Electronic Recording Expansion Defeated in Sacramento!
Posted on July 7th, 2008 at 8:54 pm, by JaniceAs you may or may not be aware, our official reporting positions in Probate, Family Law, Mental Health, and Civil - Law & Motion courtrooms were slated for consideration of electronic recording expansion through the legislature.
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 4 understood from early on that California Shorthand Reporters [CSRs] are a vital, valuable, and cost-effective means of providing a certified, verbatim record. They voted to against expansion of ER into other California courtrooms.
Thanks to our state leaders’ hard work, the Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 4 now realizes how valuable we are as well! They had originally recommended expanding electronic recording, but today the Legislative Joint Conference Committee disagreed and did not include Electronic Recording in California’s budget trailer bill.
You, our members, truly cannot understand how close all official reporters in California came to losing our ability to continue to provide access to justice in the above-mentioned courtrooms.
Celebrate today!
Tomorrow, be prepared for the next ER attack. ER will ALWAYS be a threat to our professional community and our fellow Californians who deserve access to an accurate, verbatim record.
A person’s life can change based on what is said in court or in a deposition. Because we are certified by the State of California -Department of Consumer Affairs, and we continue to educate ourselves, parties to a case are confident they are getting the best, most cost-effective method of the record.
Our association has and continues to compile data proving ER costs millions of dollars to parties and the states in which ER is utilized; retrials, dismissals, civil penalties, and other mishaps all cost citizens both emotionally, financially, and physically.
Thanks to all of the great support from the assembly members and senators who listened, learned, and made a decision based on fact; ER is simply not a cost-effective method to producing an accurate record.
COCRA is sending thank-you letters to all members of both committees. We urge you, our members, to do the same. Their names and addresses are listed below.
And remember their efforts in future elections. They supported us based on facts. We want them to remember those facts and be in their positions in the legislature when this issue is raised in the future.
COCRA sends a huge “official” thank you to SEIU, AFSCME, IFPTE, DRA, and CCRA! Our unions and fellow associations were there alongside COCRA every step of the incredibly grueling stairway to succeeding in defeating ER…once again.
Everyone deserves a Standing Ovation!
http://www.playfair.com/standingO/standingO.htm
Thank you,
THE COCRA TEAM
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 4
Juan Arambula - Chair Dem-31 Hugh Burns State Building
2550 Mariposa Mall
Suite 5031
Fresno, CA 93721
(559) 445 - 5532
(559) 445 - 6006 fax
Paul Cook Rep-65 34932 Yucaipa Blvd
Yucaipa, CA 92399
Ph: (909) 790-4196
Fax: (909) 790-0479
Chuck DeVore Rep-70 3 Park Plaza Suite 275
Irvine, CA 92614
Ph: 949-863-7070
Fax: 949-863-9337
Mary Hayashi Dem-18 Chief of Staff: Mr. Christopher Parman 22320 Foothill Boulevard, Suite 540 Hayward, CA 94541
Tel: (510) 583-8818
Fax: (510) 583-8800
Gene Mullin Dem-19 * 1528 South El Camino Real
Suite 302
San Mateo, CA 94402
(650) 349-1900
(650) 341-4676 Fax
*Assemblymember Mullin has termed out. But a letter of support for future efforts would be nice.
Sandré R. Swanson Dem-16 1515 Clay Street
Suite 2204
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 286-1670
Fax: (510) 286-1888
John Laird - Dem. Alternate Dem-27 701 Ocean Street, 318-B
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Tel: (831) 425-1503
Fax: (831) 425-2570
Roger Niello - Dem. Alternate Rep-5 4811 Chippendale Drive Suite 501
Sacramento, CA 95841
Ph: (916) 349-1995
Fax: (916) 349-1999
Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 4
Michael Machado – Dem Senate District 5 1020 N Street, Suite 506 Sacramento, CA 95814 Ph: (916) 323-4306
Christine Kehoe – Dem Senate District 39 2445 Fifth Ave., Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92101
Ph: (619) 645-3133
Fax:(619) 645-3144
Dick Ackerman – Rep Senate District 33 17821 E. 17th St., Ste 180
Tustin, California 92780
Ph: (714) 573-1853
Fax: (714) 573-1859
July 8th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Way to go, Janice! I know you were instrumental in this victory!
Congratulations to you, to COCRA, and to all on a job well done.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Great job COCRA!! Special thanks should go to all three union reps from SEIU, AFSCME and IFPTE.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Thank all of you ever so much. Great work!!! Really, really appreciate all you’ve done. Thanks.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Thank you for all your hard work in defeating this “nasty” legislation. I have no doubt this will again be something we will be fighting against, as it was before Real Time became the practice.
You are all worth your weight in gold!
July 8th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to defeat this latest bid to put ER in the courtrooms.
I am especially relieved and grateful, as I have worked Family Law for over 15 years and love it here, and I would be crushed if I had to leave.
And I must say it would be ridiculous to think that ER would work in our courtroom, as sometimes it is particularly informal due to the nature of the work, so hearing what’s being said can be a little tricky.
So thank you many times over. We really, really appreciate your efforts.
Vicki
July 8th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Thank you to COCRA and everyone who represented us in the fight against ER. I am very grateful that myself and my colleagues remain employed.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:33 am
I’ve been sitting here trying to think of something more to say other than “thank you.” If I could think any other words that could express my appreciation, I sure would. But those two words, “thank you,” has so much power behind it, really. I know how hard my COCRA colleagues work on my (our) behalf. I feel so proud to be a part of this profession, and I so impressed by the skilled and hard-working professionals that we are.
Again, thank you, my wonderful, hard-working, relentless colleagues. I really hope you all know just how pleased and fortunate I feel just knowing you’re there, representin’ and fightin’.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you….ad infinitum !!!!!
July 9th, 2008 at 9:19 am
We have been living with this threat my entire career. Thanks again for all the hard work. I am ever grateful to have my job and have people like you fighting to keep me employed. Ann
July 9th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
We court reporters who most assuredly would have been the first to be dismissed, and even the young people outside our profession who may be thinking about joining us but are hesitant because of the ER threat, are extremely grateful to the union reps, legislative reps and lobbyists, our hard-working associations and even the court reporters who made contributions to the lobbyists’ fund.
You are all mighty and noble warriors and we are grateful and thankful for your bringing this attack on our livelihoods to an end. Because of you, we are able to rest a little easier, at least for now. Thank you. YVONNE
July 9th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Thank you all for keeping our profession alive and well. We have an awesome undertaking as keepers of the record, one that is not to be taken for granted or threatened because of something as unreliable as ER. Your efforts are appreciated throughout our whole profession, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and our pocketbooks.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Let me add my congratulations and appreciation for a job well done. We are fortunate to be so effectively represented.
Thank you,
Carol
August 20th, 2008 at 9:10 am
We are blessed to have intelligent leaders who can appreciate what we do.
Thank you COCRA, you have the credibility necessary to get the attention of those who matter most!
Keep us informed. We will do our best to “represent”.
Thank you!!!!