The California Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) that operates the state’s judicial system is responding to a group of judges critical of travel spending, and the MetNews is providing what amounts to a play-by-play. The Alliance of California Judges, which has been critical of the AOC since it formed in 2009 amid budget crisis, opened the can of worms over both spending and transparency, asking for documents that the courts say will take months to produce.
Most noted was a judge’s letter to the AOC, as the MetNews explained it, “… in which the jurist questioned the wisdom of spending $911,950 on hotels in 2012—compared to $319,989 in 2010 and less than that in 2011— ‘at the same time court closures, layoffs and reduced hours at many of our courts were taking place.'” The AOC has responded that it’s actually cut travel costs.
You can follow the developments at the MetNews here!