Courts ‘status quo’ deemed a disaster

It seems to be a looming crisis of perception: The governor’s new budget, announced last week, appears to preserve the “status quo” for the court system, but that’s only because it doesn’t go beyond the drastic cuts already announced. That’s a perfect storm of sorts, because many of the court closings and other changes have not yet been implemented. Only when that happens will we see true outrage.

Brian Kabateck, president of Consumer Attorneys of California, is among those pushing back against the budget, especially now that the governor has announced that the state deficit “is over.” Says Kabateck in an L.A. Times report: “At first blush the governor’s new budget appears to maintain the status quo… unfortunately, with the courts absorbing more than $1 billion in cuts over the past five years, the status quo isn’t acceptable. The status quo has been a disaster.”

As the governor and others spin their budget miracles, it’s worth keeping track of how much was already cut. Here’s the report from the Times.