Court executive says there is no plan to close Coast courthouse, surprise cuts are blamed on Judge Brenann’s sudden retirement but there is much more to this story, stay tuned

With two unelected judges recently appointed and another on the way, it’s time to speak up for Fort Bragg about cutbacks to the Coast. Coastal supervisors, we need you!

At MendocinoCoast.news, we’re calling on Supervisors Ted Williams and Bernie Norvell to speak publicly about the future of the Fort Bragg courthouse. We’ve had to take the lead. But make no mistake: we’d gladly step aside if our elected leaders chose to lead.

Court Executive Officer Kim Turner asked us to emphasize strongly one statement in our next story.

“Let me state this very clearly. There is no plan at all to close the 10 Mile courthouse, none.”

There’s more encouraging news from Court Executive Kim Turner. We’ve been tracking cuts to Fort Bragg’s courthouse throughout 2025—and now we know exactly where they’re coming from. Despite repeated claims by some local officials that the governor or some shadowy higher-up ordered the reductions, that’s just not true. The budget blade is local, wielded by Mendocino County’s presiding judge and his team. And let’s be clear: it’s not the court leadership spreading the fiction. They’ve owned their decisions. The real mystery? Why our some keep pointing skyward?

While we respect the Honorable Keith Faulder, the good news is that the final say on the immediate future of the Fort Bragg courthouse will soon rest with a new presiding judge. The Honorable Carly Dolan takes the rotated helm in January. Meet the new boss—hopefully ready to take a stand for more communication and openness.

We’re glad to offer an example of how county supervisors can—and should—get involved. Yes, it’s early, but what’s happening demands action now.

Back in 2014, Supervisors Dan Hamburg and Dan Gjerde stepped up early—no waiting, no excuses. They joined forces with legal heavyweights like retired Judge Jim Luther, Sheriff Tom Allman, and District Attorney David Eyster. Nobody needed an invitation. That crew acted. And because they did, jury trials stayed in Fort Bragg, and long-term shutdown plans were stopped cold.

We’ve watched a troubling pattern unfold at the Fort Bragg courthouse throughout 2025—cuts to services that echo the same slow erosion that sparked a community uprising back in 2014. Court Executive Kim Turner says this time is different, and we take her at her word: full closure isn’t the plan, for now. But words aren’t enough. We need action. We need a local judge appointed to the Fort Bragg bench immediately. We need Zoom jury selection!!.

The Honorable Patrick Pekin has been serving in that role for several weeks, and admiration for his leadership has only grown. We believe Judge Faulder should formally appoint Pekin as Fort Bragg’s judge—not just to honor the work already being done, but to send a clear signal that the county’s commitment to the Coast courthouse goes beyond lip service. And if not Pekin, then someone else. But if this appointment must wait until Judge Carly Dolan takes over in January, so be it. The role is too important, too historic, and too central to our community to be left in limbo.

“We’re working to ensure that all of the court cases and hearings that were scheduled on the coast are still going forward. We’re setting up what we’re calling the Zoom Room there, so that if anyone comes in and they say, I have a hearing at 10 o’clock this morning. We will be able to accommodate that. So that’s that’s going to be up and running by, I hope by next week. You know, we’re just we’re moving as fast as we can,” Turner said.

We also ask the Honorable Chief Judge and the court leadership team to consider the following:

• Set up a Zoom juror screening program so Coast residents can report to the Fort Bragg courthouse and complete their first-day juror screening via Zoom. If it’s good enough for civil hearings (which are about to launch this way), why not extend it to jurors?
• Publicly commit to continuing jury trials on the Coast—and to restoring civil court proceedings once (and if) a new Coast judge is named. The silence on this point is deafening.
• Take public input—perhaps through an informational presentation at a Board of Supervisors meeting—on the near-total relocation of civil cases from Fort Bragg to Ukiah. (Where else, but that all-important distant center of the universe.) Judges may not be expected to attend political meetings, but they are elected officials. And Kim Turner is more than capable of leading a listening session. We suspect the court doesn’t fully grasp how hard that mountain crossing is for many in our community—especially those with aging cars, aging bodies, or both.
• Offer a compromise to restore online public access to criminal court files. One option: a bond-based login system. The California Judicial Council spent its energy locking out the press, creating a pay-to-play system that’s both expensive and dangerous. Bad actors are thrilled we can’t check on them anymore. A stalker has the motive and means to pay for access. Reporters don’t. A compromise could include bonds, criminal penalties for misusing access, and press credentials based on proven local readership. Government agencies do this all the time.

