CC RESOLUTION 1807:) i L
RESOLUTION NO. 1807
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, REQUESTING THE IMMEDIATE
ESTABLISHMENT OF CRIMINAL JURISDICTION FOR A
COURT SERVING THE SOUTH BAY AND CENTINELA VALLEY
AREA AND SUPPORTING THE MULTI -JUDGE REGIONAL
SUPERIOR COURT PLAN.
WHEREAS, for several years last past, the cities of the
South Bay and Centinela Valley areas of the County of Los Ange-
les have, through their conference of mayors, bar associations,
chiefs of police and city councils, sought the establishment of
criminal jurisdiction in a branch Superior Court located in the
South Bay - Centinela Valley area to serve that area; and
WHEREAS, approval of said request has been delayed
from time to time pending the outcome of various studies; and
WHEREAS, in 1957, the Branch Courts Committee of the
Superior Court of the County of Los Angeles recommended to the
then Presiding Judge, the establishment of criminal jurisdiction
in the Inglewood Branch upon certain conditions; and
WHEREAS, criminal matters arising in the South Bay-
Centinela Valley area are now processed at the county seat to
the great inconvenience of the residents of this city; and
WHEREAS, the Judges of the Superior Court of Los Ange-
les County have now proposed the division of the County of Los
Angeles into a number of Superior Court districts in each of
which would be located a multi- department regional Superior Court
to serve such district; that in defining such districts, said
judges propose, that present population, as well as estimated
future population, topography, highways, transportation facili-
ties, etc. be controlling rather than the existing boundary lines
of cities located within such districts; that each of such districts
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shall have a population of not less than 300,000 people in order
that such regional courts might operate with at least three full -
time judges thereby effecting the economies resulting from the
use of such multi- department regional courts; and
WHEREAS, in 1953, the population of the area now ser-
ved by the Inglewood Branch of the Superior Court (as disclosed
by "A Survey of Metropolitan Trial Courts Los Angeles Area"
(1954) prepared by James G. Holbrook) was 394,$43; and
WHEREAS, said Superior Court has recommended that its
program be accomplished with as little disturbance of existing
facilities as reasonably possible, having in mind the overall
long -term objectives of locating multi - department branch courts
in strategic areas throughout the county, and further that the
location and adequacy of facilities proposed by the Board of
Supervisors for branch courts be approved in advance by a major-
ity of the Judges of the Superior Court; and
WHEREAS, said Superior Court has requested the Board of
Supervisors to cause a study to be made of the entire county with
a view to defining such districts and specifying the general lo-
cation of such multi - department regional courts; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors has directed such a
study to be made by the Chief Administrative Officer and the staff
of the Regional Planning Commission of the County of Los Angeles;
and
WHEREAS, in addition to the study being made at the re-
quest of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, a Committee
of the State Legislature is also studying the question of branch
courts throughout the state with a view to legislation on the
subject; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of this city is desirous
of having criminal jurisdiction extended to a court within the
district in the immediate future; and
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WHEREAS, this City Council is in accord with the plan
as outlined by the judges of the Superior Court and desires to
,join the City Councils of the other cities of the South Bay and
Centinela Valley area of this county in urging the Board of Su-
pervisors to put such plan into operation at the earliest possi-
ble time consistent with the development of a proper plan; and
WHEREAS, this City Council desires to request the Jud-
ges of the Superior Court to extend criminal jurisdiction to the
Inglewood branch of the court on an interim basis pending the com-
pletion of the studies now being made, it being understood that
should such studies indicate that the logical location or lo-
cations for multi -judge regional courts to serve the South Bay and
Centinela Valley areas should be at a place or places within the
area other than the City of Inglewood, that as and when the fa-
cilities for such multi - department regional courts have been
constructed at such location or locations, the exercise of crimi-
nal jurisdiction be transferred to such locations;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL SE-
GUNDO, DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of El Segundo
does hereby express its approval, in principle, of the multi -
judge regional superior court plan as proposed by the Judges of
the Superior Court and requests that all agencies participating
in the development of the proposed plan, give this city, and all
cities in the county, an opportunity to be heard at every stage
in the development of such plan.
SECTION 2. Pending the completion of such study and the
determination of such location or locations that the Superior
Court be urged to utilize the facilities now available in the
Courts Building in the City of Inglewood to serve the South Bay
and Centinela Valley areas in criminal felony matters on an in-
terim basis.
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SECTION 3. That such use of the facilities at Ingle-
wood be understood to be upon an interim basis pending the de-
velopment of permanent facilities should such study and the ac-
tion of the Board fix a location or locations for such regional
courts at some place or places other than at the present branch
court facility in the City of Inglewood.
SECTION 4. That this City Council places itself on
record as supporting the view that the understandable local civic
pride of the people of each city in the South Bay and Centinela
Valley area of the County and their desire to have branch courts
located within their own communities must be subordinated to the
general welfare of the people of the area as a whole in order
that the substantial tax savings may be effected and the effici-
ency of court operation advanced through the ultimate centrali-
zation of Superior Court operations at one or more centrally
located multi - department regional court to serve the entire area,
and that pending such development that the existing court facili-
ties in the City of Inglewood be utilized to the fullest extent
possible on an interim basis.
SECTION 5. That four duly certified copies of this
resolution be forwarded to Mark C. Allen, Jr., City Attorney of
the City of Inglewood, hereby designated as emissary of the cities
of the South Bay and Centinela Valley area to present such copies
in a group, one set to be delivered to the Board of Supervisors
of the County of Los Angeles, one set to be delivered to the
Chief Administrative Officer of the County of Los Angeles, one
set to be delivered to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court
of the County of Los Angeles and one set to be delivered to the
Executive Director of the Interim Judiciary Committee of the
Legislature of the State of California.
SECTION 6. That the City Clerk shall certify to the
passage and adoption of this resolution; shall cause the original
of the same to be entered in the book of resolutions of the said
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City of El Segundo and shall make a minute of the passage and
adoption thereof in the records of the proceedings of the City
Council of said City, in the minutes of the meeting at which the
same is passed and adopted.
Passed, approved and adopted this 28th day of April,
1958-
ATTEST:
City Clerk
(SEAL)
_ Q
Mayor of the City of E Segundo,
California
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES SS.
CITY OF EL SEGUNDO
Eunice U. Creason
I . .................................. ..................... ... .. . . . .. City Clerk of the City of El Segundo,
California, do hereby certify that the whole number of members of the City Council
of the said City is five; that the foregoing ....... resolution
--------------------------------
being ------- Resolution__ 18Q7---- --- ------ --- •____.__ -, was passed and adopted by the said
City
Council,
approved
and
signed by the Mayor of said City, and attested
by the
City
Clerk of
said City,
all
at a regular meeting of the said Council held
on the
....... 2$th ---- day of ... .. ...... . ... .April --- .---------------- ...., 19.5$..., and that the same was
so passed and adopted by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmen. Raker,.. Erederick., ... Gordon -,-.and-- lvMayo- r- - - - - --
Benfield
NOES: Councilmen--- None-------------------------• --- -- ---- ---------- --- ------ - - -- ------ -- - - ---
ABSENT: - Councilman Meschuk
----- --- -- -------- - -- ---
WITNESS my hand and the official seal of said City this ... .------ - 29th_...... day of
April
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-
(SEAL)
--- - - -- 19.5q -
City Clerk of the City of
El Segundo, California