Background
The Superior Court of Kings County provided services in two full-time locations: Hanford, the county seat, and Lemoore. In Hanford, severe space restrictions forced the court to spread operations among four separate buildings in the downtown government center. Three buildings were constructed in the late 1970s, the fourth in the early 1990s. The Hanford complex handled all case types except family law, which was handled in the Lemoore Courthouse, approximately 10 miles away. The Lemoore Courthouse was a very small shared-use building, constructed in 1959, with a single courtroom.
All five buildings had numerous security deficiencies, were overcrowded, and had many other physical and functional deficiencies. Dispersal of court operations among several buildings and locations inconvenienced court users and created inefficiencies in court operations. For example, there was no room in the Lemoore courthouse to store active case files on-site, creating the need for constant file transfers.
The new Hanford courthouse replaces these facilities and consolidates all court operations in a modern, secure, full-service courthouse. The new facility is designed to handle all types of proceedings, including criminal, traffic, civil, family law, juvenile dependency and delinquency, small claims, probate, appeals, unlawful detainer, conservatorships and guardianships, and family court mediation. It consolidates all family law proceedings and support services that was previously spread out over three locations in three different towns into a centralized location.
The new courthouse also enables the court to provide services previously curtailed due to space restrictions: a self-help center; appropriately sized and secure public lobby, queuing for entrance screening and public service counters, courtroom waiting areas, jury assembly room, jury deliberation rooms and family court mediation rooms; and adequately sized in-custody holding, attorney interview/witness waiting rooms, courtroom holding areas, and a children's waiting room.
In May 2011, the state Public Works Board approved a site in Hanford for the new courthouse: approximately 9.5 acres immediately west of the County Jail and adjacent to 12th Avenue. Construction began in Oct 2013 and was completed in early 2016. The building opened February 16, 2016.
Timeline
Sept 29, 2010, to Oct 28, 2010: Draft Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration circulated. The draft study evaluated the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and recommended mitigation measures.
Oct 20, 2010: Public meeting held.
In response to public comments, the Judicial Council completed a Final Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration. On Jan 20, 2011, the Judicial Council filed a Notice of Determination, thereby completing the CEQA process.
CEQA
The Judicial Council was the lead agency for preparation of an environmental report to comply with CEQA.
