Celebs' drivers are going to have to learn new routes to new courthouses in Los Angeles County soon, since two locations where famous folks' cases are often heard are getting their budgets and services slashed.
The Beverly Hills and Malibu courthouses, where oh-so-many faces have faced oh-so-many cases, are among those getting nabbed with "massive cuts," according to L.A. Now.
In addition to facilities in Beverly Hills and Malibu, courtrooms will be closed in West Los Angeles, Avalon, Huntington Park, Whittier, Pomona, and San Pedro. They will still serve the public by handling "some administrative matters, such as ticket payments," but cases will not be heard there.
What this means for the rest of us among the great unwashed are longer lines, and fewer employees able to help us with filing documents and handling matters. That also means jurors, attorneys, clients, and witnesses will have likely longer commutes to the court at which their case will be heard. Additionally, that means job losses within the court system.
Lee Smalley Edmon, presiding judge of the L.A. County Superior Court, told L.A. Now said the cuts signal a "sea change in how we do our business." With the cuts and closures happening over the next eight months, what is also in the works for our courts is a "trial hub" system, which means certain kinds of cases would be only heard at certain courts, with the various hubs distributed to the courthouses remaining open in the county.
