Title
Title
Trial Court Budget | Fiscal Year 2026-27 Allocation of Court-Appointed Juvenile Dependency Counsel Funding
(Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Judicial Council approves the allocation of court-appointed dependency counsel funding on an annual basis. The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends allocation of the $186.7 million appropriation for court-appointed juvenile dependency counsel for fiscal year 2026-27. Allocations are subject to necessary technical adjustments and contingent upon funding included in the final enacted budget for fiscal year 2026-27.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends that the Judicial Council, effective July 17, 2026, allocate $186.7 million for fiscal year 2026-27 to the trial courts for court-appointed juvenile dependency counsel costs. The following recommendations were considered by the Judicial Branch Budget Committee on June 10, 2026, and approved for consideration by the Judicial Council:
1. Approve the fiscal year 2026-27 allocations for court-appointed juvenile dependency counsel that reflect the results of the spending plan survey conducted in May 2026, as detailed in Attachment A, column H, including any needed technical adjustments and contingent on funding included in the final enacted budget. The savings identified in the survey are available for allocation to:
a. Small courts impacted by funding reductions due to the existing methodology to provide a glide path to adjust to fiscal year 2026-27 reductions, up to 50 percent of the difference, if any, between their proposed allocation and the allocation calculated after applying small court adjustments, but before being capped at 100 percent of their total need as detailed in Attachment C, column D; and
b. Large courts, based on available remaining funding, to offset funding for small court adjustments.
2. Authorize Judicial Council staff to (1) conduct a midyear survey of trial courts i...
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