Superior Court of California

County of Riverside

4050 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501

Contact: Harold W. Hopp, Presiding Judge

(electronic version available at:

RIVERSIDE COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT ANNOUNCES DEDICATION OF NEW BANNING JUSTICE CENTER – JUNE 5, 2015

RIVERSIDE COUNTY:

The Superior Court of Riverside County will celebrate the dedication of the new Banning Justice Center, located at 311 East Ramsey Street in Banning, on Friday, June 5, 2015 at 1:00 p.m.

The ceremony will include remarks by Presiding Judge Harold W. Hopp and Judge Mark A. Cope, Superior Court of Riverside County; Associate Justice Douglas P. Miller, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two and member of the Judicial Council; and Chairman Marion Ashley, Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Fifth District. Mayor Debbie Franklin, City of Banning, will also be in attendance at the ceremony.

The event celebrates the culmination of more than ten years of planning, design, and construction of the new three-story Banning Justice Center for central Riverside County residents. The new courthouse replaces an inadequate and obsolete two-courtroom Banning Courthouse and houses six courtrooms in approximately 68,000 square feet. The facility provides space for clerk and court administration, security operations, and building support. Court services include traffic, small claims, eviction, and criminal matters, including criminal cases emanating from the Hemet and San Jacinto Valley areas which were formerly heard at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. The new courthouse features a secure sallyport and separate circulation for the transportation of in-custody defendants, increasing public and staff safety. Energy features include an abundance of natural light throughout the building, water-saving exterior landscaping, and state-of-the-art artificial lighting and plumbing. Located in downtown Banning, a block from the old courthouse, the new justice center is considered a catalyst for other development in the area. The courthouse opened on May 4, 2015.

“This courthouse will provide a place where residents of Riverside County can have access to justice for many decades to come. The building was designed to be “user friendly” and energy efficient and is an excellent addition to our county’s court system,” said Presiding Judge Hopp.

For more information about the project, visit the California Courts website at www.courts.ca.gov/facilities-riverside-midcounty.htm.

This event is open to the public. Members of the media wishing to attend the ceremony should contact Marita Ford, Public Information Officer for the Superior Court of Riverside County, at [log in to unmask].