Article 12.7. Official Reporters In Counties With A Population Of 140,000 To 147,000 of California Government Code >> Title 8. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 12.7.

(a) In a county with a population of over 205,000 and not over 225,000 as determined by the 1970 federal decennial census, within which there is located a facility of the Department of Corrections of the State of California, each full-time official reporter shall receive a salary recommended by the superior court and approved by the board of supervisors. Any appointee to an official reporter position shall be compensated at the first step and advance to each higher step upon completion of each year of service. Upon the recommendation of the superior court and approval of the board of supervisors, official reporters may be employed at or may be granted a special step increase to any step within the salary range on the basis of experience or qualifications.
  (b) The compensation for each official reporter pro tempore shall be the equivalent of the daily wage of the third step in the salary range for full-time official reporters for each day he actually is on duty under order of the court.
  (c) In addition to the compensation provided in this article, each full-time reporter of the superior court shall be entitled to, and shall receive, the same vacation, sick leave, and similar privileges and benefits as are now, or may hereafter be provided for the employees of the County of Marin, including the right to participate in any group, accident, health or life insurance plan adopted by the board of supervisors of the county.
  (d) Until such time as the salaries of full-time official reporters and official reporters pro tempore are approved by the board of supervisors pursuant to subdivision (a), such reporters shall receive the salaries in effect immediately prior to the effective date of the amendments to this section enacted by the Legislature at its 1975-76 Regular Session.

No further fee, charge or salary other than the salary or compensation provided by Section 70130 shall be collected from, or assessed against, any party to any proceeding for the services of an official reporter in taking down in shorthand the testimony and other proceedings in the trial or hearing of any matter as required by law or by order of the court; but an official reporter shall be allowed, and shall receive, unless waived by him, the fees allowed by law for transcribing his shorthand notes of the testimony and proceedings reported by him, and such fees for transcription shall be paid as provided by Sections 69947 to 69953, inclusive, and by any other law of this state pertinent to the case.

In criminal cases in which the court specifically so directs, the fee for a transcript ordered by the court to be made shall be paid out of the county treasury on the order of the court. The court shall not order to be transcribed and paid for out of the county treasury any matter or material except that reported by the reporter pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Section 269. When the court orders a daily transcript, necessitating the services of two official reporters, the reporting fee for each of the reporters and the transcript fee shall be proper charges against the county treasury, and such daily transcript shall be pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Section 269.

Fees for transcription of testimony and proceedings in the court shall be paid by the litigants to full-time official reporters and official reporters pro tempore as otherwise provided by law. In all cases where by law the court may direct the payment of transcription fees out of the county treasury, such fees shall, upon order of the court, be paid from the general fund including fees for transcription of testimony and proceedings in criminal cases as provided in Sections 69947 to 69953, inclusive, which shall be paid from the county treasury.

The official reporters of the court, if otherwise eligible, shall be members of any retirement system maintained by the county that includes attachés of the court. For the purposes of such retirement system, the salary or compensation provided for reporters in this article shall be deemed their entire compensation, except that where credit is claimed for service rendered prior to the establishment of such salary or compensation, the actual compensation paid to them by the county shall be the basis for contributions for such prior service, and continuous employment of the court, prior to membership in such retirement system, shall be considered as "prior service" therein upon the payment by the reporters of the sums due, if any, under the retirement system.

(a) The official reporter shall perform the duties required of him by law. When not actually engaged in the performance of any other duty imposed on him by law, he shall render stenographic or clerical assistance, or both, to the judge or judges of the department to which he is assigned as such judge or judges may direct. This subdivision shall not apply to reporters who elect to be paid on a per diem and fee basis.
  (b) The official reporter in each department shall be selected by, and serve solely and directly under the authority and control of, the judge thereof, and shall not be subject to the authority of any county administrative office or personnel commission.

Nothing in any county ordinance or in any state law disqualifying employees at any age from further employment, shall affect any reporter employed on the effective date of this article, or for a period of 10 years thereafter.

The official reporters of the court, in addition to membership in any appropriate county retirement system, unless otherwise specified in this article, shall be bound by the same restrictions applicable to other county employees. Such reporters shall not use county equipment or county premises or county working hours for the purpose of doing work not in the service of the county or the court.