Today’s situation looks eerily familiar to 2014. Once again, the courts have been quietly cutting services all year—this time blaming the disruption mostly on the sudden retirement of Fort Bragg’s presiding judge, the Honorable Clay Brennan. But that doesn’t track with what we’ve seen in 2025, or what more than two dozen people directly involved have told us.

The rollback has been steady and deliberate. Brennan’s caseload had already been shifting to Ukiah as Judge Patrick Pekin stepped in. It looked like the county was wisely preparing Pekin to take over. But now? No appointment. No commitment. And no explanation. Naming Pekin as Fort Bragg’s permanent judge would go much further in reassuring the public than statements about there being “no plan” to close the Ten Mile Court.

Now that Judge Brennan has officially retired, Presiding Judge Keith Faulder still hasn’t said whether Fort Bragg will get a new judge—or not. How is that even a question if there’s truly no short- or long-term plan to close the Coast’s courthouse? There’s been no assurance that court days or hours won’t be cut, only that no decision has been made.. And most critically, no promise that jury trials will continue.

Let’s not forget: restoring jury trials was the rallying cry of the 2014 uprising. It’s still the line in the sand.

For now, the blame for all the changes is being put Brennan’s retirement. He apparently gave only a few weeks notice.

“The sudden departure of Judge Brennan has created kind of an immediate issue where we are scrambling to cover all the proceedings on the Coast and at the main courthouse, while we are down essentially three judgeships,” said Court Executive Kim Turner.

To clarify: Judge Ann Moorman is currently assigned to an appeals court, Brennan has retired, and the newest judge won’t take the bench until her professional training wraps up—sometime in January. So we are at minus 3 judges.

Turner also responded to our reporting that the civil court had been entirely moved to Ukiah. She noted that small claims and unlawful detainer cases (evictions) are still being heard in Fort Bragg. We appreciate the clarification—and we’ll continue tracking what’s held here, what’s moved, and what’s quietly disappearing.

In 2014, Supervisors Dan Hamburg and Dan Gjerde didn’t wait for permission. They acted. They helped save the Fort Bragg courthouse by stepping in early—alongside legal leaders and community voices. That’s not theory. That’s history. We all saw it.

The American democratic system isn’t built on waiting for agenda items. It’s built on representation—on elected officials stepping up, especially when no one else is invited to. That’s where real leadership shows up: in the moments that aren’t listed in the job description.

In 2014, outrage swept the Coast—from police departments to victim advocates. Everyone showed up. The Anderson Valley Advertiser led the charge, with Bruce Anderson carrying the torch. He still does, though the flame flickers a bit softer these days.

We’ve extended an open invitation to our two Coastal supervisors to join the fight to save the Fort Bragg courthouse. If and when they respond, we’ll publish their replies at the top of this story. We like these guys. We know they’ve got the talent. Now we’re just waiting to see the will. do it.

We’ve spent hours speaking with anyone willing to talk, gathering facts both on and off the record. Kim Turner, Mendocino County’s court administrator, provided a full on-the-record account of what’s happening. She’s articulate, informed, and—by our read—speaking on behalf of the Honorable Keith Faulder, Mendocino County’s presiding judge.

Justice must not simply be done . It must also be seen to be done

LoRD Chief justice Hewart, 1923

Here’s what they say:

1. They say there’s no plan to close the Fort Bragg courthouse outright. But that’s where the assurances end—and that’s just for now. When the splendiferous new courthouse in Ukiah opens, likely in 2027, will that still be true? We need our supervisors to make sure it is. That shiny new building is currently planned to have seven courtrooms, but in 2022, they were given permission to have a 9 courtroom courthouse. But current plans do call for 7. Legal articles have said eight courtrooms are planned. Nothing has broken ground yet, but with the permits in and the spotlight on, it would be a bit much now to change to 9. But stay tuned!!

Everything we’ve reported—jury trials removed, civil cases quietly shifted to Ukiah without public notice—is happening. We said the courthouse faces the threat of severe, possibly permanent cutbacks. Nothing we’ve found changes that.

Unfortunately, the 2025 pattern is clear: believe the official line, do nothing, and act surprised when it’s too late. We’re determined to break that cycle and create a dialogue before the doors close—quietly, permanently, and without a vote.

2. Turner told us the courts are working to reduce the burden on civil litigants whose cases have been moved to Ukiah. One step: allowing people to appear via Zoom from the Fort Bragg courthouse both for the first day of jury service and cases

“We’re working to ensure that all of the court cases and hearings that were scheduled on the coast are still going forward. We’re setting up what we’re calling the Zoom Room there, so that if anyone comes in and they say, ‘I have a hearing at 10 o’clock this morning’. We will be able to accommodate that. So that’s that’s going to be up and running by, I hope by next week.  We’re moving as fast as we can.” Turner said.

