The Fall Conference will be held at the
San Francisco State University Downtown Campus at the Westfield San Francisco Center

Click on this link, and then on the upper left-hand side you’ll find two links.  One link is for the online version of our Fall Conference Brochure and the link right below that is the link you want to click on to get you to the online registration site.  Follow the simple instructions and enter your payment and you’ll be set to attend our conference.

You can download the brochure by clicking here, and I’ve included snapshots of the brochure below so that you’ll get a small taste of what’s to come when you download the entire brochure or when you get it in the mail.

UPDATE: I’ve gotten a few comments about the size of the brochure.  Just a reminder folks to use the Adobe tools at the top and click on the minimize button to the size you want.

Now, aside from the fact that we want the chance again to see all of you who came in April, as well as the fact that we hope to see those of you who couldn’t make it in April, there are three main reasons why we decided to have a Fall Conference.

Reason Number 1: NCRA CEU Deadline Is September 30th

We know that many of you are members of NCRA and that you attend our conferences and their conventions to maintain the minimum number of CEUs for your various NCRA-issued licenses like the RPR. Well, the deadline to get your CEUs into NCRA if this year is your last year in the three-year cycle is September 30th. So show up at our conference in September, collect 6 CEUs, and if you’ve acquired the number of CEUs you need, you’re good to go!

Now, keep in mind that if you had planned on attending the DRA or CCRA conventions to pick up any remaining NCRA CEUs before the deadline, keep in mind that both conventions will be held after the deadline for this year. COCRA’s Conference is September 20th and falls before the deadline.

Reason Number 2: California Rules of Court Rule 10.474.

What is California Rules of Court Rule 10.474? Well, there’s a long answer and there’s a short answer. Here’s the long answer which is the section of Court Rule 10.474 that applies to official reporters:

(c) Hours-based requirements

(2)Each court employee who is not a manager or supervisor must complete 8 hours of continuing education every two years, with the exception of employees who do not provide court administrative or operational services. Those employees are not subject to the continuing education hours-based requirement but must complete any education or training required by law and any other education required by the court executive officer.

If that’s the long answer, what’s the short answer? Well, it’s this: Every court employee has to complete 8 hours of education within a two-year period. You’re probably wondering then when the two year period began. Well, the answer is it began in January of 2007!! But don’t panic!! If you haven’t gotten your 8 hours of education you can eliminate 6 of them by showing up to COCRA’s Fall Conference and then picking up another 2 hours at DRA’s or CCRA’s convention.

We will provide all Fall Conference attendees with a letter attesting to the fact that attendees have earned 6 hours of continuing education.

Reason Number 3: COCRA Partners with StenoCast

The Fall Conference will focus primarily on the nuts and bolts of getting your realtime together. Our main speaker will be Michael Appleton of StenoCast. In addition to giving attendees an overall look at realtime, he’ll also give attendees a look at tech gadgets that will be of interest to reporters, and he’ll also be discussing why your next choice for a computer should be an Apple computer. This will be the first time that COCRA will be partnering with a third party vendor and we think that this Fall’s seminars focussed on realtime will be beneficial for everyone attending.

Now, over the next few weeks I’ll be giving those of you planning on attending more information on the conference, the FABULOUS location, as well as how easy it is to get to the conference for those of you from out of town. So be sure to keep checking back!!

]]> http://cocra.org/2008/08/cocras-fall-conference-in-san-francisco-just-weeks-away/feed/ http://cocra.org/2008/08/prepare-to-be-inspired/ http://cocra.org/2008/08/prepare-to-be-inspired/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:37:07 +0000 Janice http://cocra.org/?p=63

DRA Succeeds in Anaheim

Christina Schwandt, A Supporter of All

and Electronic Recording, on a Positive Note?

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DEPOSITION REPORTERS ASSOCIATION [DRA]!
DRA worked hard to ensure the passage of a National Court Reporters Association [NCRA] bylaws amendment, and they won!

Thanks to all of you who voted through direct member voting, 72.1 percent decided any state with NCRA membership exceeding ten percent may have more than one NCRA affiliate.

COCRA supported DRA from the beginning and may benefit from all of their hard work. We are grateful to know such an amazing group of freelance court reporters!

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE A MEMBER?

Christina Schwandt from Bakersfield, California, is a member of COCRA, CCRA, DRA, AND NCRA!

When we, at COCRA, spoke with Christina at the NCRA conference, we were, frankly, completely inspired.

