Reply to Rosner - 2000 JUDGES IN CALIFORNIA ARE AFOUL OF LAWS

Submitted by: Arnie Rosner

Attached hereto please find: (1) a cover letter to Chairmen Leno of the California Senate Budget and Finance Committee and Chairman Blumenfield of the California Assembly Budget Committee; (2) Legislation to Repeal Section 2 of SBX 2 11 and Amend Sections 5 and 6; and (3) a short resume.

As you are aware SBX 2 11, Section 2 extended the illegal payments to "current" judges from counties and courts in 2009 after such were held to violate California Constitution Article 6, Section 19. The 6 year elected terms of these judges are now over and Section 2 is moot. It needs to be repealed to avoid any confusion.

Section 2 also stated that the counties "may elect" to pay all the judges on the court. These payments are illegal both under California Constitution Article 6, Section 19, as held in the decision of  Sturgeon v, County of Los Angeles, 167 Cal.App.4th 167 (2008) Review Denied 12/23/2008, but under California Criminal law and federal criminal law and should not be in the statute.

Section 5 of SBX 2 11 gave the judges who received the illegal county and/or court payments and the county supervisors who made the payments retroactive immunity from criminal prosecution, civil liability and disciplinary action, without forcing them to resign.