HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-060 - New Courthouse for the Court of Appeal in the Santa Ana Civic CenterRESOLUTION NO. 2003-060
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA ANA URGING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO
MOVE FORWARD TO ESTABLISH A NEW COURTHOUSE
FOR THE COURT OF APPEAL IN THE SANTA ANA CIVIC
CENTER
bk:6/13/03
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AS
FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council of the City o f Santa Ana hereby finds, determines a nd
declares as follows:
Since the establishment of the County of Orange in 1889, the City of Santa
Ana has been the County seat and Civic Center.
Santa Aha is home to the historic Orange County Courthouse, which
recently celebrated its 100th anniversary; the Orange County Superior
Court's Central Justice Center, Annex, and Complex Civil Courthouses; and
the Southern Division of the United States District Court for the Central
District of California. All of these courthouses are located in the City's Civic
Center.
Santa Ana has also been home for twenty (20) years to the Third Division of
the Fourth District Court of Appeal of the State of California. This Court
serves the entire County of Orange.
The Fourth District, Third Division of the Court of Appeal has outgrown its
current location in the City of Santa Ana, 825 North Spurgeon Street, and
needs to move to a new courthouse.
Over the past several years, the City has worked diligently with various local
and state entities to maintain the Court within Santa Ana. After an extensive
survey of potential sites throughout the County, the Court of Appeal
determined that a prime location in Santa Ana's Civic Center was best suited
to its needs a nd w as t he most prestigious s ite available based on the list
provided by the State General Services Agency (GSA).
The proposed site within the City's Civic Center is home to many State and
Federal offices in addition to the State and Federal Courthouses. Moreover,
Santa Ana is accessible from every major freeway in the county and is in
close proximity to the Orange County Transportation Authority's Bus
Terminal, the Santa Ana Depot and the proposed CenterLine.
Resolution No. 2003-060
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The City originally indicated its interest in the Court at this Civic Center
location, and offered the site at no cost with the simple understanding that
any Civic Center parking displaced as a result of this project would need to
be replaced. After careful consideration, the GSA's final preference
regarding this project was to have the State purchase the property from the
City who in turn would use those funds to build an adjacent public parking
structure to serve as replacement parking.
Accordingly, the City negotiated with the State Public Works Board to
authorize approval of the proposed site and received formal approval on
February 2, 2002. Since then, the GSA has indicated that the proposed site
is too small to meet their needs and has requested that additional sites be
considered. In response to the GSA's request, the City agreed to grant an
air rights easement to assist in creating a larger site. Subsequently, the
GSA again rejected the site based on concerns of. the number of on-site
employee parking spaces. Once again, the City extended an offer to park
employees at a nearby public parking structure for a discounted rate on a
long-term basis. To date, GSA has neither accepted nor rejected this
proposal.
The proposed relocation of the Fourth District Court of Appeal out of the
Santa Ana Civic Center would be unprecedented, as no California Court of
Appeal has ever been moved outside of a county seat.
Santa Ana's central location within Orange County makes it the ideal site for
this facility where it can best serve all residents within the Court's jurisdiction.
The City remains committed to the completion of this project in Santa Aha
and is eager to work with all interested parties to achieve this goal.
Section 2. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby urges the
completion of efforts to establish a new Courthouse for the Fourth District Court of
Appeal in the City's Civic Center.
Section 3. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana urges its State Senate
and Assembly representatives to help establish a new Courthouse for the Court of
Appeal in the Santa Ana Civic Center.
Section 4. This Resolution shall take effect immediately after its adoption by the
City Council, and the Clerk of the Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting
this Resolution.
Resolution No. 2003-060
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ADOPTED this 16th day June, 2003.
A. Pulid~)
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Joseph W. Fletcher, City Attorney
Chief Assistant City Attorney
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Councilmembers:
Councilmembers:
Councilmembers:
Councilmembers:
Alvarez, Bist, Christy, Franklin, Garcia, Pulido,
Solorio (7)
None (0)
None (0)
None (0)
CERTIFICATION OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, PATRICIA E. HEALY, Clerk of the Council, do hereby attest to and certify the
attached Resolution No. 2003-060 to be the original resolution adopted by the City
Council of the City of Santa Aha on June 16, 2003.
Date:
Clerk of the Council
City of Santa Ana
Resolution No. 2003-060
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