Riverside County breaks ground on 2 courthouses this week

The Riverside County Superior Court will break ground on two courthouses Friday in the growing cities of Menifee and Indio, court leadership announced.

Construction began last month on a civil and family law courthouse in the southwestern Riverside city of Menifee, and a juvenile and family courthouse in Indio, Presiding Judge John M. Monterosso said Friday. He, along with city mayors and assembly members, are scheduled to speak at the two groundbreaking ceremonies.

"This is one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation and there's a critical need to expand our operations in the southwest portion of the county," Monterosso said Friday.

With nine courtrooms and a gross square footage of over 85,000, the Menifee courthouse in the new town center will have room for basic services such as jury assembly and deliberation rooms, a self-help center, a children's waiting room, and attorney interview/witness waiting rooms. The authorized project budget is just over $90 million.

With a gross square footage of over 53,000, the Indio building will have five courtrooms in which all family and juvenile law functions in the desert region will be consolidated. The authorized budget is just over $75 million.

Both buildings are expected to be completed in 2024 and will address overcrowding, security, and accessibility issues at the current court facilities, according to last week's announcement.

Riverside County grew in population by 10.4% over the past 10 years, according to 2020 U.S. census data. Aside from the challenges posed by population growth, many of the county's courthouses are in need of updates and expansions, Monterosso said.

"The legend in the old municipal court was that a bunch of cats were living in the ceiling and one of them fell through the ceiling tiles and landed on the judge's bench while the court was in session," Monterosso said with a chuckle. "That happened in my lifetime, so to be able to see a modern, nine-courtroom courthouse being built, which is basically the successor to that court, is really remarkable, and it just shows the advances that are taking place in Riverside County."