March 22nd, 2020

PRESIDING JUDGE KEVIN C. BRAZILE ORDERS THE
CLOSURE OF SYLMAR COURTHOUSE FOR THREE
DAYS AFTER POSITIVE COVID-19 EXPOSURE

Judges, Attorneys, Courtroom Staff and Bailiff Must Quarantine for 14 Days

 

Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile today ordered an immediate 3-day closure of the Sylmar Courthouse after a Deputy Public Defender assigned to the Sylmar Courthouse tested positive for COVID-19. Presiding Judge Brazile made the order pursuant to his inherent powers as Presiding Judge and pursuant to the emergency powers he obtained from Chief Justice Tani G.
Cantil-Sakauye under Government Code section 68115 on March 16, 2020.

Presiding Judge Brazile was notified yesterday, Saturday, March 21, 2020, that an attorney assigned to the Public Defender’s Office tested positive last week for COVID-19 after caring for a relative who also tested positive. In accordance with CDC and Public Health Office guidelines, affected Judges and staff will self-quarantine for 14 days.

The Court also notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Department of Probation, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, County Counsel Mary Wickham, District Attorney Jackie Lacey, City Attorney Mike Feuer, and the Alternate Public Defender’s Office.

The Sylmar Courthouse, which handles Juvenile Delinquency cases exclusively in two courtrooms, will re-open on Thursday, March 26, 2020.

Both courtrooms have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected according to CDC guidelines and will be cleaned again on Monday. Cases on calendar for the next three days in Sylmar will be moved temporarily to the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster.

The Court is working with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which advised Presiding Judge Brazile about the need for those who were directly exposed in the courtroom to self-quarantine for 14 days.

View the full notice here.

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