Alameda County court begins mandatory furloughs
OAKLAND, CA - MAY13: The Alameda County Superior Courthouse is seen in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Alameda County Superior Court on Friday began mandatory furloughs for court staff, which they said is necessary because of California’s budget deficit.
Spokesman Paul T. Rosynsky said in a statement that almost every employee will have to take one day a month as unpaid time off. Time off will typically be split between two Fridays each month.
That will mean that half the staff will be absent during those Fridays, Rosynsky said, and he asked that people be patient with the limited staffing.
"We felt that we had only two options, either reduce our workforce through layoffs or ask our dedicated staff to sacrifice one day of pay per month," Presiding Judge Thomas Nixon said in a statement. "During these difficult times, we chose to keep all of our staff employed."
Nixon said that all departments would remain open during furlough days.
In addition to furloughs, the court has instituted a hiring freeze for new positions and a soft freeze on existing positions.
The approved California State Budget for fiscal year 2024-25 reduced the budget for all state courts by $97 million.
As a result of those cuts, the Superior Court of Alameda County had its yearly budget reduced by $4.3 million.