VENTURA COURTS JUDGED BEST.Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer A decadelong dec·ade·long adj. Lasting a decade: a decadelong national research effort. effort to improve services for everyone from jurors to lawyers to people paying traffic tickets has earned the Ventura Superior and Municipal courts an award normally given to private businesses. The Ventura courts received the Arthur Andersen For the U.S. Supreme Court case commonly known as Arthur Andersen, see . Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms (the other four are PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG), performing Enterprise Award for Customer Satisfaction at a symposium on best business practices in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. on Tuesday. The program, co-sponsored by Xerox Corp. and Wells Fargo Wells Fargo armored carriers of bullion. [Am. Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 1147] See : Protectiveness Wells Fargo company that handled express service to western states; often robbed. [Am. Hist. Bank, gives awards in the areas of customer satisfaction, fostering innovation, sharing knowledge within an organization, and motivating and retaining employees. More than 200 companies from across Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, applied for awards. The Ventura courts shared the customer satisfaction award with Coldwell Banker. ``It was very unusual for a government agency like them to win. Typically, those who enter are companies that have profit and loss margins,'' said Dan Roth, marketing director for Arthur Andersen LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol , based in Irvine. ``We had to measure them in a different way and the judges just felt many of their practices were applicable to business entities.'' Sheila Gonzalez, executive officer for the courts, accepted the lead crystal statuette awarded during Tuesday's program. She also made a presentation on the courts' customer service efforts and participated in a panel discussion with business leaders. ``They were shocked that we cared about the public. They had a very negative impression of government and the courts,'' Gonzalez said. ``When they talked with us and saw that we were sincere about how we cared about the public, they saw that it was true that we believe in something,'' she explained. Ventura was the first county in California to install electronic kiosks in shopping malls so people could pay traffic fines and learn about small claims court without having to make a trip to the nearest courthouse. The courts installed a fax machine for attorneys to file forms and computer terminals that allow people to read civil and criminal court records on video screens. Fax filing has been expanded and personal computers have replaced aging public access terminals. The newest gadget is an electronic kiosk installed in the Hall of Justice in Ventura that allows people to file family law forms in less than an hour. Jurors also have gained greater comforts. This year, a television, a videocassette A removable magnetic tape module for storing video data. The cassette contains supply and takeup reel (hubs) in the same housing. See VCR. player and a microwave oven were added to the jury assembly room at the East County courts in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. . Court officials said the donated items were sorely needed and have been matched by upgrades in furnishings and other services at both courthouses, including cable television and a work area with outlets for laptop computers. |
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