Third floor in session
Eight of nine courtrooms are in use
Court is now in session on the third floor of the South County Justice Center.
In mid-november of 2017, changes to the pretrial division allowed for the top floor of the courthouse to be utilized for the first time since opening four years ago. Long-time Porterville Judge Glade Roper was the first judge to use a courtroom on the third floor, said Stephanie Cameron, court executive officer of Tulare County Superior Court.
With the opening of the third floor and subsequent changes, the South County Justice Center is nearly equal in services as the main courthouse in Visalia.
“We presently offer most services in the South County that we offer in the North County; although on a limited basis — less than five days a week for some case types,” Cameron said. “We currently do not operate an appellate or collections department in Porterville and there are no plans at this time to expand this service in the South County. Visalia will continue to remain our main campus as it is our county seat and houses our finance and administrative offices.”
Cameron said several factors are considered before a change is implemented to the court that serves a county population of more than 440,000 people. In 2017, 59,215 cases were heard at South County up from 54,078 the previous year.
“When looking at expansion of services in the South County, the court considers many factors, including judicial, staff and security resources, along with number of filings and the general need for services based upon population in the jurisdiction,” Cameron said.
On Nov. 13, 2017, Cameron stated, the court moved Assigned Judge James Hollman and Assigned Judge Stephen Sillman presiding over the Last Day Arraignment (LDA) and Early Case Disposition (ECD) calendar from pretrial to the South County Justice Center, Department 16 to conduct hearings by video proceedings.
With this reassignment, Assigned Judge Roper, who hears the Civil and Family Law calendar, moved from Department 16 on the first floor to Department 23 on the third floor.
At the time of the courthouse’s opening in October of 2013, the SCJC’S third floor was not used because funding was not available. The goal was to open the Porterville courthouse with six judges, but funding cutbacks by the state only allowed for three and a half judge positions for the $93 million facility when it opened.
The South Justice Center sits on an approximately seven-acre site, which was formerly the Porterville Fairgrounds and Municipal Ballpark. In 2003, it was determined that Porterville was in desperate need of a new courthouse, with the funding authorized in 2007, the site purchased in 2009, and ground breaking in February 2012 — and all of it accomplished without any general-fund money.
The new three-story building replaced the overcrowded Porterville Government Center and the now-closed Tularepixley Courthouse. Due to the projected population growth at the timme in the Porterville area over the next 20 years, the Superior Court of Tulare County needed to create two main service regions: a North Justice Center in Visalia and a South Justice Center in Porterville.
The fairly new facility is more than 11 times the size of the previous Porterville facility. It consists of nine courtrooms, judges’ chambers, jury deliberation rooms, support services, clerks’ offices and work areas, public walk-up windows and queuing. A detainee holding area, with holding cells for 85 inmates, and a sallyport were also included in the project.
Roper is not going to have the entire floor to himself. There are four courtrooms each on the second and third floors, Departments 16-19 and 20-23, respectively, and one on the bottom floor, Department 15. After all of the shuffling and adding, all but one of the nine courtrooms will be in use — Department 21 on the third floor will be vacant.
Starting on Jan. 16, Assigned Judge Stephen Drew will preside over a Felony Criminal calendar in Department 18, Cameron stated. This assignment was added to assist with the growing number of felony hearings and ongoing calendar management. Because of this change, Judge Gorelick now hears the misdemeanor calendar in Department 22 on the third floor.
On Monday, Jan. 29, Judge Boccone began hearing a juvenile dependency calendar every other Monday in Department 20. The juvenile delinquency calendar will move from Department 15 on Wednesdays to Department 20 as well, Cameron stated.
On the first floor, Judge Gary Johnson hears the Drug Court calendar and Proposition 47, felony driving under the influence (Dui)/domestic violence and recovery court calendars.
Occupying the second floor along with Hollman and Sillman are Judge Michael Sheltzer and Assigned Judge Antonio Reyes, who preside over felony calendar after preliminary hearing and misdemeanor trial calendar; and Assigned Judge Stephen Drew, who hears felony calendar through preliminary hearing.
Cameron said she did not anticipate additional moves in 2018.
With the increase in cases being heard at the South County Justice Center, the Tulare County District Attorney’s office also upped its staffing, adding five attorney’s to Porterville, said Assistant DA Kerri Lopez, adding that she was “excited” the center was being utilized more.