Monterey County Superior Court proposes courthouses in Greenfield and former Fort Ord

The Monterey County Superior Court has submitted recommendations to build two courthouses, one in Greenfield and one in the former Fort Ord, to the Judicial Council of California for approval.

The Greenfield courthouse would serve southern Monterey County, and it would include one full-time courtroom, self-help services and what the Superior Court calls a “courtroom of the future.” The Superior Court said that, if the courthouse is approved, it would be the first time in Monterey court history that South County residents would have a full complement of legal services available locally. Those services would include family law, probate, civil, traffic court and small claims.

The Fort Ord courthouse would replace the current one in Monterey. The Judicial Council ranked the current building as one of the most seismically dangerous courthouses in the state in a 2017 study. The building also does not have a fire suppression system and contains asbestos. The Superior Court said it hopes to find a safe replacement. It also said the Fort Ord location would keep the courthouse closer to population centers.

The proposed Fort Ord courthouse would have seven courtrooms, so the court could consolidate family law services that are currently spread between Salinas, Marina and Monterey.

“From our standpoint they are both pressing priorities that has been clear from the beginning of this process we know there’s a strong need from south county,” Monterey County court executive officer Chris Ruhl said.

The proposal is the beginning of a process started by the Judicial Council. The last time it started a process such as this one was more than 10 years ago. A Greenfield courthouse to replace an old one in King City was considered a priority. Construction was supposed to start in 2013.

“The commitment from the state is meeting your community where they are, and we’re looking for that follow up,” Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez said.

The Judicial Council will consider the Monterey County Superior Court’s proposal along with others from 57 counties. After that, it will rank each courthouse by priority. The rankings are expected this fall.