Jurors to Receive Increased Compensation for Service

Oakland, Calif. – August 29, 2024 – Alameda County jurors will begin receiving $100 a day and enhanced mileage benefits next week through a state-funded pilot program created to determine if increased financial benefits will result in increased participation and diversity of juries.

The pilot program will provide jurors $100 a day and $0.67 per mile for travel to and from the courthouse beginning the second day of jury service after September 2, 2024. If a juror is already serving on a jury, they will begin earning the enhanced compensation on September 2, 2024.

The Superior Court of Alameda County is one of seven superior courts participating in the pilot program. The other courts are the Superior Courts of El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Monterey, San Bernardino and Shasta counties. The program is being funded by California’s General Fund.

“Our Court is excited to be included in this pilot program to help determine the most effective ways to ensure juries are truly a reflection of the community and a panel of peers,” said Presiding Judge Thomas Nixon. “Jurors are essential to our judicial system, and we need to do all that we can to increase participation.”

The Judicial Council of California hired the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) as a consultant to study the pilot program and determine if higher compensation results in more participation and greater diversity. The NCSC has been surveying Alameda County jurors for the last two months and will continue to track jurors’ demographic information and participation levels to determine what impact the pilot has on jury service.

The Jury Pilot Program was created as part of AB1981 which was passed by the State Legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022.

Currently, jurors throughout the state receive $15 a day for service and $0.34 per mile roundtrip to travel to and from the courthouse for jury duty. Those who ride public transportation can receive up to an additional $12 a day as reimbursement. The Jury Pilot Program will increase the daily compensation and the milage reimbursement.

The Jury Pilot Program will continue for two years or until the approximately $27 million set aside for the program is exhausted.

Jurors can waive receiving the compensation. Jurors who earn more than $600 for their jury service will have to pay taxes on that income. The mileage reimbursement, however, is not taxable income.

For more information about the Jury Pilot Program, visit the Judicial Council of California website here: https://www.courts.ca.gov/76616.htm.

Click here for a downloadable version of this press release.

Media Contact:
Paul T. Rosynsky
Public Information Officer
Email
510-627-4770