Message from the Presiding Judge for 2023-2024

December 2, 2024 - Message from Honorable Elizabeth K. Lee

As we approach the end of my two-year term as Presiding Judge, I have much news to report.

New Judicial Officers Join the Bench:
During the past two years, we welcomed four new Judges who were all appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom: 1) Judge Sharon Cho (01/19/23); 2) Judge Nina Shapirshteyn (08/11/23); 3) Judge Rosendo Padilla, Jr. (03/08/24); and 4) Judge Sarah Burdick (06/21/24). We also welcomed three new Commissioners to the bench: 1) Commissioner Rebecca Woodson (11/02/23); 2) Commissioner Jennifer Frost (06/24/24); and 3) Commissioner Timothy Elliott (07/29/24). Two of our long serving Judges retired during this time period as well: 1) Judge Marie Weiner (02/24); and 2) Judge Robert Foiles (03/24). And we saw one of our Trial Judges elevated to the Court of Appeal, First District: Justice Danny Chou (6/23/23).
Court’s Strategic Plan:
In August of 2024, the San Mateo County Superior Court Strategic Plan for 2025–2027 was unveiled and is now available on the court’s public website. Our mission is for our court to provide equal access to justice that is impartial and strives to maintain public trust and confidence in the San Mateo County Superior Court.
Post Pandemic Progress:
All of our courtrooms are open and accessible to the public, in-person, during business hours, unless the law requires that the courtroom or courtroom proceeding be closed. All courtrooms are equipped with digital and audio/visual equipment and are video remote ready. In 2023, the court eliminated pandemic-induced Criminal case backlogs in both felony and misdemeanors due to the early disposition hearing program, and also eliminated a backlog of 1,200 Criminal arrest warrants stemming from large numbers of failures to appear during the pandemic. In 2023, the court eliminated the backlog of Traffic cases by conducting a “surge” of over 4,000 backlogged cases. In 2023, the court eliminated approximately $37 million in outstanding Civil assessment debt pursuant to AB 199. The court has since reopened the Central Branch Courthouse in San Mateo. The court also transitioned to a streamlined postcard jury summons and now offers prospective jurors the ability to request changes to their jury service dates online.
Collaborative Courts:
We continue to improve and expand our Collaborative Courts which provide treatment and services to participants in need. Our most recent addition has been the Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court which offers a potential path to independence for those individuals who are suffering from severe mental health disorders. On July 1, 2024, the court started accepting CARE petitions, which enable individuals suffering from severe mental health disorders to access care and services outside of institutionalization or conservatorship. The CARE Act was signed into law as a way to help communities connect those with severe mental illnesses to community-based care.
Firearms Relinquishment Program:
In 2022, the court started its innovative Firearms Relinquishment Program, the goal being to get firearms out of the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them. One Commissioner presides over these relinquishment hearings. To date, over 400 firearms have been seized and removed from those who were prohibited from possessing them. Our program is being seen as a model for other courts to use throughout the state.
Family Court Updates:
In 2024, the court added one additional judicial officer to the Family Law Division, making a total of four judicial officers who handle the Family Law direct calendars. In 2023, the court added a full-time Commissioner to preside over Family Law matters including domestic violence reviews and pre-trial conferences, restraining order petitions, and mandatory settlement conferences. The court now offers pro per litigants access to the Odyssey portal so they can monitor the progress of their case(s) online. Two new attorney conference rooms were added to the Southern Branch Courthouse in Redwood City this year to better serve Family Law attorneys and their clients.
Civil Court Updates:
With the implementation of the Civil direct calendars in 2022, much progress has been made in providing Civil litigants with access to the court. There is no backlog of jury trials with the direct calendaring system: if the Judge is available and the parties are ready, they can start their jury trial as scheduled. The court is looking into promoting the use of Expedited Jury Trials as a means of reducing the cost of going to trial for the litigants and to resolve cases earlier. Recently, the Judicial Council of California expanded the Assigned Judges program to include retired Judges as mediators for Civil cases. The court can ask that an Assigned Judge be assigned to a case – normally one in which the parties could use a mediator, but the costs of hiring a private mediator have been prohibitive.
Two New Courtrooms Being Built:
Construction of two new large courtrooms on the 1st floor of the Hall of Justice in Redwood City is underway. These courtrooms will occupy the space previously used by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the County Manager. Drawings have been submitted and approved, and the project is being put out to bid. Each of the new courtrooms will be able to accommodate multiple parties as well as much larger groups of people in the gallery due to their new designs. The current plan is for these courtrooms to be used for Civil cases and they are estimated to be completed sometime in the Fall of 2026.
Budget Cuts:
In 2024, due to the impact of state budget cuts, the court has had to implement workforce and public service reductions as it continues to adapt to increased operational costs with significantly reduced state funding. The Fiscal Year 2024-2025 state budget closed a $46.8 billion budge deficit by reducing ongoing funding for state government operations. This resulted in a $97 million reduction to funding for trial courts statewide. The Judicial Council of California determined that approximately $1.45 million in ongoing reductions would be allocated to the San Mateo County Superior Court. While the court was fortunate this year in that there were no lay-offs or mandatory furloughs of court staff, the court has been forced to implement a hiring freeze across all divisions, with exceptions for essential court positions, in order to balance its budget. This impact is being felt across a number of divisions and in a number of different areas, including delays in the processing of filings and the scheduling of hearings. We are hopeful that the budget situation will improve in the next fiscal year.

In closing, it has been a pleasure to serve as your Presiding Judge the past two years. I’d also like to thank all of my fellow judicial officers, Judges and Commissioners, for their hard work and diligent efforts to promote access to justice and fairness to all who enter our courtrooms. I’d also like to especially thank our long-serving Court Executive Officer Neal Taniguchi who will be retiring at the end of this year. His excellent service and leadership are greatly appreciated and will be missed. Finally, I’d like to thank all of the San Mateo Superior Court staff, from the Executive Team, to the Supervisors, the Courtroom Clerks, those who work in the various Clerk’s Offices, to Master Calendar, the Jury Division, the Finance Division, the IT Division, the ADR Division, Family Court Services and the Family Law Facilitators Office, the Interpreter’s Division, Probate Investigators, all of our Court Reporters, our Legal Research Attorneys, and our Court Facilities staff. These are the dedicated individuals who are serving behind the scenes, working long hours each day to make sure our court runs smoothly and efficiently for the community we serve.