COURT COMMISSIONER - California

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIACounty of SacramentoAnnounces an Opportunity for the Position ofCOURT COMMISSIONER

T H E COMMUNITYHailed as America’s Most Diverse City by Timemagazine, the city of Sacramento is the cultural andeconomic center of a metropolitan area that boastsmore than 1.5 million residents. Located betweenthe Sacramento and AmericanRivers, Sacramento’s climateis characterized by mildwinters and dry summers,moderated by the coolevening winds over the ecologically diversewaterways referred to as the Sacramento Delta.The city’s location provides outdoor recreationalopportunities for skiing, hiking, golfing, biking,boating and camping. Shopping centers, a newdowntown sports and entertainment arena, art,historical and railroad museums, theatre companiesand cultural activities are plentiful. Sacramento iscentrally located and has something for everyonewithin a short drive, including Napa’s wine country,an afternoon on the slopes of Lake Tahoe, or anevening in the world-class art and music venues inthe San Francisco Bay Area.As the State Capital,Sacramento is the heart ofgovernment for Californiaand has thriving legal,politicalandbusinesscommunities. The collegesand universities in theregion,includingtheUniversity of California,Davis, California State University, Sacramento,Cosumnes River College, American River College,Sacramento City College and the University of thePacific, McGeorge School of Law inspire leadersfrom every walk of life and provide evelopment. From sleek glass skyscrapers definingthe Capitol Mall corridor to quiet tree-lined streetswith turn of the century homes in ourneighborhoods, Sacramento offers a multi-facedenvironment to work and live. With a cost of livingthat is lower than the average for the state, andmedian home prices that are less than half forcomparable homes in the metropolitan cities ofSouthern California and the Bay Area, SacramentoCounty is very affordable.T HE C OURT SYST EMThe Sacramento Superior Court is a consolidatedcourt with all legal functions, operations, andadministration governed by the Presiding Judge andCourt Executive Officer. The Sacramento SuperiorCourt has 66 authorized Judges and 9.5Subordinate Judicial Officers who hear proceedingsin five separate facilities, all within 12 miles of themain courthouse located in downtown Sacramento.The outlying facilities include separate juvenile;traffic, small claims and unlawful detainer; and familylaw and probate courthouses. We currentlyemploy over 700 staff.The Superior Court of California, County ofSacramento provides fair, equal, andimpartial justice by resolving andadjudicating legal matters to ensure andprotect the fundamental rights for allThe Sacramento Superior Court’s mission, “toprovide fair, equal and impartial justice by resolvingand adjudicating legal matters to ensure and protectthe fundamental rights for all,” is not a rolereserved exclusively to its Judicial Officers; it is acourt wide commitment in which every memberplays a unique and critical role. Our mission iscarried out not only by the Judges and CourtCommissioners, who render decisions in theircases; but also by those who work tirelessly “behindthe scenes” in tandem so that the court’s missionis not just a goal, but a present reality. Theminds and hands at work at the SacramentoSuperior Court are many and varied – and all arevital to achieving the mission.

