Office of Court Construction and Management Mission
The mission of the Office of Court Construction and Management comprises efforts that will

• Enhance the administration of justice by providing responsible and efficient professional stewardship of California's court facilities, in order to promote excellence in the built environment in support of equal access to justice;
• Provide leadership in the design and management of judicial architecture; and
• Exceed the expectations of clients and constituents.

Legislative Background
The Trial Court Facilities Act of 2002 (Sen. Bill 1732 [Escutia]; Stats. 2002, ch. 1082) -- passed by the California Legislature on August 31, 2002, and signed into law on September 29, 2002 -- finalized the goal of trial court funding reform as envisioned by the Lockyer-Isenberg Trial Court Funding Act of 1997 (Assem. Bill 233 [Escutia]; Stats. 1997, ch. 850). OCCM, a partner in drafting the new facilities legislation, is instrumental in creating the institutional tools needed by the AOC to execute the requirements of the law, including the following:

• Transfer of responsibility for court facilities from the counties to the state;
• Transfer of titles of court facilities from the counties to the state.

Under Senate Bill 1732, the Judicial Council represents the state in negotiations with the counties regarding the disposition and transfer of trial court facilities from the counties to the state. OCCM is responsible for all planning, design, construction, facility, and real estate services provided to the trial courts.

Teams
Founded on a team-based structure and an anticipatory problem-solving philosophy, OCCM provides the leadership, and assumes responsibility and accountability, for court-capital fiscal oversight, planning, design and construction, and asset management. OCCM comprises three major teams with the following areas of responsibility:

Business and Planning
Business and finance
Planning and policy
Special projects

Design and Construction
Capital project management
Architect and engineering services
Construction management

Real Estate and Asset Management
Transaction and Portfolio Services
Environmental Analysis
Facilities Management

Services to the Superior Courts
OCCM provides direct planning support to the state's superior courts. Since counties remain responsible for providing the trial courts with necessary and suitable facilities until transfers are executed, OCCM is currently assisting courts in identifying facility needs and advocating their positions with their counties.

Superior court assistance programs include:

• Trial court facilities database development and management;
• Development of five-year court facilities master plans, by county;
• Development of maintenance management criteria;
• Periodic facilities inspection and evaluation;
• Capital project review, development, and management; and
• Planning, architectural design, and engineering consultation.

Services to the Appellate Courts
OCCM provides planning and design service and support to the Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Services will be expanded to include site and facility planning, real estate transaction and land acquisition support, and design and construction of appellate district and Supreme Court projects.

Facilities at a Glance
There is an urgent need for construction and renovation of California's courts, as the following figures illustrate:

• There is just one courtroom per 15,432 Californians.
• Due to lack of courtroom space, 23 court facilities are in trailers.
• One quarter of courtrooms have no space for a jury.
• Forty-one percent of court facilities have no way to bring in-custody defendants into courtrooms without using public hallways.
• Sixty-eight percent have inadequate security.
• Seventy-eight percent do not have adequate access for people with disabilities.