SACRAMENTO — As the California Judges Association prepares to gather for its annual meeting this Thursday in Monterey, incoming President Judge Allan Hardcastle is preaching the gospel of a united judiciary.

“My rallying cry to the troops has been and will continue to be that we have to unite,” the Sonoma County Superior Court judge said recently. “It’s going to be horrible with the budget, and that’s going to be true for every stakeholder, including judges.”