SACRAMENTO — A legislative conference committee on Tuesday approved a mix of fee hikes, reserve spending and a one-day-a-month court closure plan that will slice $393 million from the judicial branch budget.
The agreement, secured after weeks of sometimes bitter negotiations among lawmakers, sheriffs, union leaders, lawyer groups and court executives, represents a compromise between those who wanted to shield the branch’s long-term infrastructure plans and those who sought protection for employees facing furloughs.
