By Matt J. Malone, Public Information Officer, Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa

Per Government Code Section 68084.1, the Court intends to escheat the sum of $201,665.09 in the Court’s Operations Fund that has remained unclaimed for a period exceeding three years. For more information on the unclaimed funds, please visit the Court’s website at:

https://www.cc-courts.org/fees/unclaimedfunds.aspx

The Court has published a legal notice in the East Bay Times and has sent letters to potential owners of these funds. If you believe that you are entitled to any of the funds, you must complete and submit a Claim Affirmation Form and Claim for Reimbursement. These forms and instructions are available at the above hyperlink. Claim forms must be postmarked no later than March 24, 2023.

Cases in which a jury has already been empaneled and the trial underway, will proceed as previously scheduled.

By Allen Payton

In response to concerns of juries being cancelled as of Monday, Dec. 27, a spokesperson for the Contra Costa Superior Court provided the following explanation:

“The Court remains open and fully operational with one exception. The Court has suspended jury selection/panels out of an abundance of caution with the increased infection rate in the County having risen 165%.  This will only impact any case in which voir dire is currently underway or in cases set to begin between now and January 14th. Cases in which a jury has already been empaneled and the trial underway, shall proceed as previously scheduled.

This is a very disappointing development as the Court was making good progress in addressing the backlog of cases.

That said, the risk of exposure and infection for court employees and court users (including defendants detained in county jail) is too great for the time being in light of the new COVID-19 variant and significant rise in infection rates in Contra Costa County.

All other services remain open to the public and are functioning.”