California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero used her 2026 State of the Judiciary address to spotlight the shortage of judges in Riverside County. She noted that while the Governor’s proposed $70 million in ongoing funding supports trial courts, fast-growing counties like Riverside still face major staffing gaps.
A Judicial Council assessment found that California needs 98 more judges statewide, with 22 of those needed in Riverside County alone. The county currently relies heavily on temporary assigned judges, costing about $3 million last year…