The MINUTE BOOK

The California Court Association, Inc. The MINUTE BOOK Volume 65, Issue 4 EDITORIAL STAFF CHAIR & EDITOR Victoria Borjesson Ventura County From 805.289.8519 805.477.5890 Fax “New Normal” Committee Members Teresa Rodriguez, Ventura to John Wilson, Ventura Juan Jaquez, Ventura “New Future” Ashley Grande, Ventura Melissa DiCiolli, Ventura Calle Borjesson, Social Media Photographer, Vacant CCA Website President’s Message 2 has a Widget! Click here! CCA Executive Board/Reg. Directors/ARC 3 CCA Committee Chairs 4 Editors’ Notes & Trivia $25 prize! 5 CCA SnapShot - CCA’s Virtual Training 6-7 The Perfect Storm Virtual Training 8 Virtual Training—Stay Tuned 9 CCA’s 67th Annual Convention 11 New Virtual Believe It or Not/Word Search/For the Record 12 Training! California Court Services re COVID19 13-16 The Perfect Storm Cal-Court Up to the Minute 17-20 Click here Office of the Governor—News 21 DMV Updates 22 Communications Committee 23 Annual Convention 8/2021- See you There! 24 Do YOU know the way to the NEW CCA? 1 Michelle Baldwin The President’s Message Riverside County One year ago, the wheels of justice skidded to a halt: nonessential cases were stayed, proceedings were delayed, and the deadlines for filing some lawsuits were suspended. But judges and their staff, like their healthcare colleagues, performed triage operations to keep the wheels spinning in cases that posed immediate safety issues. COVID-19 emergency orders initially shuttered several courthouse doors, forcing the legal system to change operations rapidly.ury J trials were suspended by most courts and many started to hold such judicial proceedings remotely. The legal system, however, stayed up and running. Across the length and breadth of the world, the “new normal” is the buzzword. However, this does not mean “taking it while lying down”. We rely on each other more than ever to do our best. Many elements of business and life are being challenged; and the “new normal” may look very different as new ways of working are carried over into the future. When the public panics, service workers are the first to deal with it. Customer experience has taken on a new definition and dimension in the overwhelming challenges of COVID-19. Access to justice is a human being’s fundamental right. People rely on the legal system for custody rights, business disputes, orders against abuse, the rights of landlords and tenants, guardianship, conservatorships, adoptions, traffic citations, and so much more. It is the responsibility of the public sector to ensure that it is constantly improving and surpassing expectations. Good customer service is expected, but great customer service is what we should be striving for in the public sector, particularly in the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing budgets and increasing workloads. The current COVID-19 outbreak is a global crisis and has been a new opportunity for our courts to support our customers and communities. There is no doubt that the California courts will continue to see a surge of ever-increasing numbers of litigants who go to court without legal counsel, largely because they cannot afford representation. Self-represented litigants typically are unfamiliar with court procedures and forms, as well as with their rights and obligations, which leaves them disadvantaged in court and may require the courts to expend significant resources. Accordingly, the Judicial Council has made access to the courts for self-represented litigants one of its top priorities. Many of the capabilities established out of necessity during this extraordinary time—such as remote work, customer self-service, social media engagement, remote health monitoring—will become the new normal of public service delivery. We have found even more ways to establish and scale online offerings with substantial demand from our customers as their needs in- creasingly turn digital. This shift to online and digital channels has the potential to dramatically increase online traffic post-recovery. Digi- tal delivery has become a necessity for most customers who are confined at home. Adoption has grown strongly, even among the most “digitally resistant” customers. We all know that work will never be the same, even if we don’t yet know all the ways in which it will be different. What we can say with certainty is that the sudden shift to distributed work has provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine everything about how we do our jobs and how we serve the public. There’s an opportunity to retain the best parts of our court culture while freeing ourselves from bad habits and inefficient processes. As court employees, you should be very proud knowing that without you the quality of justice and service to the public could not with- stand this pandemic. Your dedication to public service, has shown that you are a true warrior, humble and sometimes forgotten essential worker. So Stand tall Court Clerk and march on Essential worker! Best, Michelle Baldwin Your 2021-2022 CCA President 2 Kym Chank Lorraine Benavides Michelle Baldwin Vice President Elect Immediate Past President President Riverside