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San Bernardino County strongly supports SB 75 (Roth) to create new judgeships: A top legislative priority for the Board of Supervisors is the passage of SB 75 (Roth), a bill that authorizes the creation of 26 new judge positions statewide.
Judgeships are created by the State Legislature and funded through the state budget process. The number of judges in the Inland Empire has not kept pace with rapid population growth in the region over the past 20 years. A recent needs assessment indicated that Riverside County is short 22 judges while San Bernardino County is short 30. Without enough judges to efficiently try cases, this creates a heavier caseload on current superior court judges and creates delays for County residents to resolve their outstanding legal issues. San Bernardino County is strongly advocating for the passage of SB 75, including sufficient funding in the state budget to pay for the 26 new judgeships.
The State Legislative Process
Every year, the California State Legislature creates hundreds of new laws. At the start of the legislative cycle, the 80 assembly members and 40 senators introduce thousands of legislative proposals, commonly called bills. The rules committee assigns certain bills to policy committees to review each proposal, while budget bills are carefully evaluated by the budget committees in both chambers. Members of the Legislature are appointed to policy committees and meet regularly to hear testimony on the bills to determine whether they should be enacted into law. If the bill passes out of all assigned committees, it advances to the floor of the chamber for debate and a vote by the entire Assembly or Senate. Regular bills need a majority of votes to pass, while bills with a financial component or urgency clause require a two-thirds vote.
This process is repeated in the second house, as bills are reassigned to policy or budget committees. Once a bill passes out of both houses, it goes to the Governor's desk. The Governor can sign it, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it. If it's signed or allowed to become law, the Secretary of State chapters the bill as an official state law. If it’s vetoed, a two-thirds vote in each chamber is needed to override the Governor’s veto.
The Office of Legislative Affairs tracks hundreds of bills as they move through the legislative process in Sacramento, monitoring for potential impact on County operations. The Board of Supervisors takes positions on County priority legislation, authorizing staff to influence state policy throughout this process.