Stuck in a standstill: Sacramento court backlog causes delay in eviction process, squatters take advantage
SACRAMENTO — For months, Brad Washburn has been trying to get squatters out of his north Sacramento home.
The tenant living there stopped paying and Washburn served an eviction notice in July. Fast forward to September, he still hasn't received a notice or confirmation it's been processed from the Sacramento Superior Court.
"We still haven't heard back from the court. Unfortunately, it sounds like they are really busy, so we don't know when we're going to get our house back," Washburn said.
His attorney, Ashley DeGuzman, is blaming the delay in turnaround time on Sacramento County's slow system. CBS13 learned that the county launched a new e-filing system that was supposed to speed up the eviction process. Instead, it's almost doubled the wait time since June 17 when it made the switch.
In the time they served those eviction papers, Washburn says more people can be seen coming and going from the home on Watrous Avenue. Now, neighbors nearby are fearful of who could be living next door.
"Just driving into my own neighborhood, I was constantly getting evil stares from people hanging out in the driveway," said Robin Smith, who lives down the street from the home. "I knew there was a bad element. I talked to Brad and he said he's been trying to get them out for months."
DeGuzman said the current delay with the court system is costing people money and potentially their homes.
"We have seen a lot of landlords go into foreclosure because of these types of situations," DeGuzman said. "From the legal perspective, he is kind of stuck in a bit of a standstill due to the legal process and how slow it is in Sacramento County."
We reached out to the court with concerns from this landlord and others who are still waiting for a response about the eviction process. They sent us a statement that reads, in part:
"With the transition to the new system, the court has experienced a significant increase in electronic filings of unlawful detainer cases. As a result of this sizeable influx, the backlog for processing these cases increased to 57 days. However, we anticipate this new case management system will streamline the processing of unlawful detainer cases, and efficiencies will be gained."
Despite squatters living there without paying rent, Washburn is still responsible for paying the mortgage, utilities, and property taxes.
"We're not some rich corporate landlord with a hundred houses that we're renting out," Washburn said. "We have one house we're renting out because we're caring for a family member with a medical problem."
The court said they hope to get the unlawful detainer, also known as the eviction process, down to a two-week waiting period, but due to budget cuts, they are not allowed to approve overtime to allow the courts to work through the backlog.
Their full statement to CBS13:
"The Sacramento Superior Court cannot comment on a specific case.
On June 17, 2024, the court implemented a new electronic case management system for unlawful detainers to replace a system with limited electronic filing and which required manual data entry. There was a 31-day backlog for processing unlawful detainer cases at that time.
With the transition to the new system, the court has experienced a significant increase in electronic filings of unlawful detainer cases. As a result of this sizeable influx, the backlog for processing these cases increased to 57 days. However, we anticipate this new case management system will streamline the processing of unlawful detainer cases, and efficiencies will be gained.
The court strives to process these cases within two weeks and has utilized overtime staff to achieve this goal in the past. However, due to the almost 8% budget cut Sacramento Superior Court and trial courts statewide are facing, funding is not currently available to pay staff overtime for this work.
While other trial courts are implementing mandatory furloughs and reduced hours of operation, the Sacramento Superior Court is committed to maintaining current staffing levels and doing its best to mitigate and manage impacts on the public we serve."
As for Washburn, he's hoping he can get control of his house again soon.