'Danger To Everyone': RivCo DA Continues Criticism Of Case Dismissals

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin continues to raise concerns about felony and misdemeanor criminal case dismissals by county judges.

On Monday, his office issued a press release claiming that over the past four weeks, Riverside County Superior Court judges have dismissed more than 500 criminal court cases, with approximately 50 of them being felony cases.

“The dismissal of cases and thus allowing criminals back into our community with no consequences for their actions is a danger to everyone,” Hestrin said. “The consequences of the decisions being made from our judges is going to cause extreme harm to victims of crime and our community at-large. This is a public safety crisis, and it needs to stop.”

In response to the criticism, the court on Monday reiterated the Oct. 25 comments of Riverside County Superior Court Presiding Judge John Monterosso. Now that court operations are no longer substantially impacted by COVID-19, backlogs continue and the catchup is difficult given the "chronic and generational lack of judges allocated to serve the people of Riverside County, the 10th most populous county in the United States," according to Monterosso.

The Riverside Superior Court has a total of 90 authorized and funded judicial positions, some of which remain vacant. But according to Monterosso, a 2020 Judicial Needs Assessment Study published by the Judicial Council of California, Riverside has an assessed need for 115 judicial officers.

"Furthermore, the 3.7 judicial officers per 100,000 residents in Riverside County is woefully short of the statewide average of 11.4 judicial officers per 100,000 residents," according to Monterosso. "While every court in the state may have experienced similar backlogs at times, Riverside County is uniquely challenged in managing such a backlog due to a decades-long shortage of judges. Despite the challenges posed by a lack of judges and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Riverside Superior Court has conducted 368 criminal jury trials and 94 civil trials since the onset of the pandemic.

"Riverside County residents deserve equal justice on par with all other Californians, and in that vein, the court will continue to advocate for more judges to properly meet the needs of Riverside County," he continued. "We are also committed to continue to dialogue with all stakeholders who wish to provide input on how we can work together to resolve common problems, while still respecting the separate constitutional roles we fill."

It's unclear how Hestrin's office and the court are working together to resolve the concerns.

The California Legislature determines the number of judges in each court, according to the Judicial Council of California. Superior court judges serve six-year terms and are elected by county voters on a nonpartisan ballot at a general election. Vacancies are filled through appointment by the Governor.