SANTA ROSA
'All under one roof'
Family, civil courts move to new building on Cleveland Avenue, easing crowding and consolidating services
Judge James Bertoli listens to a case at the new Sonoma County Superior Court's Civil & Family Law Courthouse on Monday afternoon, April 6, 2009.
CHRISTOPHER CHUNG/ PDPublished: Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 4:03 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 4:03 a.m.
The much-anticipated Civil and Family Law Courthouse opened Monday on the west side of Highway 101, providing a one-stop civil law center and a relief valve for the packed Hall of Justice in the county government complex.
The new six-courtroom, 36,550-square-foot facility next to Empire College on Cleveland Avenue houses all of Sonoma County's family law and two of four civil courtrooms. Two other civil courtrooms will remain inside Empire College next door.
"It's a beautiful building. It's a functional building," said Judge Allan Hardcastle during an afternoon ceremony. "It's going to serve us well for many years."
Moving family law -- divorce, child custody and support disputes -- out of the main courthouse frees up those courtrooms so judges can conduct proceedings in felony and misdemeanor criminal prosecutions. The new building also consolidates other family court services that were in a far-flung building near the airport.
With a façade of glass and granite, the new courthouse also houses two civil courtrooms that had been in a office complex west of Coddingtown Mall.
"It's so important to be able to bring all of family law services together," said Judge Gary Nadler, who with Judge Robert Boyd spearheaded the move. "This way, it's all under one roof."
The center, envisioned since 2002, was funded with a mix of state money and local court operations savings. The county didn't financially contribute since the courts now fully operate on state funding.
The building, developed by the Trione-owned Vimark Inc. firm, required about $3.7 million in court-specified modifications for special security and high-tech needs. Vimark is leasing the building to the courts for $855,000 the first year.
With savings from consolidating off-site offices, ongoing state funding and additional revenue collection on delinquent fines and fees, the net annual increase in cost for the new building is about $330,000, court Executive Officer Denise Gordon said.
The building provides high-tech devices to the courts, including 24-hour surveillance cameras inside and out, and desktop computer screens from which judges and court clerks can control phones, microphones and projectors inside the courtrooms.
The two-story building, designed by Eric Glass Architects, also houses a Children's Waiting Room operated by KidCentric, a Livermore-based licensed child-care provider. That will allow parents who have court business or civil jurors a supervised place to leave their children during court hearings.
New infrared listening devices for the hearing impaired also are available, an upgrade from radio devices previously used that had a tendency to drop sound.
The new space also allows private conferences for attorneys and their clients, replacing discussions that had to be held amid foot traffic in busy court hallways.
A new self-help center offers people representing themselves in legal matters access to work stations and workshop space to make their trek into the complicated legal world a little easier. An average of 900 to 1,000 people a month use the self-help center at the county complex, Gordon said.
Empire College and law school students also will be able to do internships, as will Sonoma State University paralegal students. Workshops on divorce, custody and child support in both English and Spanish are also planned in conjunction with the Child Support Services department.
About 70 court employees and six judges are working in the new building.
At the Hall of Justice courthouse at the county government complex east of Highway 101, all courtrooms will now house criminal court proceedings. That will ease crowding that sometimes had judges sharing courtrooms, postponing trials or sending some proceedings to a Petaluma satellite courthouse.
The move of family law courts opens space for two new judge positions that are planned, Gordon said. Without courtrooms available, the county could be passed over for new judgeships.
A third new judgeship planned for Sonoma County in June was postponed by state budget problems.
You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 568-5312 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.
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