Dear Members of the California Judges Association,
On January 6, 2020, Assembly Bill 1842 (Salas) was introduced in the Legislature. The bill addresses the Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP), and one of its multiple provisions would require the CJP to implement a procedure to permit the electronic filing of complaints against judges. On January 7th, the
Daily Journal
reached out to CJA and asked our position on the bill. CJA currently has no position on AB 1842 as the Executive Board meets on January 24, 2020, and will discuss this and other pieces of legislation.
As President of the Association I provided the following quote in writing to the
Daily Journal
, reflecting public comments CJA made last year: "On June 12, 2019, the California Judges Association (CJA) provided public testimony at the Joint Legislative Oversight Hearing addressing the State Auditor’s April report on the Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP). At the hearing, we stated that CJA and all justices and bench officers in the state fully support the fundamental mission of the CJP which includes protecting the public. AB 1842 aligns with the Auditor’s recommendations to improve the CJP’s transparency and accessibility to the public.”
The
Daily Journal
added commentary before the quote, implying there was a verbal conversation between the reporter and me. No such conversation took place. Further, the reporter incorrectly stated the Association's support for the bill. As previously noted, the Association has no position on the bill at this time. The CJA Board Work Group on the CJP is reviewing the AB 1842, and the Executive Board will evaluate the bill and determine the Association's position later this month.
Please expect more information on this and other important bills in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