How wonderful it is to know that there are reporters like Christina out there, going above and beyond to ensure all of our futures are supported. She is the reporter that enables all associations to thrive in a difficult atmosphere for our profession.

With everything going on in a court reporter’s busy world, he/she may think, “I have to buy gas, groceries, and this economy is bringing me down. I can’t belong to any association. Besides, what have they done for me lately?”

Well, thank goodness for Christina Schwandt. Her generosity to her profession and all associations made it possible for COCRA and our other associations to fight and win, once again, in Sacramento this year.

Each and every association listed above helped California defeat ER. Without the support of reporters like Christina, we may have lost the battle.

Thank you, Christina!

ELECTRONIC RECORDING [ER] EXPANSION - WHAT’S A CERTIFIED SHORTHAND REPORTER TO DO?

Laura Dennis, PLC, of L. Dennis & Associates, Inc., and Nate Smith, NCRA Senior Government Relations Specialist, NCRA Staff Liaison, and ER Task Force member say, “Stay positive.” There is plenty of evidence that already proves ER is an inferior product that causes mistrials, delays, and more money to the public than some would ever admit to. Maybe it’s time we focus on how valuable certified shorthand reporters are to our great country!

We, at COCRA, started thinking about all the things court reporters do for the U.S. besides providing the best record available.

Have you heard about the court reporters donating their time to transcribe over 1,000 videos sent to the Library of Congress to document stories of our U.S. veterans?

Have you heard about the official court reporters in San Francisco who did pro bono court reporting for the Battered Women’s Shelter?

Have you heard about the court reporters in Los Angeles who raised over $18,500 to sponsor a search-and-rescue dog team in memory of Julie Ann Brandau, the reporter killed in Atlanta in March of 2005? Those donations came from reporters and friends of reporters from all over the country.

Not only are there many articles pointing out the finer points of the court reporter, such as “Human Touch Beats Technology,” but many people don’t realize that court reporters provide the closed captioning that helps over 50 million Americans every day.

Next time somebody does the “court reporter finger dance” when describing your profession, be sure to point out some of these positive aspects of being a court reporter. Offer a realtime demonstration to anyone who wants to watch. Let everyone know that we are a profession that will continue to provide the best record out there. Be inspired!

Thanks, once again, for your valuable time.

The COCRA Team

Position of Vice President

Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag, RDR, CRR of Wheaton, Illinois 618 votes (54.8%) (winner)

Jason Meadors, RPR, CRR of Fort Collins, Colorado 509 votes (45.2%)

Position of Director (three-year term)

Tami Smith, RPR, CPE of Lansing, Michigan 519 votes (52.5%)

Donna Collins, RPR, CRR, CCP, FAPR of Dallas, Texas  470 votes (47.6%)

Bylaws Amendments

1. That Article III, Membership, Section 3, Participating Members, be changed to include CART providers among the list of reporter types eligible to join as Participating Members.

1,035 members (96.1%) voted in favor

41 members (3.8%) were opposed.

2. That Article III, Membership, Section 5, Student Members, be simplified and the four-year limitation on eligibility for Student Membership be eliminated.

989 members (95.7%) voted in favor

44 members (4.3%) were opposed

3. That Article XVI, Affiliated Units, Section 3(c), Definitions, be amended to allow states that have more than 10 percent of NCRA’s membership to have more than one affiliated unit.

751 members (72.1%) voted in favor

290 members (27.9%) were opposed

COCRA has been pushing for our members to support DRA’s bylaws amendments to Article XVI regarding allowing affiliated status to those states that have more than one court reporter association.  We congratulate DRA on the DECISIVE passage of their amendment to the bylaws.

WHEW - We can finally breathe a sigh of relief . . . NOT!!!

Now, more than ever, we need to prepare for the next step.  We need to fortify our forces, rally the troops, and go on the offense!

What does that mean for you and me?  What is our role as reporters? 

COCRA needs your support for our Legislative Fund.  It’s extremely important that our lobbyists keep up with where we have left off this year.  Next year will be here before you know it - with a new budget that will most likely have even more cuts!  Therefore, I urge each of you to contribute a minimum of $60 - obviously, the more the better - to the Legislative Fund.  Think of it, that’s only a few pleas.  We can’t afford not to!

Please don’t delay.  Send your contributions to:  California Official Court Reporters Association - Legislative Fund, One Capitol Mall, Suite 320, Sacramento, CA  95814.

Many of you COCRA members who’ve attended our annual conferences in the past have probably had the opportunity to hear a legislative report given by Barry Broad, COCRA’s lead legislative advocate in Sacramento. And if you’ve heard Barry speak, you know that he’s deeply invested in defending the court reporting profession. You may have even picked up on what a colorful personality he is.

