ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: COURT SEEKS TO CLOSE CLERK’S OFFICES EARLY ON FRIDAYS

Clerk’s offices will close to the public at 2 p.m. each Friday as mandatary furloughs reduce staff

The Superior Court of Alameda County is proposing closing clerk’s offices at its eight courthouses an hour early every Friday to help compensate for a reduced workforce caused by mandatory furloughs.

The proposed reduction in public hours, closing at 2 p.m. instead of 3 p.m., is a result of the Court instituting mandatory furloughs to most staff to help offset a $4.3 million budget cut caused by a reduction in state funding. The state cut a combined $97 million from trial court budgets in California.

While public in-person hours will be reduced under the Court’s proposal, customers will still have access to the Court’s e-filing system and can utilize drop boxes located outside each clerk’s office to file documents.

The closure is necessary to provide a limited staff on Friday time to process the hundreds of documents that are filed each day.

“We’re trying to accomplish as much as possible with a significantly reduced workforce on Fridays,” said Presiding Judge Thomas J. Nixon. “We appreciate that early closures are inconvenient for the public and we regret having to institute such a change. Unfortunately, at present reducing the hours our offices are open on Fridays is essential to ensure our reduced staff can process all documents that are submitted in a timely and efficient manner.”

The Court announced last week that it began a mandatory furlough program in which almost every employee will have to take off one Friday each month without pay. The program was designed to limit disruptions of critical court functions including all criminal hearings and trials and ongoing civil trials.

The furloughs are just one of many cost-cutting measures taken by the Court this year. The Court has also instituted a hiring freeze for over 100 positions, a soft freeze on all other positions which prevents the hiring of a replacement for 90 days after an existing employee leaves their position and a voluntary non-paid time off program during the week of Christmas.

The Court plans to begin early closure of clerk’s offices in 60 days (November 15, 2024) to allow for a state-mandated public comment period. Members of the public wishing to make comments can do in writing by mail or email. Please visit the Court’s website to view the public notice and information on how to make a public comment.

You can view the full notice here.