January 30, 2023

Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento, CA 

Dear Governor Newsom,

We are writing to draw your attention to the underpayment of certified court interpreters employed by the Superior Courts in the counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo and its detrimental effect on language access.

Los Angeles Superior Court refuses to offer a raise and cost of living increase consistent with those granted to interpreters employed by other counties in California. Additionally, most courts in other counties have given contract interpreters high per diem increases in recent years. Interpreters in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo courts are the only employees that have averaged a mere 1% increase over the past 15 years, have consistently been refused STEPS and COLA increases.

Below are a few points we would like to bring to your attention:

-       In light of: 1) the meager wage increases over the past 10 years, 2) cumulative inflation average of 32.6% from 2012 to 2022 and, 3) inflation of 8-9% in 2022 in these three counties, interpreters have seen their buying power and standard of living diminish with each passing year.  According to HUD classification, interpreters’ salary in these three counties now falls into the “low-income category,” far below expectations for professionals, many of whom possess higher degrees and interpret multiple languages.

-       In contrast, wages for interpreters employed by these three counties are up to 24% lower than those of our counterparts in other California counties, despite our very high cost of living.  

-       Due to this situation, equal access to justice is at risk in the counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Los Angeles Superior Court has been experiencing a high rate of attrition in the past few years. It has already lost approximately 20% of its interpreter workforce in the past 2 years because these employees are unable to support a family on their current salary, without taking on a second job.  Due to an expected wave of retirements, we estimate Los Angeles Superior Court will lose about 40% of its interpreters by 2025. This causes a significant challenge to the state’s goals of language equity and racial and economic justice.

-       The Courts’ response to this attrition is to lower standards by hiring non-certified interpreters.  There have been untold numbers and well-documented cases of life-altering issues resulting from the lack of training and professionalism of non-certified interpreters. This “solution” is all the more egregious given there are currently over 1,300 duly-certified professional and experienced interpreters available and working in the private sector, rather than the courts, due to the great disparity in pay.  The courts in these three counties have been unable to attract these 1,300 certified interpreters because the wages they offer are far below market levels.

-       The courts in this region are also resorting to cutting back interpreting services for parents in juvenile delinquency cases, some types of probate cases, family mediation, attorney-client interviews in criminal matters (to convey offers to resolve cases), witness stand testimony and more.

-       By way of background, Certified Court Interpreters are in high demand. The certification exam administered by the Judicial Council of California is extraordinarily rigorous. The pass rate hovers between 4% and 12%. Certified interpreters are highly trained, bilingual or trilingual, bicultural or tricultural professionals who have spent years honing and perfecting their language skills to provide language access and equal access to justice.

-       Certified court interpreters are constitutionally mandated and provide invaluable services to important vulnerable populations, be they victims, witnesses, children facing custody issues, their families, or defendants.  Certified interpreters ensure the preservation of constitutional rights and equal access to justice to all parties in the criminal justice system.

-       Lower wages result in lower standards.  To acknowledge this fact, the U.S. District Courts have just instituted a 35.5% salary adjustment for federally certified contract interpreters, yet Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo constitute the only region where courts refuse to offer a salary adjustment commensurate with certified interpreters’ skills and years of service, consistent with cost-of-living increases, and at the same levels of earnings as certified interpreters around the state.

-      Funds are available to remedy this situation. According to the Judicial Council of CA, total expenditures for FY 2020–21 were less than the $130.977 million available for court interpreter costs by $14.206 million […]

California, and Los Angeles in particular, used to be the leader in language access and racial equity.  It was the first to institute high standards in certification to avoid life-changing, critical errors. 

You have been a staunch supporter of economic and racial justice. Supporting court interpreters in their quest for a living wage is consistent with these goals. We hope that you will lend us your support so we can continue to offer the best language services and access to justice in the nation.

Sincerely yours,

Certified and Registered interpreters in California and our supporters.