court implemented an electronic search warrant process.
• A security gate was installed at the Butte County Courthouse around the staff parking
lot entrance.
• Digital records have become more readily available through the digitization of court
documents in PDF and microfilm formats.
• In addition to the existing collaborative courts, the Butte Superior Court is also
considering a Veteran’s Court pilot program.
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Court Programs and
Specialty Courts
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Self-Help Assistance and Referral Program
(SHARP) and Family Law Facilitator’s Office
• Assistance is provided free of charge in the areas of family law, guardianships,
evictions, small claims, name changes, and restraining orders.
• Workshops, self-help publications, information sheets, and appointments are
available to aid litigants.
• SHARP has four locations in three counties. There are locations in Chico and
Oroville in Butte County, Clear Lake in Lake County, and Red Bluff in Tehama
County.
• Offices have different days and hours of operation, but SHARP is available
Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:00pm.
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Self-Help Assistance and Referral Program
(SHARP) and Family Law Facilitator’s Office
In 2013, SHARP made 26,460 contacts with litigants via
phone calls, walk-in services, Self-Help and Family Law
Facilitator appointments, Self-Help workshops, and Family
Law Facilitator day-of-court assistance.
Among a subset of 3,094 respondents, 85.4% spoke English,
14% spoke Spanish, and 0.6% spoke another language.
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Family Court Services Mediation Program
California law requires that in all child
custody and visitation cases where the
parties are unable to reach an
agreement on a parenting plan, the
case must be sent to mediation. In
Butte County, Child Custody
Recommending Counselors (CCRC)
provide mediation services to help
create parenting plans. The chart on
the left shows the path of custody and
visitation cases in Family Court.
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Mediation Orientation
Orientation, as mandated by California Rule of Court
5.210(e)(2), is an especially important part of the
mediation process because around 51% of the
parties are unrepresented. Orientation is mandatory
for all parties. It consists of a 2-hour class in
workshop format that is designed to prepare the
parties for the mediation process. A short video from
the Administrative Office of the Courts is shown to
the parties, which emphasizes a focus on finding the
best outcome for the child(ren). In addition to the
video, parties receive written materials and are able
to ask the Child Custody Recommending Counselors
questions about the process. Parties to the same
case do not attend the same orientation session.
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Family Court Services Mediation Program
The bar chart, left, shows the number of mediation sessions
calendared between July 2012-June 2013, broken down by
Separate, Joint, and VIP mediations. The pie chart, below,
shows outcomes from the mediation sessions. 46% of the
time the CCRC make recommendations to the judge, meaning
the parties were unable to reach an agreement.
Separate mediations are held for parties alleging domestic violence. Joint
mediation sessions involve both parties at once. VIP mediations are
voluntary, shorter sessions held prior to full mediation.
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Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Types of ADR available in Butte County:
• Mediation (Local Rule 6)
• A mediator helps parties to reach a mutually
acceptable resolution; the parties make the
final decision.
• Arbitration (Local Rule 6)
• An arbitrator reviews evidence, hears
arguments, and makes a decision; the
decision can be binding or nonbinding.
• Settlement Conferences (Local Rule 3)
• Settlement conferences can be mandatory or
voluntary; litigants meet with a “settlement
officer” to discuss settling the case.
Types of disputes suitable for ADR:
• Business
• Property/land
• Consumer collection
• Employment
• Landlord/tenant
• Civil/personal/relational conflicts
• Personal injury/insurance
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Mediation
• General Civil (Unlimited and Limited)
• Litigants can either randomly select a panel mediator, who provides up
to 3 hours of mediation services pro bono, or litigants can select a panel
mediator. If the mediator is selected by the litigants, then the mediator is
compensated a mutually agreed upon amount.
• Unlawful Detainer, Small Claims, and Civil Harassment
• Mediation services are provided to pro bono litigants (if parties agree)
on the day of trial as an alternative to trial.
• Mediators are staffed and administered by Legal Services of Northern
California, and are partially compensated with Dispute Resolution
Programs Act (DRPA) funding matched by a State Bar grant.
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Collaborative Courts
# Participants
Felony charges?
Misdemeanor
charges?
Degree of Probation
Supervision
Treatment managed
by:
Calendar
frequency:
Drug testing?
Drug Court
71 Active
Intensive
Behavioral Health
Weekly
Random drug testing
Prop 36/PC 1210.1(d)
Intensive Court
70 Active
Intensive
Behavioral Health
Weekly
Random drug testing
Prop 36/PC1210.1(d)
General Court
54 Active
General
Vendor
Weekly
Random drug testing
High Intensity DUI
(HIDE Court)
80 Active
Intensive
Vendor
Bi-monthly
Random drug and
Breathalyzer testing
Domestic Violence
Court
161 Active
Intensive
Vendor
Weekly
Random drug testing
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Court Statistics
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Total Annual Filings
This chart shows the total number of filings annually,
broken down by division. Traffic makes up the
majority of filings, despite that is has the greatest
variance in filings year-to-year. The division with the
second highest filings is Criminal. Probate has the
fewest filings, and the number of Probate filings has
remained relatively constant over the years
included.
In total, annual filings have ranged from 39,626 in
2005 to 46,539 in 2003 in Butte County, which has
the 27th largest county population in California. The
average annual filings is 42,441. For comparison, the
average annual filings over the same period in
Orange County, which has the 3rd largest county
population in California, is 679,978.
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Average Filings Per Month
The average number of filings per month is 3,594. The
Traffic Division has the highest average number of
monthly filings, followed by the Criminal and Civil
Divisions respectively. The Probate Division has the
lowest average number of filings per month.
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Age of Pending Cases
Criminal cases are most likely to have been open 60120 days.
The majority of civil cases (69%) are 0-30 days old.
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Changes in Filings
Overall, case filings have decreased over both the past
year and the past fives years. The most significant
decreases in filings can be found among Dependency
and Delinquency cases. The Butte Superior Court has
seen almost a 50% decrease in Delinquency filings over
the past five years.
Increases in filings have only been seen among Felony
Complaints, Probate, Limited Civil, and Small Claims
filings. It is important to note the 24.3% increase in
Felony filings over the past five years, which coincides
with the passage of AB 109 or realignment.
*Year 1 includes filings from September 1, 2008 through August
31, 2009. Year 4 includes data from September 1, 2011 through
August 31, 2012. Year 5 includes data from September 1, 2012
through August 31, 2013.
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