New Head Judge Steven Sanders presides over a spirited, and
busy, legal community
Hollister
– Legal affairs in San Benito County can set off more fireworks
than teenagers at a Fourth of July barbecue. But since San Benito
County Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders took the reins as
presiding judge in January, he’s determined to keep the political
hubbub out of his courtroom.
Hollister – Legal affairs in San Benito County can set off more fireworks than teenagers at a Fourth of July barbecue. But since San Benito County Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders took the reins as presiding judge in January, he’s determined to keep the political hubbub out of his courtroom.
Since becoming presiding judge, Sanders has made it his goal to make court proceedings as efficient and organized as possible. To accomplish that, he’s working on taking many of the relaxed, informal protocols that are part of the court’s operating procedures and put them in writing to create a more formal agenda. Sanders, who became a judge four years ago after prior jobs as the San Benito County counsel and interim county administrative officer, also changed the court’s calendar to alleviate some of the congestion and is working on bringing the various legal entities in the county together to get everyone on the same page, he said.
Over the last few months, emotions have run high throughout the county’s legal and political spheres concerning key players in the county’s judicial community. An ongoing struggle between District Attorney John Sarsfield and Salinas-based lawyer Michael Pekin erupted when Sarsfield initiated a grand jury investigation into Pekin, who was recently indicted for felony obstructing justice and eliciting perjury charges, among others. Besides Pekin and Sarsfield’s fracas, the local bar association recently announced that its members have “no confidence” in Sarsfield
Sanders said the strained legal climate of the county is an important issue to various community interests, and it is imperative that political agendas stay out of his courtroom.
“The principle concern is not to have those interests interfere with any particular court case,” Sanders said. “As long as it’s outside of any court proceedings, that’s fine.”
While there can be tension between dueling sides in the courtroom, Sanders said actual court cases have been largely unaffected.
“Even the people adverse in areas outside of the court, they’re presenting the cases in a professional manner and the court couldn’t ask for anything more,” he said.
Attempting to keep a harmonious courtroom environment is one of Sanders’ best assets, Sarsfield said. While Sarsfield was hesitant to say that outside opinions are always checked at the door, he complimented Sanders for his composure.
“I appreciate his efforts to keep his calm,” Sarsfield said. “Whether others adhere to his wishes, I don’t know. But both judges are very good at keeping a sense of decorum and I hope that will continue in the future.”
Public Defender Greg La Forge also said there are times when personal opinions not only make it inside the courtroom doors, but cloud court proceedings as well. One of Sanders’ suggestions to help clear the air is bringing together opposing sides to regular meetings – which La Forge believes just won’t work.
“While a noble concept it will never happen with the current administration in the DA’s office,” he said. “I’m open to it, but you’ll never see them there.”
Keeping a cool head will be imperative for Sanders and his judicial counterpart, Superior Court Judge Harry Tobias, as their caseload continues to rise annually. Estimates show that about 2,400 cases will grace their benches this year – ranking San Benito County as the fourth busiest court in California based on cases per judge, Sanders said.
Because the court is under the state’s control and not the county’s, requests for funding, staffing and the like must all go through the state of California. San Benito’s court was built in 1960, and the entire facility is in a dire need of an upgrade, Sanders said. There are no meeting rooms, no separation for witnesses, no facilities for children and a host of security issues, Sanders said.
There are about 200 courts throughout the state that the judicial committee has ranked in need of improvements. San Benito is number 10, he said.
Because of this need, Sanders said the state has committed to building a new courthouse worth close to $20 million by 2010. When that happens, there will be four courtrooms instead of two, and estimates show within 20 years San Benito will need six judges instead of the two it currently has.
The need for more help is apparent now, and Sarsfield said he hopes Sanders brings that to the state’s attention as soon as possible.
“I hope he brings to attention the terrible understaffing of the San Benito County courts,” Sarsfield said. “The state of California has ignored San Benito County for way too long. Those numbers reflect down to my office and probation as well.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
