Yesterday’s CALMatters included a horrifying story about Californians languishing in county jails without being convicted or sentenced for a crime. One of the reasons given: “Serious shortfalls in court budgets.” Those shortfalls are not the result of a shortage of tax revenue but rather choices made by the CA Legislature:
That chart illustrates a corrupt pattern. Dollars in the fastest growing segments are doled out to members, shareholders and employees of government employee unions and corporations who donate to the very same legislators who approve that spending while the Judicial Branch, which falls into neither category, languishes.
California is directing too little money to courts because it is directing too much money to political donors. The Legislature must boost funding for courts and ban donations from corporations, unions and associations whose shareholders, employees or members receive money under agreements with the state or its subsidiaries.
