Earlier this month, the Judicial Council of California endorsed several cost-cutting measures for court construction while affirming its commitment to much-needed improvements in the judicial branch’s statewide infrastructure.

The council approved recommendations from the 25-member Court Facilities Working Group to cancel two construction projects in Alpine and Sierra counties – estimated to save more than $50 million – and to look for ways to save money on the other 39 projects on the drawing board that are funded under SB 1407.

Those fiscal measures are necessary because the state Legislature has borrowed or redirected more than $500 million from the SB 1407 fund – specifically created to support courthouse construction – into the state general fund or to court operations this fiscal year, state judicial officials reported.

The Judicial Council said that more than $1.1 billion in courthouse construction funds has been borrowed, redirected or swept into the general fund since 2009.

The Judicial Council also cleared the way for 33 projects to proceed without any delays, while six will have a short-term delay of a few months, until the start of the next fiscal year when court-collected revenue should again be available to allow them to go forward, the council reported.

Among the projects to see a minor delay is a new $55 million, 50,000-square-foot courthouse to be built at 675 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport.

Teresa Ruano, a spokesperson for the Administrative Office of the Courts, said the Lakeport courthouse is in the first phase of architectural design, or the preliminary plans phase, which she said isn’t scheduled for completion until the last quarter of this fiscal year, or the spring of 2012.

Once the plans are completed, she said there will be a slight delay of a few months until the new fiscal year starts in July 2012.The next phase, working drawings, is the last phase before construction.

Mary Smith, chief executive officer of the Lake County Superior Court, told Lake County News that the project is continuing to move forward, and that court officials are optimistic that it will stay on track, despite the planned delay.

“A couple months’ delay is not a bad thing, all things considered,” she said.

Ruano explained that the Judicial Council’s actions included a 4-percent cut to all projects, of which 2 percent is in construction costs, with 2 percent to come from savings to be achieved in an owner-controlled insurance program. Those cuts are estimated to save $160 million statewide.

The council also announced the formation of a courthouse cost reduction subcommittee, to be chaired by Justice Jeffrey Johnson, associate justice of the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District in Los Angeles.

The subcommittee will review all new courthouse projects for ways to further reduce costs without compromising safety or security, officials reported.

“All of the projects will be looked at by this cost reduction subcommittee,” including Lake’s, said Ruano.

She said she believes the subcommittee will look for cuts early in the design process, noting that it gets more expensive to make changes the further the process proceeds.

Also at its meeting this month, the council discussed cuts to repair funding – $30 million this year, down by 40 percent – needed to keep 500 buildings maintained statewide.

Many of those buildings suffer from deferred maintenance, “a legacy of neglect reaching back years before they were transferred to the state,” the Judicial Council reported.

The council directed the Administrative Office of the Courts to seek additional funding through the Legislature for courthouse operations and maintenance, as well as to pursue legislative measures that would give the judicial branch greater flexibility in allocating funds among various facility needs, officials reported.

The Alliance of California Judges has been highly critical of the state judicial branch’s handling of its finances, in particular the California Court Case Management System, which would link court records statewide and is estimated could cost into the billions to implement.

The group also has questioned what it called “the exorbitant costs of courthouse construction and maintenance.”

In a Dec. 16 message to its members, the directors of the group indicated they were pleased that the cost-cutting committee had been formed, one of some “common sense actions” they commended the Judicial Council for taking.

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These new “vet courts” are the result of planning and collaboration between local veterans services advocates, the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), and Superior Court judges.

Over the past year, CalVet has worked with individual counties to help set up these vet courts, which take a veteran’s psychological and physical issues into account when that individual has broken the law.

“Riverside and El Dorado counties are the most recent counties that have committed to helping our veterans in this manner,” said CalVet Secretary, Peter Gravett. “There are now 15 counties that have vet courts or something similar. Our goal is to have Vet Courts in at least 20 counties by this summer, while still pushing to open more.”

Vet courts are designed to focus on the specialized needs of veterans who may be suffering from service-related disabilities or illnesses.

Due to the complexities of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma, men and women who have served their country in a war zone often go for months, or even years, before any trauma manifests itself.

Many veterans are finding themselves in trouble with local law enforcement after making poor decisions that may have been the result of issues like PTSD.

Vet courts work to offer veterans the help they need while providing them a path to avoid the pitfalls that keep them in the criminal justice system or on the streets.

Most veterans will be eligible for these treatment courts, unless their crimes involve capitol offenses or sexual assault. While this program has stricter requirements than the typical courts, many of these vet courts offer probation in place of imprisonment and the potential to have charges reduced or dropped if veterans complete the programs designated for them.

For more information about vet courts, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The targeted area for the last week of December will be Lakeport Boulevard between S. Main Street and Parallel Drive, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

After considering community concerns and assessing higher traffic volume areas of the city, Rasmussen said the department intends to increase enforcement of hazardous traffic violations such as speed, improper turning movements, right of way violations, failure to obey traffic signs or signals, impaired driving and use of cellular phones while driving.

