The Number of Judges in California Superior Courts

Section 69560 provides that, if the Legislature diminishes the number of judges of the superior court in any county or city and county, the offices which first become vacant, to the number of judges diminished, is deemed to be abolished.

Article 3 deals with the number of judges of the superior courts in Sections 69580 to 69619.6. Each county has a designated number of judges of the superior court as set forth below:

Alameda – 67 

Alpine – 2

Amador – 2

Butte – 10

Calaveras – 2

Colusa – 2

Contra Costa – 33

Del Norte – 2

El Dorado – 6

Fresno – 36

Glenn – 2

Humboldt – 7

Imperial – 9

Inyo – 2

Kern – 33

Kings – 7

Lake – 4

Lassen – 2

Los Angeles – 429

Madera – 7

Marin – 10

Mariposa – 2

Mendocino – 8

Merced – 6

Modoc – 2

Mono – 2

Monterey – 18

Napa – 6

Nevada – 6

Orange – 109

Placer – 9

Plumas – 2

Riverside – 53

Sacramento – 52

San Benito – 2

San Bernardino – 65

San Diego – 128

San Francisco – 50

San Joaquin – 26

San Luis Obispo – 11

San Mateo – 26

Santa Barbara – 19

Santa Clara – 77

Santa Cruz – 10

Shasta – 9

Sierra – 2

Siskiyou – 4

Solano – 16

Sonoma – 16

Stanislaus – 17

Sutter – 5

Tehama – 4

Trinity – 2

Tulare – 16

Tuolumne – 4

Ventura – 28

Yolo – 9

Yuba – 5

Section 69614 added 50 additional judges allocated to the various superior courts pursuant to the uniform criteria described for determining the need for additional superior court judges. These uniform standards are approved and updated by the Judicial Council pursuant to the Update of Judicial Needs Study, based on three specified criteria.

Section 69614.2 creates 50 additional judges upon appropriation by the Legislature.

Section 69614.3 creates 100 additional new judges upon appropriation by the Legislature.

Section 69614.4 provides that two vacant judgeships from the Superior Court of the County of Santa Clara are to be reallocated to the Superior Court of the County of Riverside, and two vacant judgeships from the Superior Court of the County of Alameda are to be reallocated to the Superior Court of the County of San Bernardino.

Section 69614.5 authorizes 26 additional superior court judgeships, subject to appropriation. These positions are to be allocated by the Judicial Council to the various county superior courts, in accordance with the uniform criteria as updated and approved by the Judicial Council.

Section 69615 sets forth legislative intent to restore an appropriate balance between subordinate judicial officers and judges in the trial courts by providing for the conversion, as needed, of subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships in courts that assign subordinate judicial officers to act as temporary judges. In addition, the Legislature finds that because of the unique nature of family and juvenile law matters, including the long-lasting impact of decisions in these cases, particularly on vulnerable children, whenever possible, these cases should be presided over by judges, who are accountable to the public.

Section 69616 sets forth the legislative ratification of the authority of the Judicial Council to convert 10 subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships in the 2011–12 fiscal year where the conversion will result in a judge being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment previously presided over by a subordinate judicial officer.

Section 69617 sets forth the legislative ratification of the authority of the Judicial Council to convert 10 subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships in the 2013–14 fiscal year where the conversion will result in a judge being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment previously presided over by a subordinate judicial officer.

Section 69618 sets forth the legislative ratification of the authority of the Judicial Council to convert 10 subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships in the 2014–15 fiscal year when the conversion will result in a judge being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment previously presided over by a subordinate judicial officer.

Section 69619 sets forth the ratification of the authority of the Judicial Council to convert 10 subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships in the 2015–16 fiscal year when the conversion will result in a judge being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment previously presided over by a subordinate judicial officer.

Section 69619.5 sets forth the ratification of the authority of the Judicial Council to convert 10 subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships in the 2016–17 fiscal year when the conversion will result in a judge being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment previously presided over by a subordinate judicial officer.

Section 69619.6 sets forth the ratification of the authority of the Judicial Council to convert 10 subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships in the 2017–18 fiscal year when the conversion will result in a judge being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment previously presided over by a subordinate judicial officer.