CDRC supports CCCM California Dispute Resolution Council

CDRC supports CCCM

For all DRPA Participants and Providers:

The California Coalition for Community Mediation/CCCM is sponsoring a one day conference for DRPA Participants and Providers on Friday, June 2, 2006. The conference will be held at The Pepperdine University/Straus Institute facility in Westlake Village, California.

We hope to facilitate coordination with DRPA Providers who don’t yet belong to CCCM; to learn what other programs are doing and how they are doing them; to discuss legislation, the new DRPA funding procedures, publicity, fund raising and board development; and to continue the growth of CCCM.

CCCM - The California Coalition for Community Mediation is an informal group of DRPA Providers from throughout the State of California who have been meeting in person and by teleconference for the past few years to deal with common issues involving community mediation.

If you are a community mediation program, you will be receiving a written invitation in the next week or so, explaining things in more detail. We are planning an exciting and useful conference which should benefit all who attend.

For more information now, contact:

Jim Lingl

Ventura Center for Dispute Settlement

1200 Paseo Camarillo, Suite 165

Camarillo, California 93010

Phone: 805-384-1313, Fax: 805-384-1333

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CDRC acknowledges the considerable public service being rendered by the many and excellent community mediation centers throughout California. Thus CDRC always has on its agenda the welfare of these centers.

For example, on October 23, 2003 Cynthia Spears, Director of the Placer County Mediation Center, learned that a Task Force of the Judicial Council had looked at the way DRPA funds were being spent. It made a recommendation that some of the DRPA funds be reassigned to assist unrepresented litigants. The period for public comment closed October 24, 2003. Cynthia, who was formerly on the CDRC Board of Directors, and served as Treasurer, immediately called the CDRC leadership. Emails went out to numerous people, including Donne Brownsey, CDRC’s legislative representative, Richard Spohn then Director of the Leo McCarthy Center for Public Policy, and to key CDRC Board members. Within 24 hours, Cynthia Spears and members of the CDRC Board composed a very effective and well-reasoned response to any potential recommendation that DRPA funding of community mediation centers be reduced in any way.

At CDRC’s Board meeting in Sacramento, May 3, 2004, Kate Howard and Heather Anderson of the Judicial Council met with us to discuss the future of DRPA funding and community mediation centers. The Judicial Council plans for DRPA funding had matured, and Heather and Kate assured the CDRC Board that no funds for community mediation centers would be cut. Their recommendations to the Judicial Council will provide for the same funding to community centers as exists now.

Not every county has opted for the permitted $8.00 DRPA funding filing fee. However, the Uniform Filing Fee act will make significant changes to the way and consistency with which DRPA funds are collected. Under the new statute, which goes into effect by the end of 2005, a maximum DRPA fee will be included in each filing fee paid in every county on the types of cases specified in the statute. Although existing funding will be maintained, it remains unclear where the excess DRPA filing fees will go. CDRC will continue to monitor the DRPA filing fees discussion and make recommendations to the legislature.

The California Coalition for Community Mediation (CCCM) maintains a web listing of all community mediation programs that receive DRPA funding. You can find that county-by-county list at http://www.camediation.org.