Santa Cruz County, with spectacular beachs, mountain ranges, farms and a quaint downtown has again failed the tax payers with a 2.3 million dollar budget deficit. The restructuring of the court system shows the myopic view of government officials that lacks public policy and input from the community. The announcements show an already under utilized brand new court in Watsonville becoming a white elephant while overburdening the existing main court on Ocean Street.
The elimination of juvenile cases in the Felton courtroom next to where children are housed forces transportation and protective costs up with no real plan for where to find the shortfall. Closing Department 11, currently next to the jail which reviews Prop 36 cases, 100+ cases per day shifting them to Ocean Street, will overwhelm the court calendars.
Prop 36 funding cuts by the State completely devastated this program. The only effective way to monitor a drug and/or alcohol offender is through the watchful eye of a court officer familiar with the background on a weekly basis for compliance with probation. That can't happen anymore because Ocean Street is not equipped to handle 100+ people per day through required security systems. Eliminating these 2 courts is done on the backs of children, people with serious health care related problems and the already strained tax payers.
Imagine what tourists this summer driving on Ocean Street and walking in downtown will think when they find more homelessness and people with serious mental health problems. A comprehensive public policy position is long overdue in Santa Cruz (theSC).
Santa Cruz County courts make massive shift in consolidation plan
03/31/2010 - SANTA CRUZ -- By Jennifer Squires. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_14790934?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.com-www.santacruzsentinel.com
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