2019 State of the Court

Our workforce is the powerhouse behind what we do. It’s our responsibility to ensure that our team has the required knowledge and skills needed to reach their full potential. Over the last year, we have launched dedicated resources for our judicial officers and staff trainings to enhance technical knowledge, soft skills and leadership. Our training and development strategy, defined in the SBSC Strategic Plan , has become our mechanism that establishes what competencies our court requires as we look into the future, and a means to achieve it. In the next decade, SBSC plans to expand services in the cities of Victorville and Barstow by adding criminal, civil, and family law courtrooms, more resources for self-represented litigants, and opening our fourth Children’s Waiting Room to provide childcare services for litigants at the Barstow courthouse. We will add additional judges and courtrooms to address the highest statewide caseload for Juvenile Dependency. Additionally, Needles and Big Bear courthouses will expand services as we anticipate appointments of our six newest judgeships allocated to SBSC as part of the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Budget. By mid-decade, we hope to consolidate San Bernardino Family Law and Child Support services onto one campus for ease of access for our families. Also by mid-decade, our hope is to successfully seek funding to explore a larger High Desert Regional Center to address the explosive growth in our High Desert community.

Growth is not limited by physical location, it also means moving towards a virtual environment. In 2020, we will implement a new case management system for Small Claims, Landlord-Tenant, Civil, and Appeals; with Probate, Family Law, Mental Health, and Child Support quickly following in 2021. This implementation will be our launching pad to a digital court that will include electronic files with remote access and e-filing from your home or office. Self- represented litigants will have remote options by mid-year 2020 through our new program, Direct Access to Self-Help (DASH)—an interactive online platform to access self-help resources, document review, appointment scheduling and live chat to communicate directly to staff. We will continue to explore access to SBSC through video remote proceedings, successfully piloted in Needles and Big Bear during 2018. Welcome to the San Bernardino Superior Court! We are proud of our past accomplishments and excited to eagerly plan our journey into the future of a new decade.

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Honorable Michael A. Sachs Presiding Judge

Nancy CS Eberhardt Court Executive Officer

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