The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino County Superior Court:
Mendocino County Superior Court is honored to welcome California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire to the Ukiah courthouse on Thursday, September 12th. This will be the first visit from a Chief Justice to the Mendocino Court in more than 25 years. Mendocino County is in the heart of Senator McGuire’s large Senate District and this will be his first visit to the Court in several years.
The Chief Justice was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom and sworn into office on January 2, 2023. Chief Justice Guerrero was raised in Imperial County and earned her Juris Doctorate from Stanford. She worked in private practice and contributed many pro bono hours to such issues as immigration and fair housing while in private practice. She was appointed to the San Diego Superior Court in 2013 and was elevated to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in 2017. Then, in March 2022, she joined the California Supreme Court as an Associate Justice. She is the first Latina to serve as California’s Chief Justice.
Senator McGuire has had a long career in county and state government service. He has served in many local elected positions, including the school board president, city council member, mayor and county supervisor in Sonoma County. He was elected to the California State Senate in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. He has risen to one of the key Senate leadership positions, serving now as the President pro Tempore.
Presiding Judge Keith Faulder states, “This visit is n historic and a much-appreciated opportunity to share the challenges facing trial courts in rural counties such as ours. Our judges and court staff are excited to welcome Chief Justice Guerrero and Senator McGuire and give them a firsthand look at our everyday operations and all the services offered to residents of Mendocino County. We are especially excited to demonstrate the vast expansion of public access to court services through the use of remote technology.”
Court Executive Officer Kim Turner agrees and plans to showcase the many innovations that have made the court more accessible to the public. “We have extended our public counter and phone hours, made many court records available on-line, and created webforms and other applications to make it possible to pay fines, sign up for traffic school and perform community service without coming to the courthouse. Our court records are paperless, making court proceedings more efficient, and we have made e-filing easy and convenient for the public. Our self-help services are assisting, on average, about 20 English and non-English speaking litigants per day. These strategies and programs make it possible for our court users to have more successful interactions with the court.”
In addition to meeting with court leadership, Chief Justice Guerrero and Senator McGuire will tour the courthouse and visit courtrooms where remote proceedings are in progress. September is also Constitution Month. This visit from the Chief Justice of the largest court system in the country will also be an opportunity for a group of fifth graders to meet with her and ask questions about the court system and the three branches of government. Finally, the Chief Justice will meet with judges and court staff to recognize their important contributions and to hear their perspectives on public service in today’s environment.
