[quote=markmax33]Do you think the GOV should cut some of the non-critical services to an appropriate level for the employees employed? Maybe some of the spending during the fat housing bubble years should be reevaluated, or reevaluated quicker.[/quote]
markmax, this has already happened in all the jurisdictions I am familiar with. Due mainly to non-replacement of retirees, personnel has been cut back so far that one “front line employee” is now doing the work of about 2.5 workers of just 12-15 years ago. Granted, most Departments are more automated now, making employees more productive, but workers still get sick and take vacations, often leaving their post sporadically covered while out, or if not a worker who directly serves the public, uncovered. Meanwhile, the public’s needs never stop. Hence, the 9+ months of traffic convolopes piled up to be processed. In my example, the court actually DID have online DMV reporting in place. But there has to be a clerk sitting at that post to report to the DMV the traffic case outcomes as they are processed by the court clerks and the fine payments are registered in the system. Besides checking if the bail and other fines are paid, each case may have other items to check for compliance such as class attendance, group meeting attendance, traffic school attendance, etc. It’s not as quick as it seems and takes several clerks to process a traffic case, especially misdemeanors. I’ve been in my local branch court early in the morning and have seen HUNDREDS of people lined up for traffic court in one morning and at least 50 get out of line into another group to plead not guilty and ask for trials.
To an outsider, it all looks like a “clean, paper-pushing job,” but the work is relentless in a large county of a very populous state such as CA.
