NOTICE OF SERVICE NEEDS: Parties and Counsel are required to provide at least forty-eight (48) hours notice (to the Courts’ Calendar Management unit) of any need for Interpreting, special Verbatim Reporting or any other Court service that is not routinely provided in all Court departments in all cases, in order to assure that these services may be arranged by the Court on a timely basis.

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS: All service vendors paid under the fee and rate arrangements referenced in this Schedule, are considered by the Santa Barbara County Trial Courts to be qualified Independent Contractors, rather than employees of the Courts.

RATES & FEES; "PRO BONO" CONTRIBUTION TO JUSTICE: Any rates and fees for professional and specialized personal services to the Trial Courts, except for such rates and fees as may be established by California statute or the (State) California Rules of Court, are hereby established by this Schedule of Rates and Fees. The Santa Barbara County Trial Courts will attempt to periodically compare the fees paid by our Courts to those paid by Courts and other public entities in similar Counties, in order to monitor and update the compensation paid our service providers, to the extent permitted by public budget constraints. It should be recognized, however, that the taxpaying public funds the trial courts, and that Court lack of compensation parity with compensation in the private sector may necessarily be considered to be a service provider’s contribution to the administration of justice, in the public interest.

^\1 All service fees in CIVIL cases are paid by the parties in the case, rather than by the Courts, unless otherwise specifically provided by California statute, State or local Court Rules, or by a specific Court order in a particular case.

^\2 2 Court Interpreting and Verbatim Reporting services will be compensated on the basis of any combination of service in either AM or PM of any day constituting one half-day of service, and any combination of service in both AM and PM of any one day constituting one day of service. No compensation exceeding the full day rate will be paid for service provided to the Courts in any one given day.

^\3 Percipient (general) witnesses in Criminal or Juvenile cases who testify and / or appear in Court for prosecution and defense agencies, are paid from the County-funded, Court-administered, “Courts Special Services” budget. Note: Subsection (b) of PC 1329 provides that witness fees may be limited to percipient witnesses where an employed witness documents an income loss.

^\4 When the Court appointment of a diagnostician (for an examination and report) or an expert witness (for testimony) in a Criminal or Juvenile case is mandated by statute, or is made on the Court’s own motion without motion or request of prosecution or defense, any fees for such service will be paid from the “Court Special Services” budget. When such appointments are made on motion or request of prosecution or defense, or when Expert witnesses are subpoenaed or requested to appear or to be available for appearance by those agencies, the cost of these services should be paid from the budgets of the requesting prosecution or defense agency.