Supervisors Poised to OK New Courthouse

ORANGE COUNTY — After more than a decade of fighting for additional space, court officials in south Orange County are on the threshold of getting approval for a new courthouse to replace their severely cramped quarters.

The county’s Board of Supervisors at its Oct. 19 meeting is expected to approve a plan to build a new structure next to the existing Laguna Niguel facility off Crown Valley Parkway.

“It’s a ‘Legoland’ courthouse--one that could be expanded as time goes by,” said Supervisor Thomas W. Wilson. “There are 10 courtrooms to satisfy today’s needs, with the ability to add on courtrooms as needed.”

The proposed $29-million courthouse would have 110,000 square feet, more than three times the size of the current building.

The county also would spend $350,000 to add a courtroom to the existing facility to ease crowding until the new courthouse opens in about five years.

The justice center is so crowded that defendants have been chained to metal chairs in the hallways, jurors have been assembled in a once-condemned firehouse and attorneys have had to meet with clients in a former supply closet.