3. Turner made no promises, but she was open to our suggestion: conduct the first round of jury selection via Zoom. Too many people are summoned, drive 1.5 hours or more, and are dismissed immediately. It’s inefficient—and it discourages civic participation. We’re not proposing to eliminate live voir dire, just to shift the first one or two rounds of screening to Zoom.

You can make a difference. Write the court. Write Bernie and Ted. Tell them we need our courthouse open five days a week. Tell them we need jury trials here—on the Coast, for the Coast.

6. There’s a jury crisis unfolding across Mendocino County—and it’s getting worse. The last jury trial on the Coast was delayed twice due to a lack of jurors. That’s a direct result of decisions made by Presiding Judge Keith Faulder.

Just a year ago, Coast trials summoned mostly Coast jurors. But last summer, Faulder suspended—and Turner implemented—the end of the regional jury system. Two weeks ago, Fort Bragg didn’t have enough jurors. The trial got delayed twice. Turns out folks from Ukiah don’t want to drive to the Coast any more than we want to drive to Ukiah!!!

Please, Judge Dolan—when you take over in January, restore the regional jury system or find some common sense way that recognizes the burden on people to make that drive for jury service. The regional jury selection plan made sense.. It made it more likely that I, as a Fort Bragg resident, would have a chance to serve in Fort Bragg. And that someone named Frank or Franco in Ukiah would almost always serve in Ukiah.. The new way makes no sense. Zoom jury selection makes a LOT of sense.

Some court insiders believe the real reason for ending the regional system was to quietly eliminate jury trials on the Coast. Let’s reverse that. Let’s go back to a system that respects geography, community, and common sense. Let people serve where they live.

7.Turner offered reasons for removing civil court from Fort Bragg, noting that “unlimited civil” cases require judges with deep expertise. OK, but they can learn right? Judge Brennan and Judge Jonathan Lehan handled everything. Ukiah’s judges can afford to specialize—there are enough of them. We’re fine with that. But don’t use specialization as an excuse to strip services from the Coast..

“What we’re trying to do is make sure that the proceedings that are going to be heard are heard by judges that have training in that particular area. Unlimited civil is not something just any judge, even an experienced one can just walk in and do. You have to have and background and all the rest of it, and we have a small bench, so we’re trying to make sure that the right resource is hearing the right cases.”

(Unlimited civil is all lawsuits above small claims court)

The Honorable Patrick Pekin currently handles the criminal calendar. We’re confident he could learn civil court just as a newly appointed civil judge is now learning criminal law. We don’t know if Pekin wants the Fort Bragg bench—but we want him to have it. He would be one of the finest judges ever to serve this community.

When Pekin & Pekin opened shop nearly 20 years ago, it was the best legal news to hit the Mendocino Coast in a generation. The husband-and-wife team brought integrity, grit, and community spirit.

Pekin’s first run for judge was in 2016, against Keith Faulder. Both men ran clean campaigns focused on the courts’ challenges. It was the most honorable election since Reagan vs. Carter. Pekin lost—but earned respect.

Amanda Pekin is now a partner at Hogan & Stickle—the closest thing Fort Bragg has to a “white shoe” law firm. But pick someone for the job!

Turner told us the clerk’s office remains open five days a week and that no cuts have been made to clerk staffing. But at the same time, the courts have moved to require all civil filings to be submitted online.

So yes, the lights are still on. But the services are vanishing.

So what are local clerks for? Everything. They’re indispensable to any court system that expects people to serve as jurors, trust its rulings, and respect who gets prosecuted—and who doesn’t. A courthouse run by algorithms, where AI greets you and decides your path, makes us want to run and hide. We have zero confidence in our new AI overlords, no matter how slick the sales pitch from those in power.

(And yes, as we write this, Google keeps nudging us to switch to AI writing. We decline—with gusto.)

Turner disagreed with our claim that translation services have been significantly cut. Frank observed the changes firsthand, but out of respect for Turner, we’ll revisit the issue and report back. She told us Zoom translators are available whenever needed. That’s not what we saw. As for in-person translators, here’s what she said:

“The reason we’re not sending them to the coast is because we cannot find interpreters who are willing to do that drive. You know, it’s too far to go for the amount of money we’re paying,” Turner said.

