Courts: judgeships.

(1) Existing law specifies the number of judges for the superior court of each county and for each division of each district of the court of appeal. Existing law provides that the Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District consists of 3 divisions. Existing law requires that one of these divisions hold its regular sessions in the San Bernardino/Riverside area and further requires this division to have 7 judges. This bill would increase the number of judges in the division of the Fourth Appellate District of the Court of Appeal located in the San Bernardino/Riverside area to 9 judges. The bill would appropriate an unspecified sum from the General Fund to the judicial branch for the purpose of funding those additional appellate court judgeships and accompanying staff, thereby making an appropriation. (2) Existing law allocates additional judgeships to the various counties in accordance with uniform standards for factually determining additional need in each county, as approved by the Judicial Council. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to report biennially to the Legislature and the Governor on the factually determined need for new judgeships in each superior court using that uniform criteria for allocation of judgeships. Existing law authorizes 50 additional judges, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the various county superior courts, pursuant to uniform criteria approved by the Judicial Council. This bill would appropriate an unspecified sum from the General Fund to the judicial branch for the purpose of funding the cost of those additional judgeships described above, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would also authorize 50 additional judges, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act of moneys expressly identified for the purpose of initially funding the costs of additional new judges, to be allocated to the various superior courts, pursuant to the uniform criteria approved by the Judicial Council.