INTRODUCTION

Executive Summary

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California continued to provide excellent public service in 2012, despite the year’s budgetary challenges. Highlights include:

  • Investiture ceremonies were held for Judges Julia W. Brand and Neil W. Bason at the Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse in Los Angeles. Judge Brand’s investiture was held on April 12, 2012, Judge Bason’s on May 31, 2012. Both judges were sworn in on October 24, 2011, and serve in the Los Angeles Division.
  • The Court welcomed Judge Mark D. Houle to the bench. Judge Houle was sworn in on February 17, 2012 to serve in the Riverside Division. His investiture was held in Riverside on October 11, 2012.
  • A celebration at the Riverside Division on March 15, 2012 honored Judge Meredith A. Jury’s reappointment to a second term as a bankruptcy judge in the Central District of California. First appointed in 1997, Judge Jury’s current term expires in 2025.
  • Judge Ellen Carroll retired on February 16, after 14 years of service. Following her retirement, Judge Robert N. Kwan relocated from the Santa Ana Division to the Los Angeles Division, and Judge Catherine E. Bauer relocated from Riverside to Santa Ana.
  • Although bankruptcy filings declined for the second consecutive year, the Central District averaged over 111,000 filings per year during the past five years, the highest five-year average in the Court’s history. This was the fifth consecutive year the Central District led the nation in total bankruptcy filings.
  • The Court achieved the lowest Bankruptcy Noticing Center costs per case in the nation for the second consecutive year. The Central District’s low BNC costs yielded approximately $1.65 million in savings to the Federal Judiciary in 2012.
  • In a continuing effort to improve customer service and streamline business processes, the Court established a district-wide Call Center in 2012 offering service in English and Spanish. Both automated service and live operators provide information to callers from each of the district’s five divisions. Since the Call Center is centralized, it also ensures that the Court provides consistent information to the public, and frees up staff resources in the divisions to focus on operational tasks.
  • The Court launched its newly redesigned website on October 25. The new website is better organized and easier to navigate than its predecessor, and provides quick access to a variety of resources and information.
  • The Clerk’s Office extensively reconfigured and renovated the Los Angeles Division to make more effective use of available space. The changes increase the volume of available space in the division, facilitate each department’s unique tasks, and prepare the division for future space planning adjustments.
  • Three foreign delegations visited the Los Angeles Division in order to learn about American bankruptcy law and practice. The Court welcomed judges from the Shandong Province of China, bankruptcy officials from the Ukraine, and members of the Academic and Legal Affairs Division of Thailand.
  • In April, the Court published its first annual report on the district’s pro se litigants. Access to Justice in Crisis: Self-Represented Parties and the Court provides a comprehensive analysis of the Central District’s large self-represented population, measurements of that population’s impact on the Court, and an overview of services and programs that assist pro se parties throughout the district.
  • In January, the Clerk’s Office established three Centers of Excellence, groups of volunteer staff members that provide a district-wide forum for collaboration on the Court’s multiple projects and initiatives. Members serve as advisors in the areas of Process Improvement, Employee Engagement, and Communication, sharing ideas and implementing initiatives to achieve the Court’s goals.
  • The first graduating classes of the Court’s two new leadership development programs, Paths to Success and Gateway Leadership, were recognized by Chief Judge Peter H. Carroll and Executive Officer/Clerk of Court Kathleen Campbell in ceremonies held on November 8, 2012. Designed to develop aspiring leaders and enhance the skill of current leaders, both programs provided content and project experience in the areas of management, communication, and teambuilding.