So why not hire them here? As the former owner of MendoPower Employment Services, I’m confident I could solve this problem locally—if given the chance. Or here’s a thought: post a job ad and let the court clerks, whose work is already being stripped away, help coordinate local translation services.

During two days in court Frank spent, the translator being available only for certain times on Zoom caused Judge Brennan to shuffle the cases around in a way that caused everyone to have to wait. Start, stop, move this case up, this one aside, big crowd waiting for their cases. Maybe this day was an anomaly but that is not what I have been hearing.

Still, it sure looks like closure might be something to worry about and enough has happened to demand at least some of what is on the list. .We want the Fort Bragg court to survive the summer of 2027, when the new $150 million Ukiah courthouse opens its doors. That building will have enough courtrooms for each of the county’s eight judges to have their own.

So please, Judge Dolan—enlighten us about the five-year plan. If you want this community to have confidence in the courts, start by telling us where the Coast fits in.

Judge Clay Brennan was reelected to a four-year term in 2023—but resigned before it expired, without issuing a formal statement. Why did he retire so suddenly? We’d like to know. He didn’t contact the AVA or MendocinoCoast.news. . Instead, he made his announcement with a press release through the soft-focus “news media” press release circuit. He gave so much. He owes us all the courtesy of an explanation.

And they didn’t ask the hard question: What impact would his sudden departure have on the court he led with care for so many years? When Judge Brennan retired, he went straight to the lapdog press, where no one asked about the chaos his departure would unleash—or even why he left. In the old days we would not have printed that press release without publicly demanding answers from such an important figure.

There’s a deeper story behind Judge Brennan’s early resignation. We know him as a man of principle. Did he simply have enough? We’ve filed a CPRA request with Judge Faulder and Kim Turner seeking Brennan’s resignation letter.

Meanwhile, the machinery rolls on. Ukiah’s court leadership—backed by Governor Gavin Newsom—has embraced a sweeping strategy: AI for everything, and the outsourcing of our courts to a private contractor now embedded in every judicial system across California.

It’s automation without accountability. And it’s happening fast.

This is a stunningly anti–public access shift—playing out not just in Mendocino County, but across California. Driven by Governor Gavin Newsom, who has long demonstrated his disregard for open media, and his unelected court bosses at the California Judicial Council, the courts are stripping power from clerks and human beings—replacing them with electronic systems and AI. All without public input. All without feedback from court stakeholders.

And the timing couldn’t be worse. Mendocino County is about to seat three brand-new judges—the fastest turnover of black robes in local history. The third, to replace Judge Brennan, isn’t expected to be named for several months.

Charlotte Scott, the county’s longtime counsel, and FredRicco McCurry, formerly with the public defender’s office, are the newest appointments. Scott will be sworn in Dec. 8, Turner said. Despite her deep experience in civil law, she’s been assigned to criminal court. Why? Because as former county counsel, she faces too many conflicts of interest to handle the civil calendar. She’s now undergoing special training in criminal law. Smart move.

Judge Patrick Pekin came to town, built a law practice, and became a beloved volunteer firefighter. He lost his first election, learned from it, and won easily the second time. That’s how it should be done—earned, not handed.

Presiding Judge Keith Faulder earned his reputation the hard way and the right way—renowned locally as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. And yes, reviled by some for both roles. That’s what happens when you do the job as it should be done—not as a head-nodder, whether you’re a reporter or an officer of the court.

We normally have time—as locals, in a democratic process—to learn about judicial candidates, to judge them for ourselves, and to vote accordingly. Now, we’re witnessing something unprecedented: a wave of new judges appointed all at once, none selected by the voters.

Worse, this shift is happening as the courts cut off public participation at record speed. Online access to criminal court files has been eliminated—without explanation. Other countries have found ways to preserve access or strike a compromise. Not here.

Turner told us Mendocino County is simply following the law. But the law in question was crafted by the unelected, anti-democratic California Judicial Council—the same body that engineered this blackout of public records.

If public officials like Mike McGuire and Chris Rogers truly care about access, they could help reverse this. We doubt they can care about an issue so non-partisan in these partisan times, but we need to make sure they hear us.

Will our new head judge help restore public access? We don’t know—because none of them were elected. The current cadre of seven local judges is waiting for a third appointment to replace Brennan. All five county supervisors should send a letter urging the governor not to drag his feet. A timely appointment could help keep the Coastal Court open long term and allow the best possible administration of local justice.

We want Faulder or Dolan to appoint Judge Pekin or another of the 8 before that happens—not use delay as a dodge to avoid naming a Coast judge.