Yet what you may not know is that Barry is also a published author. Barry’s novel “The Eve of Destruction” gets released soon and if you’re wondering what Barry’s novel is about, you can check out this synopsis published in an interview that Barry gave to the Los Angeles Times.

As lawmakers droned, he fell into a daydream. Broad, an avid news consumer and armchair geopoliticist, began pondering the Middle East, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

“What if CIA secret agents could engineer a Chernobyl-like nuclear meltdown that would stymie Iran’s ambitions to build a nuclear bomb?” Broad mused. “What if Iran’s mullahs could smuggle a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ into the Port of Los Angeles and set it off at Griffith Observatory?” And “what if both events were to occur simultaneously?”

Almost makes the battles that officials have with electronic recording pale in comparison. You can read the rest of the interview with Barry and learn more about his book by clicking here. And Barry will be having a book signing in Sacramento next month and I’ll post more info on it or update this post.

And here’s the best part: You can receive this education on the job, during your work hours at NO cost to the reporter, and it qualifies for your continuing education requirements!

COCRA’s Lyn Yard said, “As a supervising reporter, I had attended other training programs through CJER, which were always professional, relevant and well presented, and I thought, Why is there nothing offered specifically for court reporters? So I took the idea to the COCRA board, and they unanimously agreed to initiate contact with CJER about developing reporter training and education.”

Lyn told us, “When I first contacted Maggie Cimino [CJER Education Division Manager] about the possibility of developing a court reporter education program, her response was, ‘Wonderful! But we have been unable to determine how to provide education at times when reporters could be available.’” Maggie reported that CJER had investigated this possibility during the RRTF (concluded in 2004), and had even developed some curriculum, which they shared with us. It had been determined that the only time reporters were available to participate in continuing education was in the evenings and on the weekends, and CJER is unavailable to provide services during those times.

After further conversation with Maggie and her staff, CJER formed the Court Reporter Education Work Group, subject matter experts and managing reporters from various jurisdictions throughout California:

• Barbara Lane, Riverside County Superior Court
• Karen Lee, Orange County Superior Court
• Nan Richardson, Ventura County Superior Court
• Marilyn Sage and Linda Harris , San Francisco County Superior Court
• Lyn Yard, Stanislaus County Superior Court

The Working Group’s first task was to identify what types of training would benefit reporters most and the medium by which these could best be delivered by CJER:

• Live/Video Broadcast with an interactive mode, which is downlinked to every court through the California Court News (CCN) every fourth Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., not exactly ideal times for working reporters, but these broadcasts are also recorded or stored in a video library for reporter access at any time through your local HR division. This is a perfect medium for information which is subject to panel discussion or needs to be detailed.
• Online Training could be best used for static information which remains unchanged for long periods and could be completed at a PC with internet access without ever leaving the courthouse.
• Regional Training at the three AOC regional facilities for topics requiring immediate interaction, with questions and answers and specific scenarios, such as Death Penalty Appeals, specifically for court reporters, which is due out before the end of 2008.

The debut CJER project will be a Live/Video Broadcast entitled Felony Appeals: Court Reporter Procedures which will air Tuesday, August 26^th, at 9:00 a.m.

CJER Course Description:

For Court Reporters who are involved with felony appeals and any

Trial or Appellate court personnel who seek further understanding of the

procedures Court Reporters follow in felony appeals proceedings.

This broadcast will provide an overview of the procedures Court

Reporters should follow for felony appeals and the impact their work has

on the Courts of Appeal. Through an expert panel of Court Reporters and

Court Reporter Supervisors, viewers will be able to:

• Explain the function and role of the Courts of Appeal
• Discuss the Rules of Court that apply to Court Reporters
• List Lead and Secondary Court Reporter responsibilities
• Discuss Court Reporter duties pertaining to supplemental orders

Make arrangements with your court to view this broadcast or record it for later use.

Lyn told us, “I’m really excited about this project and the possibilities it presents. Our official court reporter members are court employees. So why shouldn’t they be provided job-related training at court cost during court hours like all other employees? This makes perfect sense.”

To find out more about CJER, their training programs available to you, visit: http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/comet/html/about.htm

AND THERE’S MORE . . . (as if that weren’t enough), COCRA will be conducting a fall one-day seminar/conference. Our April conference at the UCSF Westfield campus was wildly successful and, truly, popular demand has brought a second one to you!

