Negotiations Update: Court Financial Presentation
Dear OCEA member,
OCEA and the OC Superior Court have begun MOU Negotiations. Thank you to everyone who completed the 2025 Negotiations Survey. The survey helps identify the most important issues for OCEA members and serves as the baseline of our proposals! Make no mistake, OCEA is fighting for fair wages, improvements to our MOU and NO TAKEAWAYS!
The team has met multiple times over the summer to strategize and create a plan for 2025 negotiations. We have done our research and are ready to fight for every OCEA member!
The first step of the negotiations process is the Court providing a financial presentation. The OC Superior Court is represented in negotiations by Doug Freifeld, Shannon Mays-Fontaine and several other Court Executives. The Court team answers to the Court CEO and the Presiding Judge.
On Friday, Aug. 8, your negotiations team met with the Court for our first official bargaining session. During this meeting, Chris Lombardo, Accounting and Fiscal Services Director, provided an update on the Superior Court of Orange County’s Fiscal Year 2025–2026 budget.
The presentation covered:
- State budget
- Due to Budget Act of 2024, the Court is facing an on-going revenue reduction totaling $3,038,615.
- Increased trial court operational costs and employee benefits costs equal $4,137,945
- Court budget
- Personnel Services costs are estimated to be $6.5 million (3%) higher then FY 2024-25 due in part to merit increases, medical premiums, reclassifications
- To help close the budget gap, the Court will utilize $2.4 million from the Automation Fund, draw $5.6 million from the Operating Reserve, and leverage the cost-savings from a 8.5% vacancy rate for 2025-26
- Court priorities
- Workforce: wages, coverage
- Infrastructure: Aging facilities and equipment, modernization needs
- State Mandates: Remote hearings, pretrial expansion, data and reporting
- Budget risks
- Unknown federal funding cuts to State budget; more then 50% of Court revenue comes from the State's general Fund
- Limited ability to implement new or increased fees at a local/Court level
Your team asked thoughtful questions and received valuable clarifications from the Court. With this important information, we are better equipped to identify available resources, assess the Court’s spending priorities, and thoughtfully position ourselves in negotiations.
Thank you for your support. We will continue to keep you informed as negotiations progress. Please watch your personal email for updates.
In Solidarity,
Your OCEA Negotiations Team
Publication Date: August 18, 2025