Critics target California's courts bureaucracy

Critics target California's courts bureaucracy

Across California, courthouses are closing for the first time in history, court employees are being furloughed and fired, and judges known for complaining about their salaries are agreeing to forgo their pay one day a month.

Yet the little-known but powerful bureaucracy behind the state's sprawling court system is bigger and more expensive than ever, doubling in size over the past five years, establishing a staff roster replete with six-figure salaries and still willing to splurge on an occasional lavish conference in the midst of the worst budget crisis in decades.