Published 12:01 am PDT Saturday, July 15, 2006

Imagine an English speaker embroiled in a civil lawsuit or a child custody battle in a courtroom where everybody speaks Spanish or Tagalog or Hmong, languages the English speaker does not understand.

Sounds like a nightmare, doesn't it? But for millions of foreign-born California residents -- the roughly 40 percent of state residents who speak a language other than English in their homes -- such a nightmare can be a reality. Language barriers make it difficult for many to access the state's court system.

While interpreters are provided for all parties who need them in criminal courts as a matter of law, interpreters are not required for all parties in civil proceedings. Assembly Bill 2302 would require that court interpreters be provided to plaintiffs appearing in family courts, domestic violence cases and a host of other civil proceedings. It has been approved by the Assembly and is pending in the state Senate.

In a related move, the Legislature appropriated $10 million to pay for expansion of interpretive services in our state's civil courts in the budget bill signed last month. Given the obvious need, it came as a shock when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blue-penciled the funding.

"I believe it is essential to provide non-English-speaking litigants with interpreters in order to provide meaningful access to our justice system," the governor wrote in his nonsensical veto message. But then he called on the Judicial Council to provide the services using "existing resources."

That's silly, and the governor must know it. California's courts are struggling to provide enough judges, courtrooms and security to keep up with a burgeoning population and crushing demands. There are no extra funds within "existing resources" to pay for badly needed interpretive services.

If Schwarzenegger really believes that millions of Californians who don't speak English deserve "meaningful access to our justice system," he should support and sign AB 2302. And if re-elected, he should restore to next year's budget the $10 million he vetoed from this year's budget to pay for interpreters who are key to providing that meaningful access.