Here’s the problem.  When a defendant or his attorney needs to get information about a case pending in the Courts of LA he or she has two options 1) they can call the court clerk and have them check the computer for the info or 2) they can pay to go on-line and obtain the data.  The problem with these options is most folks do not want to pony up the 5 bucks just to check on their next date to appear in Court so they call and bug the court staff, which coincidentally costs the county more money than it would take to simply make the information available free on the web.  Other counties have done it, San Bernardino, Orange, Kern, just to name a few.  Come on Los Angeles we live in the age of internet, make the information available to the public.