UCI loses bid for courthouse

Michael Miller

The state Judicial Council voted unanimously Friday against UC

Irvine’s proposal to construct an appellate courthouse on its campus,

awarding the location instead to the city of Santa Ana.

Earlier this year, UCI made a bid for the $17-million courthouse,

which it hoped to build as a complement to its plan for a law school.

On Tuesday, however, the Judicial Council’s Office of Court

Construction and Management issued a recommendation for the Santa Ana

site, and the council voted likewise three days later.

In the recommendation, office director Kim K. Davis and senior

project manager Clifford Ham said they favored the Santa Ana site

because of its proximity to the Superior Court of Orange County, the

U.S. District Court and other official buildings. The UCI courthouse,

planned for 2008, would have been constructed near the University

Research Park on the northeast end of campus.

“We’re disappointed that UCI was not selected as the location for

the new 4th District Court of Appeal, but we’re confident that the

Judicial Council has made a decision that’s in the best interest of

the community,” said UCI media relations director James Cohen.

Other UCI officials added that even without the courthouse, they

would continue to pursue a law school on campus, a plan that has been

in limbo for several years due to lack of funds.

“These have always been two separate things,” said Michael Clark,

associate executive vice chancellor of academic planning. “It would

have been a benefit for the law school to get a courthouse, but

they’re two different projects. Basically, the difference is that if

people want to interact with a real court, they’ll have to drive to

Santa Ana.”

The city of Santa Ana had pushed strongly to keep the appellate

court in town, hiring two lobbying firms in March to combat UCI’s

bid. At present, the appellate court operates out of rented offices

in downtown Santa Ana.

Roy Dormaier, vice chancellor of planning and budget, said the

land UCI had earmarked for the courthouse would remain vacant

indefinitely.

“It’s been barren land for some time,” he noted. “In our

long-range development plan, it’s been thought of as a site for the

law school, an expansion of the research park, and other

institutional support uses.

“It’s a matter of building a campus over 50 years.”