He said officers will be working extra traffic enforcement details in this area throughout the

week.

Members of the public are encouraged to contact a department supervisor to discuss any traffic safety concerns they may have.

The Lakeport Police Department can be reached at 707-263-5491.

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At 9:54 p.m. Tuesday officers were dispatched to the 5600 block of Jones Avenue for a report of shots fired, according to Sgt. Martin Snyder.

When they arrived, the officers contacted the reporting party, who stated three black male adults were at his residence, Snyder said.

One of the subjects knocked on the front door and asked the man for driving directions. The three males then left in a vehicle, according to Snyder.

Approximately 45 minutes later the subjects returned to the residence, with one of the subjects knocking on the door of the home, he said.

The homeowner then armed himself with a can of pepper spray, and as he exited the residence one of the male suspects fled on foot and the other two got into a parked vehicle, Snyder reported.

As the subjects fled, the passenger fired two rounds from a small caliber handgun out of the vehicle, Snyder said.

There were no apparent injuries or damage located on the scene at the time of the investigation, he added.

The reporting party described the vehicle as a two-door gray or white vehicle with front end damage on the driver side, Snyder said.

The suspects are believed to be three black male adults. Snyder said one of the males was described as having his hair in dreadlocks and wearing a dark-colored, hooded sweater.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Officer Adams at the Clearlake Police Department, 707-994-8251.

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Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said police were dispatched at 8:20 a.m. Sunday to the 400 block of Campbell Lane to investigate a burglary at Borges Logging after an observant citizen saw two suspicious male subjects at the property.

Police met with the business owner and found that locks on the property gate and buildings had been cut and the buildings entered with property removed from them, Rasmussen said.

He said police believe that the two male subjects had been on the property for at least an hour and were in the process of removing items from buildings to be loaded into a vehicle when the citizen spotted them.

Rasmussen said most of the property, including tools and equipment, was recovered at the scene after the subjects fled the area. Police also located evidence which we believe may assist in the identification of the vehicle and suspects.

The suspects are described as white male adults, both between the ages of 20 and 25 years, Rasmussen said.

He described the first man as approximately 6 feet tall, 170 to 180 pounds, clean shaven with sideburns. He was seen wearing a black beanie cap, dark colored sweatshirt and dark colored pants.

The second man has a thin build, was unshaven with reddish-colored stubble, had a groove between his two upper front teeth, a tongue ring and was wearing a dark green beanie cap, according to Rasmussen.

He said the vehicle the men were driving was described as a late model white sedan, possibly a Chevrolet Impala or Buick.

Then at 3:30 a.m. Monday the Lakeport Police Department was dispatched to the 1900 block of Alden Avenue to investigate the report of suspicious adult male subjects prowling around a residence, Rasmussen said.

Prior to officers’ arrive, the subjects fled in a vehicle which Rasmussen said was described as a dark-colored, possibly maroon, compact to mid-size sedan.

The department is continuing to investigate the incidents and does not know if they are

related, Rasmussen said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-5491.

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From left, Cynthia Lynn Downing, 35, of Lucerne, Calif., and Brandy Marie Boyle, 32, of Kelseyville, Calif., were arrested for allegedly burglarizing a home in Lakeport, Calif., on Saturday, December 17, 2011. Lake County Jail photos.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Police officers arrested two women who allegedly were involved in burglarizing a residence early Saturday morning.

Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said officers took into custody Brandy Marie Boyle, 32, of Kelseyville, and Cynthia Lynn Downing, 35, of Lucerne, in connection with the burglary, which occurred on Saturday, Dec. 17.

Rasmussen said that at 7:20 a.m. that day Lakeport Police officers, assisted by Lake County Sheriff’s deputies, were dispatched to the 100 block of Ruby Drive to investigate the report of a burglary in progress.

He said officers responded and located two female subjects, identified as Boyle and Downing, standing outside of the residence near a pickup truck that was parked in the driveway.

Officers conducted an investigation of the scene and determined that the house had been

ransacked, with at least 12 personal household items having been removed and placed in the bed of the pickup truck, Rasmussen said.

He said officers determined that the elderly male resident was not currently staying at his residence but that it was being cared for by a trustee who took control of the removed property and secured the residence.

Boyle and Downing were arrested for burglary and transported to the Hill Road Correctional

Facility.

Booking sheets showed that Boyle was booked on a felony count of first-degree burglary and three misdemeanor bench warrants, as well as a felony probation violation which resulted in a no-bail hold. Downing was booked on a count of first-degree burglary with bail set at $50,000.

Jail records indicated that both women remained in the Lake County Jail on Monday.

Rasmussen said both Boyle and Downing are known to law enforcement from prior contacts.

He said Boyle has prior arrests that include grand theft, burglary, possession of stolen

property and controlled substance offenses, while Downing has previously been arrested for charges including controlled substance offenses and one case of petty theft.

Lakeport Police officers are continuing to investigate the circumstances of this incident including the possible involvement of a third suspect, Rasmussen said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-5491.

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