The Nevada City Courthouse received some bad news earlier today…
The Court Facilities Working Group voted today to recommend that four additional courthouse construction projects in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, and Nevada City be delayed indefinitely if the Legislature directs that court construction funds be used to finance the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach.

The Judicial Council had already voted in October to indefinitely delay seven projects due to budget reductions. The council’s Court Facilities Working Group met today to revisit 23 planned projects because of the potential for another unexpected $550 million that would be needed to accommodate yearly payments for the Long Beach project.

The recommendations-which Justice Hill hopes will go before the Judicial Council in January 2013-include: a new criminal courthouse for downtown Sacramento, a replacement for the overburdened courthouse in Huntington Park  in Los Angeles, and renovation projects planned for downtown courthouses in Fresno and Nevada City.

During the meeting, courts whose projects were slated for deferral gave presentations and answered questions from the working group. Using the same process that ultimately delayed seven projects last fall, the working group will post the draft recommendations on the California Courts website for two weeks for public comment, then submit finalized recommendations to the Judicial Council for review early next year.