LANGUAGE ACCESS

CFI, legal organizations highlight to LAP task force how courts fall short on language access 

SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 27, 2016) _ CFI president Ariel Torrone expressed his appreciation Wednesday for the work the Language Access Plan Implementation task force has undertaken but cautioned that some courts are still not adhering to the group's recommendations.

Torrone told the task force about stopping at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, where a severe shortage of Spanish interpreters has crippled language access for court users and led to health problems for several interpreters. 

"CFI, and I personally, also are very, very thrilled about this plan...," Torrone said. "But news doesn't seem to percolate to all the courts."

CFI IN THE NEWS

Severe Spanish interpreter shortage drawing attention in Santa Clara

SAN JOSE (Jan. 20, 2016) _ Steward Carmen Ramos has been highlighting the severe shortage of Spanish interpreters at the Santa Clara Superior Court, leading to two reports that aired last week on the local NBC news.

REGION 1

CFI committee tackling LA Court issues

LOS ANGELES (January 20, 2016) _ Members of the bargaining committee met recently with LA court administration to discuss the impacts of the civil expansion and related changes the court has made over the past year.

VRI

CFI to participate in International Symposium

(Jan. 20, 2015) _ CFI representatives will attend the International Symposium on Bilingual Videoconferencing in Legal Settings January 21 through 22.

Participation in the conference will allow CFI to connect with experts in the field and gather important information to assist in our advocacy for appropriate VRI use in California.

Interpreter Budget

Gov. Brown proposes additional $7 million for interpreting in civil matters

SACRAMENTO (Jan. 7, 2016) _ Gov. Jerry Brown earmarked an additional $7 million to provide court interpreters in civil matters in the latest proposed general budget. The amount is in addition to the proposed 2016-2017 budget allocation of $94.5 million for interpreter services.

The proposed budget will be considered and modified by the senate and assembly, and the legislature must adopt a final budget by the end of June 2016.

CFI President Ariel Torrone praised the funding expansion decision today in a letter to the governor and pledged to continue working toward greater language access.

"On behalf of all interpreters in California I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for not only supporting but also funding the expansion of language services in our court system. Serving the different cultures and languages of all Californians will go a long way to show our commitment to equal access for all,” Torrone wrote.