Sen. Roth's SB 75 Passes State Assembly, Heads To the Governor, Bill Would Help Un-clog State Courts

Sacramento—The State Assembly, with an overwhelmingly bi-partisan vote, has sent to the Governor’s desk, Senator Richard D. Roth’s (D-Riverside) legislation to provide additional State Superior Court Judgeships to those areas lacking sufficient judgeships to carry out timely justice.

“Our criminal justice system, particularly our State Superior Courts, has been traditionally under-resourced,” said Senator Roth. “There have been incremental legislative efforts to add Judgeships, but the need is still great, especially in Inland Southern California. Our SB 75 will authorize 26 sorely needed new superior court judgeships across the state, allocated based on the greatest need. These additional judgeships will help enable us to address the problem of delayed justice for defendants and ensure that victims see that their rights are vindicated in a timely way. I thank my Assembly colleagues for their strong bi-partisan support.”

In 2022, the State’s Judicial Council echoed these concerns, identifying 17 counties requiring additional judgeships—98 new positions statewide. Of these, Riverside and San Bernardino counties urgently need 52 to ensure access to justice for residents of Inland Southern California, representing more than half of the state’s overall need. This glaring need aligns with the explosive population growth experienced by the region in recent years, a trend projected to persist into the foreseeable future.

Riverside County’s population has nearly doubled in just over three decades, surging past 2.5 million residents. Meanwhile, the number of judicial positions has increased by a mere 55% during the same period. The fiscal year 2021-22 alone witnessed over 270,000 filings, including 14,000 felonies, translating to a staggering 3,179 filings per judicial position—the fourth highest among the state’s 58 counties.