Judgeships.

(1) Existing law requires the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature and the Governor on or before November 1 of every even-numbered year on the factually determined need for new judgeships in each superior court using specified uniform criteria for the allocation of judgeships. This bill would require the Judicial Council, on or before November 30, 2011, to provide to the Legislature a special assessment of the need for new judgeships in the family law and juvenile law assignments for each superior court. (2) Existing law provides that 16 subordinate judicial officer positions in eligible superior courts, as determined by the Judicial Council, shall be converted to judgeships. Beginning in the 2008–09 fiscal year, existing law provides that, upon subsequent authorization by the Legislature, 146 subordinate judicial officer positions in eligible superior courts, as determined by the Judicial Council, shall be converted to judgeships, upon the occurrence of specified conditions, including that the proposed action is ratified by the Legislature, either in the annual Budget Act or another legislative measure, except that no more than 16 positions may be converted to judgeships in any fiscal year. This bill would provide, notwithstanding the above provisions, that up to 10 additional subordinate judicial officer positions in eligible superior courts may be converted to judgeships in any fiscal year, commencing with the 2010–11 fiscal year. Each additional position would be converted to a judgeship only if the conversions will result in a judge being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment previously presided over by a subordinate judicial officer. Legislative ratification would be required, either in the annual Budget Act or by statutory enactment, for the conversion of any of the 146 subordinate judicial officer positions, and by statutory enactment other than the annual Budget Act for the conversion of the 10 additional subordinate judicial officer positions. The bill would require the Judicial Council to report, beginning with the above-described report due to the Legislature on November 1, 2012, on the implementation and effect of this provision.