Contra Costa Lawyer - Contra Costa County Bar Association

juvenile
Hon. Lois haight
Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court
2010 has seen changes in Contra Costa
County Juvenile Court. We lost one
judicial officer to another division which
has impacted our courts tremendously.
Calendars are larger and the cases are
more complex. We have fewer clerks
and shorter court hours due to budget
constraints.
The bench officers in Juvenile, Judges
Smith, Davis, Stark, as well as Commissioner
Houghton, have done a tremendous
job juggling and balancing the
cases this year with excellent teamwork
between the judges and their staffs.
A significant change in dependency
has been the large reduction in dependency
filings in West County. The result
of this has been that when cases
are finally filed, they are usually much
more serious and take a lot more court
and attorney time (not to mention the
effect on children and families). The reduction
in the above filings is offset by
the enormous increase in dependency
filings in East County. Our new juvenile
court, which is expected to open in East
County in November 2010, will be a
welcome and much needed resource for
those living and working in that area.
We are all very excited about this new
court and appreciate the opportunity to
have greater access for our county participants.
The budget issues, both state and local,
have obviously affected many areas
but I am pleased to report that our very
valuable CASA (Court Appointed Special
Advocates) program has remained
stable and even increased its ability to
serve the abused, neglected, abandoned
and/or molested children in our County.
Of all the programs we have to help
children - and we have some very good
ones - nothing comes close to the work
of our wonderful volunteers in helping
children grow to successful adulthood.
They help create miracles, and when you
add a good, loving foster home, a caring
social worker and a devoted, committed
attorney, we see wonderful results.
Our delinquency statistics have remained
approximately the same as last
year throughout the County with very
little change reportable.
Our outstanding Chief Probation
Officer, Lionel Chatman, retired this
year after 27 years in probation. It was
a big loss to probation to lose someone
who has done so much for the department
and the youth it serves. During his
tenure, our valuable Orin Allen Youth
Rehabilitation Facility increased all education,
vocational and therapeutic programs.
Their high school graduations
rates are among the highest of all comparable
programs in California.
Our new Chief Probation Officer for
both juvenile and adult, Mr. Phil Kader,
was recruited from Fresno County and
has been working with Mr. Chatman
and others to learn about our County,
and all reports regarding Mr. Kader are
full of praise.
We will have some new assignments
in Juvenile soon for the year 2011. I can
say without qualification, that those of
us who work here love what we do and
feel privileged and honored to be able to
help protect children, reunite families
when possible, and participate in adoptions
when appropriate. Further, we sincerely
appreciate the outstanding work
of the attorneys who devote themselves
to our youth and families. u
Looking for a Personal Financial Advocate?
Fee based financial planning & investment management
• Objective advice
• Fee transparency
• Fiduciary accountability
“Call me to schedule a complimentary consultation”
Paul Saad Financial Advisor, MBA
925-627-1800 | paulsaad@safeguardfinancial.com
2999 Oak Rd., #120 Walnut Creek, CA 94597
Investment Advisor Representative, Safeguard Financial and Insurance Services, a Registered Investment Advisor.
Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member
FINRA/SIPC. Cambridge and Safeguard Financial and Insurance Services are not affiliated.
925.790-2600 • info@amllp.com • www.amllp.com
14 September 2010