Mark your calendars NOW: Saturday, September 20^th – COCRA Continuing Education

Yes, just in time to get those last-minute NCRA Continuing Education points that expire September 30^th or to finish up your continuing education requirements under CRC 10.474.

Mark your calendars! On July 24th, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., NCRA will hold its annual business meeting.

Why is this important to you? Because DRA has an important amendment that will pass if enough of you vote through “Direct Member Voting.” We realize most of you may not be able to attend the business meeting in Anaheim; therefore, it is vital you follow the directions below so your vote and voice will count.

With DRA’s permission, we copied their message below. If you would like to read it directly from their site, please go to www.caldra.org.

DRA is working hard to ensure all court reporters throughout the State of California have a voice. Let’s do them the service of joining in their efforts.

Directions for Direct Member Voting:

• Go to http://www.ncraonline.org/ July 15, 2008

• Make sure NCRA has your current email address

• You can contact them by clicking on the “sign-in” link or the “View/Edit Member Information” link in the left-hand column

• If you do NOT see those two links, contact NCRA at 800-272-6262

On July 24, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., you will sign on to a secure site and watch the transcript and video feed of the meeting. You can then vote through a private link for up to 12 hours.

Thanks for your time!

THE COCRA TEAM

==============================================================

COPY OF DRA’S PROPOSED BYLAW AMENDMENT

COPIED FROM www.caldra.org

JOIN US IN ANAHEIM

JULY 24, 2008 AND VOTE TO SUPPORT OUR PROPOSED BYLAWS AMENDMENT!

The Deposition Reporters Association of California will again seek an NCRA bylaws amendment in order to have the opportunity to be considered an affiliate.

Some of you may recall a proposed amendment to accomplish this in 2002 and 2003. The vote in 2003 was favorable, 135 for/95 against, just not reaching the two-thirds required for the amendment to pass.

Since that time NCRA has endeavored to treat DRA, as much as possible, as a recognized state affiliate, which is greatly appreciated. However, we still aspire to be a full-fledged partner with NCRA, able to proudly say we are an NCRA affiliate working for the benefit of the profession, able to propose resolutions to NCSA, able to vote on resolutions proposed by others, able to give voice to the hundreds of NCRA members that DRA represents.

The previous bylaws proposal was to add language to allow for more than one affiliate in states with over 3,000 NCRA members. We have decided this time to use a percentage instead of a specific number. Hence, the proposed change would read as follows:

Amend Article XVI, Section 3(c) to read:

“Only one affiliated unit [shall] may be recognized from any one state, with the exception of states wherein the number of NCRA members exceeds 10 percent of NCRA membership.”

The change from “shall” to “may” is to ensure that potential affiliate status is not automatic, giving the NCRA board discretion to decide whether it is appropriate.

DRA appreciates that multiple state associations would not be sustainable in most other states. However, in California they do exist and are large enough to support full-time paid lobbyists and executive directors.

This amendment is not about seeking to replace the current California NCRA affiliate (CCRA). Rather, we are seeking inclusion for our NCRA members who have chosen DRA to represent them in their state and who wish that representation to be extended to the national arena. There is no avenue to do so without a bylaws amendment.

NCRA is known as an association of members, not states. We believe that denying DRA the opportunity to affiliate with NCRA and to have a full voice at NCSA is in conflict with this premise and disenfranchises many members based solely on a geographic determination. In terms of NCRA membership, DRA ranks among the top ten associations in the country.

DRA hopes that NCRA and its affiliate state leaders want to hear about its accomplishments and programs, including several legislative successes. We hope they want to hear, as well, a perspective that sometimes differs from that of the California NCRA affiliate.

DRA exists, has thrived and grown for over ten years, and is “home” to hundreds of NCRA members. Our goal is inclusion, participation and recognition.

Please join us in Anaheim on July 24th at the NCRA annual business meeting, in conjunction with the convention, when this amendment will be discussed and voted on! GIVE IT YOUR VOTE OF SUPPORT!

If you can’t make it in person and wish to vote on line, here is what you will need to do:

Join NCRA if you haven’t already!

Verify NCRA has a current email address for you. You can do this by going to www.NCRAonline.org. Look for the “View/Edit Member Information” comment in the left-hand column or call 800-272-6272.

In order to vote via the Web at the Anaheim business meeting, members will be able to sign on to the secure web site, review the transcript and video feed for the meeting, and vote through a private, secure link during the 12-hour voting period. Results will be verified by a third party.

The NCRA link is not up yet but will be clearly visible on NCRA’s site,

www.NCRAonline.org

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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