3 county courts have plans to launch bias committees

Superior courts in San Bernardino, Monterey, and Yuba counties have confirmed plans to launch committees on bias, increasing the number of state trial courts that follow a decade-old Standard of Judicial Administration in the California Rules of Court.

San Bernardino County Superior Court announced its plans to follow the recommendations outlined in Standard 10.20 last week, during a town hall the court co-hosted on civil unrest and racism. According to a statement by the court, the committee will work with bar associations to sponsor educational programs for addressing bias, and uphold an informal procedure for receiving complaints about bias in the courtroom.

The committee will be chaired by Judges John M. Pacheco and Khymberli S. Apaloo. Members of the public -- including judges, lawyers, court administrators, and representatives from affinity bar associations -- are invited to apply to join the committee, the statement said.

Presiding Judge Julie R. Culver will spearhead efforts to create Monterey County Superior Court's own committee on bias, and plans to meet with justice partners and bar associations, Court Executive Chris Ruhl wrote in an email Tuesday. The court began exploring creating a committee in recent weeks, and does not have a launch date, Ruhl said.

Yuba County Superior Court is in the process of establishing its own committee on bias, and will codify its complaint procedure in the court's local rules, Court Executive Officer Bonnie Sloan wrote in an email last week. As of press time, Sloan had not responded to questions about when the court began developing the committee, when the committee's launch date is, and who is on the committee.

Standard 10.20, which was last amended in 2007 but has been in place since 1987, recommends courts establish local committees on bias in collaboration with local bar associations and members of the court community, support educational programs to eliminate bias, and develop informal procedures for receiving complaints about bias in the courtroom.

Surveys by the Daily Journal and the California Employment Lawyers Association found only a handful of courts in the state are following the recommendation.

"Being heard is only the first step to action as we continue to strive to build a fairer, more equal and accessible justice system for all," said Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye in a statement about the launch of San Bernardino County's committee. -- Jessica Mach