Attorney David Ricks is not happy:
The attorneys of the West Valley of the Inland Empire are fighting hard to protect the rights of the citizens of the Inland Empire. It was announced by the San Bernardino County Presiding Judge that the Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga will no longer provide civil and family law services as of May 2014. This move will deprive so many people of their access to local courts, protections from domestic abuse through easy access to the courts, lower cost legal services, etc.
More here, including a link to an Inland Valley Daily Bulletin article that details the specific changes:
The reorganization looks like this:
San Bernardino district criminal cases, both felonies and misdemeanors, will be heard in the new San Bernardino Justice Center.
Countywide civil cases, including those from Rancho Cucamonga, will be moved to the new San Bernardino Justice Center.
West Valley Superior Courthouse in Rancho Cucamonga will only hear West End criminal cases. Felony and misdemeanor cases in Fontana will be reviewed to determine which courthouse - San Bernardino or Rancho Cucamonga - is better equipped to hear them.
The Rancho Cucamonga courthouse will also have temporary hearings on both civil and domestic violence restraining order matters.
San Bernardino family law cases will stay in the historic San Bernardino building. Rancho Cucamonga family law cases will move to the historic courthouse in San Bernardino.
Family law cases in Victorville will stay where they are.
Cases of small claims, landlord tenants and traffic/non-traffic infractions from the San Bernardino, Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga districts will be heard in Fontana.
I live in the West End and am therefore affected by this, but it could be worse.
Slough said within the county court system, 86 judges are doing the work of 156, and 866 employees are doing the work of about 1,500.
And in the last year and a half, courthouses in Chino, Needles and Big Bear have closed due to budget cuts. And there is only one courtroom currently open in Barstow, which is scheduled to close July 1.
There are Omnitrans buses that run between the West End cities and San Bernardino. But what if you live in Needles?
