State budget cuts have prompted a hiring freeze at Santa Barbara County Superior Court, and the vacant positions have resulted in a heavier work load for the clerks' offices.

There are about 16 vacant positions at county Superior Court, which has affected the court's ability to process work in a timely manner, according to Gary Blair, Superior Court executive officer.

To help ease the strain on staff, the clerks' offices have started closing to the public an hour earlier each week day the courts are open - at 3 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. - to allow for clerks to have uninterrupted work time.

The offices are mandated to be open seven hours each day as they are now, but they used to be open eight hours per day.

The new office hours started on Nov. 2, and will last indefinitely, Blair said.

"We haven't heard any real downside impact," Blair said. It's a win/win for the staff who are working with less resources."

"They're starting to feel like they can take a breath and get it handled," Blair said later of the work load.

As before, documents can be slipped into a drop box until 5 p.m. at clerks' offices in the county and still receive a stamp that they were received on that day, Blair said.

Aside from the decreased office hours, other changes have started at county courthouses because of budget cuts, including 12 unpaid furlough days from August 2009 through July 2010.

Ten of the furlough days are state-mandated and taking place across California, and the courts will be completely closed on these days, which take place on the third Wednesday of every month.

Sheryl Edwards, manager of the criminal department in the North County, said having an extra hour each day of steady work time is "very valuable."

"You get more work done if you're not interrupted in the middle of doing things," she said.

Entering case information into the computer system regarding matters the court has made rulings on is one type of work that becomes backlogged, Edwards said.

Ann Wooten, manager of the civil division in Santa Barbara, said having an additional hour "definitely helps with the work load."

The time especially aids in keeping up with the pieces of paper that come in and the related computer work, she said, as well as with meeting requests for document copies.

"It really helps to have some down time to be able to get out the large request for orders that come in," Wooten said.

Jolene Temple of Santa Maria, a paralegal at a law firm who was leaving the civil clerks' office in Santa Maria on Friday afternoon, said she understands why hours were cut back.

She said she knows that the clerks are working, even when the office is closed to the public.

"It's a rush, but we're here," Temple added of her visit to the office just before closing time.

On cue, a handful of documents fell through the drop box right around 3 p.m.

A visitor to the civil clerks' office who only identified himself as Scott said that those with business to conduct at the clerks' offices will just have to go to them during office hours, whatever they are.

"What can you do?" Scott said.

Blair said the decreased office hours would probably last at least through the end of June, when the fiscal year is over.

The court will then see what happens in next year's budget process, and reevaluate the situation.

"Frankly, at this point, I don't anticipate it getting better yet," Blair said.

November 9, 2009