To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: Swap of Property between the County and the Judicial Council of California at 1020 Ward Street and 1111 Ward Street
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the transfer of property between Contra Costa County and the Judicial Council of California at 1020 Ward Street and 1111 Ward Street in Martinez, and AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute property exchange agreements and related documents.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact as this is a no-cost swap of substantially equal property.
BACKGROUND:
The Trial Court Act of 2002 required the County to transfer responsibility for the operation and funding of all trial courts within the county to the Judicial Council of California. The County transferred ownership of the courthouse located at 1020 Ward Street in Martinez, commonly known as the Bray Courthouse, to the Judicial Council. Concurrently with the transfer of title, the County and the Judicial Council entered into a joint occupancy agreement dated December 29, 2008, under which the County was granted an equity interest in approximately 5,732 square feet of the Bray Courthouse to enable the County to fulfill its statutory obligation to provide for a law library at the county seat. As consideration for the County obtaining an equity interest in the Bray Courthouse, the Judicial Council was granted an equity interest in approximately 5,223 square feet of the County-owned building located at 1111 Ward Street, Martinez (File Unit), pursuant to a separate joint occupancy agreement dated December 29, 2008. The Superior Court uses the File Unit at 1111 Ward Street to store court records. The Court system has very strongly indicated their desire to use the space in the Bray Courthouse for their activities and is willing to relinquish their interest in 1111 Ward in return.
The law library ha...
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