County Riverside County Ventura County VACANT Gurmeet Dhaliwal Nikki Bailey Vice President Treasurer Secretary Riverside County Kern County Angela Quintero Diana Ramirez Anthony Villa Lizette Sweezer Jeff Rolston Regional Director Regional Director Regional Director Regional Director Regional Director Kern County Kern County Orange County Sacramento County San Mateo County Rachel Myers Tracy Brown Tammy Hitchcock ARC Team ARC Team ARC Team Executive Director Do YOU know the way to CCA? 3 3 BY-LAWS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORY & DMV LIAISON BUDGET & FINANCE FEE SCHEDULE VACANT VICTORIA BORJESSON VACANT ANTHONY VILLA GURMEET DHALIWAL Ventura County Orange County Riverside County PUBLICATION EDUCATION LIAISON LEGISLATION LEGISLATION JODI LEVEQUE FAMILY LAW NOMINATING RHONDA SHARBONO Marin County ROB OFTRING LORRAINE BENAVIDES Judicial Council Los Angeles County VACANT Ventura County PUBLICATION PUBLICATION PUBLICATION PUBLICATION CIVIL/SMALL CLAIMS CRIMINAL JUVENILE PROBATE HOSPITALITY KERI NOONAN ANGELICA QUINTERO CHLOE LETSON VACANT TANYA RIVERO Riverside County Kern County Ventura County TRAINING & CERTIFICATION TRAINING & CERTIFICATION SARAH WATSON JENNIFER DE LA CRUZ San Bernardino ounty Riverside County 44 COURT LEADERS NEED APPRECIATION TOO! As the pandemic proved to fundamentally be a crisis with immediate and direct impacts on our workforce and workplace, our Court Administrators and senior HR leaders have been at the heart of our courts’ responses to Covid19. All California Court leaders had to learn to think and act fast. In doing so, insights and experiences from across the California Courts highlight that addressing employee health and safety has been a primary focus, along with ensuring business continuity. Having adapted quickly to the crisis, our court and HR leaders rapidly began assessing what good practices needed to be institu- tionalized and what approaches need to be adapted for disruptions that are likely to persist for months if not years - “a mara- thon, not a sprint” as one of my colleagues put it. In my role as an Executive Assistant to a very well-respected and well-liked Court CEO, watching our court’s leaders navigate through this Covid-19 crisis has been like attending masterclasses in crisis leadership and learning experiences that continues each day. They are masters at explaining the gravity of the situations court state courts are facing, and outlining the resources being deployed to battle the negative impacts of the coronavirus. Most court leaders were able to successfully navigate crisis, and got used to widespread ambiguity and chaos, while recognizing that they did not have a crisis playbook. Instead, they com- mitted themselves and their staff to navigating point-to-point through the turbulence, adjusting, improvising, and re-directing as the situation changed and new information emerged. Our leaders also understood that mistakes would be made along the way, but they pivoted quickly as this happened, and learned as they go. This crisis took a toll on all of us. The one critical function of leadership during intense turbulence was our CEO and Executive Team’s commitment to keep their fingers on the pulse of staff’s energy and emotions. We — all of us — will be remembered for how we manage ourselves and others through this crisis. When we will emerge from this current crisis is uncertain, but based on my experience one thing remains true. We all rely on our leaders to thoughtfully navigate choppy waters with resolve and strength. For better or worse, the crisis has forced us to experience a “reset” at the forefront of our “new normal.” We need to hang on to these essential life lessons even when we start mov- ing forward and go back to whatever new normal awaits us. Like everyone else, court leaders derive a lot of value from recognition. When they are actively involved in the practice as both givers and receivers, their interactions help establish meaningful recognition as a norm, and develop a stronger culture of appreciation. I encourage each and every one of you to share your gratitude with your court leaders and staff who have made and are still making a difference in the fight against COVID-19, and the impact that this pandemic has had on all of us. Court leaders need appreciation too! CORRECTION Trivia Question #11: POLICY 1969! We aim to get it right, but when we get it wrong, please let us know. We 1. Where was the Southern Spring want to correct the record. Conference held? 2. What was the date it was held? 3. What locations were they held at? 4. Who was the entertainment? The 1st member who emails me Contact Editor Victoria Borjesson to report any errors. the correct answer will win $25 ! 5 Snapshot - CCA’s Virtual Training Day Saturday, January 31, 2021 Via ZOOM By Rachel Myers, Executive Director, ARC Business Team Jennifer De La Cruz Mary Ann Ramirez (San Bernardino County) (San Diego County) On January 30, 2021, The California Court Association hosted its third “Virtual” training for Court employees titled “Coordinating Court Interpreters: The Basics”.

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