Superior Court v. County of Sacramento
For many years, persons called for jury duty at the Sacramento County Superior Court were provided with free parking, paid for by the County of Sacramento, either next to the courthouse in a parking lot owned by the County and dedicated to use by jurors or at other locations when that lot is full. In 2003, the County ceased paying for overflow juror parking at locations other than the dedicated lot. Concluding that the discontinuation of such parking violated the Trial Court Facilities Act of 2002 (Gov. Code, 70301 et seq.), the Superior Court obtained an order directing the County to reinstate overflow juror parking at the level that existed on October 1, 2001. The County appeals. For reasons that follow, we reject the Countys contention that such juror parking is not a necessary and suitable facilit[y] for which the County is responsible to provide pursuant to the Trial Court Facilities Act of 2002 (Gov. Code, 70311, subd. (b)); however, we conclude the County is required to provide free overflow juror parking only at the level that was necessary and suitable [based on] judicial and court support positions created prior to July 1, 1996 (ibid.). Thus, Court reverse the order to the extent it compels the County to provide free overflow juror parking as existed on October 1, 2001, and shall remand the matter for further proceedings.
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