SB 850: Courts: notification system.

The California Constitution vests the judicial power of the state in the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, and superior courts, and establishes the Judicial Council to, among other things, adopt rules of court and perform functions prescribed by statute.

This bill would require the Judicial Council to develop and make available to each county court a court reminder program that allows the county court to send a text message to notify defendants of scheduled court appearances, as specified. The bill would require each law enforcement agency to collect the cell phone number of a person accused of a criminal offense upon citation or booking and transmit it to the county court in their jurisdiction. The bill would require each county superior court to submit specified data to the Judicial Council, and would require the Judicial Council to report that data to the Legislature annually. The bill would require the Judicial Council to convene an implementation oversight committee to, among other things, advise on the design of the system and identify barriers to implementation of the system. By imposing a new duty on local law enforcement agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.