The Office of Court Construction and Management

The Office of Court Construction and Management (OCCM) leads the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) implementation of the Trial Court Facilities Act of 2002, landmark legislation that shifts governance of California's courthouses from counties to the state. OCCM's work includes long-term facilities master planning for the trial courts; strategic planning for capital outlay and funding to support new courthouse design and construction; and facility and real estate management for California's trial and appellate courts. OCCM was created in August 2003 as a division of the AOC, the staff agency to the Judicial Council of California.  Fact Sheet (PDF)

What's New

Upcoming Solicitations for Construction of Major Capital Projects
(PDF 06/11/09)
Before the end of 2009, the Office of Court Construction and Management will be soliciting qualifications and fees for Construction Manager at Risk for four major capital projects and will prequalify general contractors for bid of two major capital projects in 2010.

Invitation to Comment: Proposed Porterville Courthouse Project, California Environmental Quality Act Compliance
On June 4, 2009, the AOC released a Draft Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the proposed Porterville courthouse project. This document is available for public review and comment, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The AOC invites comments until July 3, 2009.

Economic Opportunity Solicitation: Summary of Responses
(PDF, 05/27/09)
In March 2009, OCCM solicited offers of economic opportunity—defined as financial contributions, land donations, or reduced-cost land acquisitions—for many of the new courthouse projects to be funded by SB 1407. To date, OCCM has received over 60 responses.

Invitation to Comment: Proposed Long Beach Courthouse: California Environmental Quality Act Compliance
On May 22, 2009, the AOC released a Draft Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the proposed Long Beach courthouse project. The project includes acquisition of a courthouse site; construction of a new courthouse with additional space for County of Los Angeles offices, commercial space, and retail space; the Redevelopment Agency of Long Beach's acquisition of the current courthouse at 415 West Ocean Blvd.; and other actions. This document is available for public review and comment, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The AOC invites comments until June 22, 2009.

Three Teams Selected to Submit Proposals for Long Beach Courthouse Project
(PDF, 05/08/09)
Three interdisciplinary teams have been selected to propose their approach to financing, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining a courthouse that will replace the current facility in Long Beach, a major step forward in the Judicial Council's first Performance-Based Infrastructure project. The AOC's request for proposal outlines our selection criteria and process.

Invitation to Comment: Stockton Courthouse Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report
(PDF, 05/08/09)
The AOC released a revised draft EIR for the proposed Stockton courthouse project. This document is available for public review and comment, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The AOC invites comments through June 20, 2009. Notice

Construction Begins on East Contra Costa Courthouse - the Richard E. Arnason Justice Center(04/20/09)
Construction officially begins in Pittsburg on the new courthouse to serve East Contra Costa County. This was the first trial court project in California funded entirely by State Trial Court Construction funds. The building is designed to LEED Silver standards for environmental sustainability, and the construction bid from Sundt Construction Inc. came in under budget. Fact sheet

New Director to Lead Statewide Court Facilities Program
(PDF) (02/04/09) Lee Willoughby has been appointed Director of the Office of Court Construction and Management. Mr. Willoughby has served as Acting Director of the AOC’s Office of Court Construction and Management (OCCM) since September 2008.

Record Number of Courthouses Transfer to State Governance (PDF) (01/14/09) The California Judicial Council announced the completion of courthouse transfer agreements for 466 facilities in the state out of more than 500, as of December 31, 2008.

List of 41 Projects to be Funded by SB 1407 (10/24/08)
The Judicial Council has approved a list of 41 projects to renovate or replace courthouses funded by Senate Bill 1407 (Perata) which creates enhanced revenues for courthouse improvements. Based on estimates of the various enhanced revenue streams, the nearly $300 million in annual revenue will pay for pre-construction costs and debt service payments on construction of the 41 projects as well as provide $40 million annually for security enhancements, life safety and code compliance improvements, and repairs in courthouses for which the state is responsible. The 41 projects selected include courthouse projects in 34 counties across the state. Inquiries from the public and from companies interested in participating in the projects should be sent to OCCM@jud.ca.gov

Governor Signs Senate Bill 1407 (Perata) (October 2008)
Legislation authorizing a $5 billion bond to fund critically needed courthouse construction was signed into law on September 26, 2008 by Gov. Schwarzenegger. SB 1407 allows the issuance of lease revenue bonds funded by increased fines and court fees and therefore does not impact the state´s general fund. This historic revenue bond is the legislature's first significant commitment to funding courthouse improvements across the state since the enactment of the Trial Court Facilities Act in 2002.

Method for Ranking Trial Court Capital-Outlay Projects (October, 2008)
At its October 2008 business meeting, the Judicial Council adopted an update to the methodology for prioritizing new trial court construction and renovation projects to align it with Senate Bill 1407.

Judicial Branch (AB 1473) Five-Year Infrastructure Plan (July 2008)
The Judicial Council approved the first trial court capital-outlay plan in February 2004. In June 2005, a five-year plan for the entire Judicial Branch was developed, referencing all projects for the trial courts in addition to those for the appellate courts and for the offices of the AOC. The plan for FY 2009–2010 was approved by the Judicial Council in April 2008, and it includes an updated trial court capital-outlay plan of 152 new-construction, addition, and major renovation projects, as well as a summary of the FY 2009–2010 project funding requests submitted to the State Department of Finance.

Visit the Temples of Justice
The Temples of Justice exhibit explores the role historic courthouses have played in California's rich judicial history.