Chief Justice Guerrero urges stable funding as California courts face vacancies, heavier caseloads and program expansions

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero told a joint session of the California Legislature that the state judiciary needs stable funding to maintain access to justice as courts confront staffing shortages, rising caseload complexity and budget uncertainty.

Guerrero said courts faced proposed reductions last year, including $97,000,000 in trial-court cuts and the prospect of additional percentage reductions, and credited recent partial restorations in the governor's proposed budget with reducing service impacts. “We need funding to properly fulfill this solemn responsibility as a coequal branch of government to safeguard the constitutional rights and liberties of all Californians,” Guerrero said.

The nut graf: Guerrero framed the request as necessary to preserve courtroom access and core services across California’s 58 counties. She told lawmakers that remote proceedings, workforce programs and targeted reforms are mitigating access problems but that sustained funding and oversight will determine whether those gains hold.

Guerrero highlighted several immediate…