[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 164 (Monday, November 18, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            OPENING OF THE GOV. GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN COURTHOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALAN S. LOWENTHAL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 18, 2013

  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, the recent opening of the $340-million 
Gov. George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach is the culmination of 
nearly a decade of work. Part of the Los Angeles County Superior Court 
System, the new 531,000-square-foot glass-and-concrete structure 
replaces the current 55-year-old Long Beach courthouse that is the most 
outdated in the state and has been deemed seismically unfit.
  The new Deukmejian Courthouse is 65 percent larger than the old 
courthouse, with 24 courtrooms and room to expand to 30. It is equipped 
with wireless Internet access throughout and space for five retail 
vendors to service the courthouse traffic.
  For me, the road to the new Courthouse began nearly a decade ago in 
conversations between Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Long 
Beach Mayors Beverly O'Neill and Bob Foster, myself and the then-
presiding judge of the Long Beach courthouse, Brad Andrews. Judge 
Andrew's vision of a new courthouse for Long Beach was the driving 
force behind the building of a coalition of supporters for the project. 
This coalition would eventually grow to include a vast number of 
supporters including members of the public, the private sector and 
government. I am proud to count myself among the early members of this 
group.
  Those early discussions about a new courthouse revolved around the 
understanding that under the existing state funding and procurement 
system, it would be 15-20 years before a new Long Beach courthouse 
could be built.
  As this core group grew, it became clear that a public private 
partnership would be necessary to fund the project as the state could 
not expend the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to build the 
courthouse.
  With support primarily from Assemblymember Hector De La Torre, and 
California State Senators Joe Dunn, Dick Ackerman and Don Perata, I 
introduced in the California State Budget Act of 2007, Senate Bill 77 
which granted the authority for the Judicial Council and Administrative 
Office of the Courts to investigate the use of a public-private 
partnership in the development of the Long Beach project.
  The Long Beach courthouse is the first to be built as a public-
private funding partnership, with the developer, Long Beach Judicial 
Partners, paying for the upfront construction costs.
  The new building is an example of what can be accomplished when the 
state, county and local governments work together to accomplish 
something that the whole community can be proud of. Our new courthouse 
is beautiful. It will act as a magnet for further development in the 
area for years to come while serving as a shining example of 
cooperation and innovation.

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