A second court order over the deputy shortage; the sheriff’s campaign blames the judges

Three months after its December order, the Administrative Governing Board of the First Judicial District issued a second order, holding that Bilal had failed to fully comply with the December directive and that the deputy shortage had resulted in “direct harm to the proper functioning and safe operation and administration of the courts.”

The order gave the sheriff 30 days to produce plans to boost deputy recruitment — including creating a sheriff’s academy within city limits — to restore staffing at the probation office, and to report on unfilled but budgeted deputy positions and the recruitment efforts made to fill them.

The day before the order, Bilal’s campaign, Friends of Rochelle Bilal, sent supporters a fundraising email blaming the judges: “The very people demanding more security protection are the ones creating the hostile environment in the first place.” Bilal and her spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the order.