El Dorado County Courthouse, Placerville.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday vetoed state funding to buy land for a new courthouse in El Dorado County, calling the $2.8 million allocation “premature” in light of the judicial branch's review of outstanding construction projects.

The line-item veto ends one state senator's efforts to secure last-minute budget funding at the request of a former legislative colleague who owns land near the proposed Placerville courthouse site.

“While I understand that there is a need to build this new courthouse, this expenditure authority is premature until the Judicial Council completes the statutorily-required statewide facilities needs assessment,” Newsom wrote in a brief veto message.

Judicial branch leaders did not ask for the $2.8 million, as The Recorder documented this month. In fact, the line item for the five-acre purchase only appeared in the proposed state budget four days before lawmakers voted on the $215 billion spending plan. It was never vetted or debated in the traditional budget subcommittee process. And the judiciary currently has no money to pay for the six-courtroom courthouse envisioned for the site west of Placerville.

An aide for state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, vice chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, confirmed that his former legislative seatmate, John Briggs, lobbied him to include money for the land purchase in the state budget.

The land for the future courthouse is owned by El Dorado County and sits adjacent to the county jail. It was acquired by the county in a 2014 land swap with Briggs, a former Republican state lawmaker who represented Orange and San Bernardino in the 1970s. Briggs, 89, now lives in Elk Grove in Sacramento County, but he still owns property around the future courthouse site. That land, which Briggs said he purchased in 1980, has been marketed for at least five years as a potential business park and home for law offices.

Briggs told The Recorder earlier this month that he pitched Nielsen for the budget funding as a way to help a “cow county” that he said is often overlooked by the Legislature.

The Judicial Council expects to complete its review of all proposed courthouse construction and renovation projects around the state by December. It's not clear where the Placerville court building will fall on the new priority list.

Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice of California. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

Newsom's veto was the only one affecting the judiciary's budget, which will see significant funding increases from the new governor.

The branch received money for 25 new judgeships around the state plus new funding to expand interpreter services and a program that provides counsel to litigants in certain non-criminal cases. The budget also includes additional money for more lawyers in dependency cases, court technology projects, an increased appellate workload and pay increases for appellate court and Judicial Council workers. Courts will also be allowed to set aside more money in reserves.

“This year's budget is good news for residents who rely on California's judicial system,” Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said in a statement. “This budget reflects years of advocacy for more trial court judges in the fastest growing parts of our state and will help courts continue initiatives that help break down barriers for all Californians seeking justice.”

Read more:

Why the State's New Budget Gave the Judiciary $2.8M It Didn't Request 

Tom Girardi, Facebook's Paul Grewal and Others Will Vet Judges for Newsom

Judiciary's Demand for More Money and Judges Greets Newsom