Alameda County court cuts clerks' hours, freezes hiring in budget cuts
Budget cuts are leading to slightly reduced hours for Alameda County Superior Court clerks' offices.
Starting Nov. 22, the clerks' offices at the county's eight courthouses will close at 2 p.m. on Fridays instead of 3 p.m., according to court officials.
The shorter hours are part of a cost-savings plan necessitated by a $4.3 million cut in state funding for the current fiscal year, according to a news release court officials sent out Friday.
The new hours coincide with a mandatory furlough program requiring most employees to take off one Friday every month without pay.
People will still be able to use the court's online filing system and the drop boxes outside each clerk's office to file documents.
In addition to the furloughs and reduced clerks' office hours, the court has also instituted a hiring freeze for more than 100 positions, a "soft freeze" on all other positions that prevents jobs from being filled for 90 days after they become vacant and a voluntary non-paid time-off program during Christmas week.
"We appreciate that early closures are inconvenient for the public and we regret having to institute such a change," said Presiding Judge Thomas Nixon. "Unfortunately, at present reducing the hours our offices are open on Fridays is essential to ensure our reduced staff can process all documents that are submitted in a timely and efficient manner."