There are questions we’d all like answered from these candidates about the whole business of the county counsel’s handling of the hired firm that lost the Cubbison case and then went so far as to seek a change of venue based on the notion that all the state-county judges were biased against….the county itself.

Appointed judges can’t be asked the hard questions by anyone—at least not until they run for reelection, when they benefit from the built-in advantage of incumbency.

Justice is already growing more arbitrary. Our courts have been locked down—shielded from public observation of how criminal proceedings unfold. The Judicial Council would have barred the press and public entirely if they could. But they know a total ban would be struck down.

So they’ve chosen a slower chokehold. They’ve made access as difficult as possible, granting courts the power to end public access whenever it’s deemed “not feasible”—for any reason. It’s the most powerful blow to transparency our court system has ever seen.

And it wasn’t always this way. A century ago, every town in Mendocino County had its own courthouse. Ukiah was the hub, but judges lived and served in the communities they represented. Over time, all but Fort Bragg lost direct access to justice.

We’d like to ask Judges McCurry and Scott: is there any way to slow down the $150 million courthouse project in Ukiah—so we might preserve our courthouse on the Coast? Because if this new courthouse is being built only for judges, with no paper files, AI handling everything, and criminal records locked away whenever it’s “feasible,” then what exactly are we celebrating?

Let’s be blunt: people will die driving to Ukiah for jury duty. That’s not hyperbole—it’s a fact. The mountain roads are dangerous. And for what? Ukiah has long talked down to the Coast, but without us, there’s no tourism, no draw, no heartbeat. Millions come to the Coast. Without the Coast, Ukiah would have the same non existent tourist economy as Glenn County.

The Coast doesn’t deserve to be constantly sidelined—forced into death-defying drives for the convenience of Ukiah’s court bureaucracy. State and county entities are conspiring, quietly and relentlessly, to centralize everything in Ukiah and cut off the Coast.

We won’t see judges on horseback again—but we can demand the ones we have work harder for access, transparency, and comfort. If jury service means a drive as long and dangerous as Philadelphia to New York, then jurors should be screened by Zoom—or serve by Zoom.

Give us access back that was taken away on Aug. 1. Show us, don’t just tell us we will have a functioning Coastal courthouse. Give us respect.

The courts could stop cutting off public access to files. They could stop axing major programs like civil court in Fort Bragg without notice.

And now, as they prepare to unveil a $150 million Ukiah castle, they face a juror crisis—while slashing court services, juror comfort, consideration for non-favored attorneys, and public access. If they want people to desire to participate in the justice system rather than fear this Sauronian edifice, they have to work. harder at communication and be willing to compromise. But it’s all the latest technology and AI everything!!

Ah yes—progress. So much better than the days when justice rode into town, when circuit judges and local attorneys held court in community halls from Gualala to Westport. When the law lived where the people lived.

Now, we get AI filings, locked court records, and a $150 million monument to centralization rising in Ukiah. And thankfully, we’ve got the Mendocino Voice and the Ukiah Daily Journal on hand—to question absolutely nothing and offer praise on cue.

The rest of us? We remember what access looked like. And we’re not done fighting for it.

We have been told by the courts that the plans are for 7 courtrooms and judges in Ukiah. The county has 8 judges, so they say this is proof for the fact they plan to keep the court here. The plans that cleared CEQA in 2025 show eventual plans for 9 courtrooms. But the final plans in the works right now is for seven courtrooms.
Here is the CEQA document. “This Addendum supplements the Final Environmental Impact Report (2012 EIR; State Clearinghouse No. 2011042089) for the New Ukiah Courthouse project in Mendocino County, California. The 2012 EIR analyzed two potential sites for the courthouse. The Judicial Council selected and approved acquisition of one site for the courthouse and has prepared the final conceptual design. This Addendum demonstrates, based on substantial evidence, that the 2022 final conceptual design is consistent with the project analyzed in the 2012 EIR, will have similar or reduced environmental impacts as those described in the 2012 EIR, and will not raise any new significant impacts. The 2022 conceptual design includes construction of a three-story, nine-courtroom, full-service courthouse for the Superior Court, County of Mendocino. The proposed project will be approximately 77,887 BGSF. The new courthouse will replace the court space in the existing Ukiah Courthouse, and will include court support space for court operations, court administration, criminal/civil/family law divisions, collaborative court, jury assembly and jury services, self-help, court security operations and holding and building support space. The proposed project will include surface parking spaces for staff, jurors, and the general public and secure parking spaces in the basement of the courthouse.

We should have reported the current plans are indeed for seven courtrooms, seven chambers. But they have permission to build up to 9.