In the March 1 Fresno Bee, the paper's editors has this editorial supporting Chief Judge Lawrence O'Neill's call for more EDCA judges. Here's the gist:
The reason is simple: The Eastern District is among the busiest court systems in the nation. Eastern District judges have twice the caseload of the national average of their colleagues. And if something isn’t done — and fast — O’Neill says a key part of the judicial process will grind to a halt. Facing pending retirements, the only way forward if no new judges join the bench is for the Eastern District to stop hearing civil cases, O’Neill says.