Court Achievements, Challenges & PrioritiesThe Sacramento Superior Court is in the process ofimplementing several initiatives, including areplacement case management system for Criminaland Family Law. Short-term goals include E-filing/Edelivery in civil matters, expanded self-help services,digitization of court records, pretrial assessmentpilot project and expansion of videoconferencinghearings.In addition to the above, the Sacramento SuperiorCourt is proud of the following achievements: CITOCInnovationsAward-The CourtInformation Technology Officers Consortium(CITOC) awarded the Sacramento SuperiorCourt the 2013 Innovation in Technology Awardfor the development and implementation of thePublic Case Access System and the Public CaseKiosk System. With the implementation of bothsystems, approximately 60% of cases utilize one ofthese innovative services. The most significantimpact the court has seen is the reduction of thenumber o f p e r s o n s c o m i n g t o the courtto dispose of their cases. Justice Served – Top 10 Websites – In 1999,2001, 2004, and 2008 the Sacramento SuperiorCourt website was selected as among the top 10websites worldwide by Justice Served.Theselectionis made annually and based on awebsite’s “innovation, creativity, and superbexamples of Internet excellence.”In 2008 Justice Served had this to saythe Sacramento Superior Court’s website:aboutThis unprecedented four-time winner keepsgetting better each year. Their impressivechoices in online court services are obvious.What is less obvious is that they host webfeatures for other courts, opened E-filing tocommercial vendors and enhanced userindexing options. Add high profile caserulings, commuter travel tips and a virtualtour to earn top ranking in court websites.CO UR T CO M M I SS I O N E RUnder the general direction of the PresidingJudge, Court Commissioners perform variousjudicial functions as prescribed by law orconferred by the court. Court Commissionershave the same jurisdiction and exercise the samepowers and duties as the judges of the court withrespect to infractions and small claims actions,and in other matters pursuant to stipulation ofparties.Court Commissioners are appointed by thejudges and perform judicial functions of the court,assisting the court in disposing of businessconnected with the administration of justice,including acting as a temporary judge in certaintypes of cases. By law, a Court Commissionercannot engage in the practice of law.T H E CA N DI DA T EThe selected candidate must be knowledgeableof legal principles and precedents as applied tojudicial procedures. He or she must have theability to process substantial volumes ofinformation: absorb, analyze, research and weighcomplex issues quickly and accurately, respondto situations with discretion, judgment andrestraint while under pressure, and requireorder and decorum in proceedings. The idealcandidate should be patient, dignified andcourteous to litigants, witnesses, lawyers andothers with whom he/she deals in an officialcapacity, including requiring similar conduct oflawyers, court staff and personnel under his/herdirection and control. He or she must performduties without bias or prejudice and refrain fromspeech, gestures or other conduct that wouldreasonably be perceived as bias or prejudice.

M INIM UM Q UALIFICATIO NSEither IActive member in good standing with the State Bar ofCalifornia and admitted to practice law in Californiafor at least ten (10) years, or on a finding of goodcause by the Presiding Judge, for at least five (5) years.Or IICurrently serving as a subordinate judicial officer in atrial court as of January 1, 2003.ESSENTIAL DUTIES Acts as a temporary judge in court casespursuant to the stipulation of counsel andparties; conducts a daily court calendar andpresides over hearings and trials; makesrulings, findings, judgments and orders.Exercises the same powers and duties as ajudge of the court in assigned cases, with thesame jurisdiction.Presides over proceedings in one or more ofthe following: civil and small claims actions,criminal and traffic arraignments; hearings andtrials of infractions, misdemeanors andfelonies; probate, family law and juvenilecourt.Arraigns defendants; grants continuances;hears, reviews and rules on a variety ofpetitions, motions and other actions; takesevidence from concerned parties and otherwitnesses; makes or recommends appropriatecourt orders; accepts pleas and imposessentences; sets cases for hearing and trial;conducts court and jury trials. Reviews court files, documents and relatedmaterials to assess cases prior to and followinghearings; prepares court documents, records,reports, correspondence and other writtenmaterials pertaining to case findings.COMPENSA TIONThe Court offers an attractive compensation planof 181,758 annually, plus a 3.35% subordinatejudicial officer differential. In addition, benefits areprovided which include: vacation and sick leave,holidays and bereavement leave, medical, dental,and vision benefits, life and long- term ent is through the Sacramento CountyEmployee’s Retirement System (SCERS) withreciprocity with PERS and other 1937 Actretirement plans. The retirement formula isbased upon entrance intothe retirementsystem. The highest 36-month period earninglevel is used to determine the retirement benefitamount.

This is an at-will position, serving at the pleasure of the Court.Equal Opportunity/ADA EmployerHOW TO APPLY1. Applications must be submitted online at: www.saccourt.ca.gov , “Career Opportunities,”by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Applicants are responsible for submittingcomplete application packets, including answers to supplemental questions. Incomplete packages willnot be accepted.2. Application packets will be evaluated to select the best-qualified candidates to continue in theselection process.3. The best-qualified candidates will be invited to one or more panel interview(s). The interview(s)may consist of written and/or oral questions and are tentatively scheduled for early April.Superior Court of CaliforniaCounty of Sacramento720 9th StreetSacramento, CA 95814www.saccourt.ca.gov

Southern California and the Bay Area, Sacramento County is very affordable. THE COURT SYSTEM. The Sacramento Superior Court is a consolidated court with all legal functions, operations, and administration governed by the Presiding Judge and Court Executive Officer. The Sacramento Superior Court has 66 authorizedJudges and 9.5