FRENCH VALLEY - During a break from jury duty at the Southwest Justice Center, Elizabeth Lopez left the courtroom and hurried to her car.

With the lot packed, Lopez and many others parked outside the courthouse on Auld Road, where several no-parking signs are posted.

"You come here to do your civic duty and you're worried you might get your car towed," the 46-year-old Hemet woman said. "That's our biggest complaint about jury duty."

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Frank Bellino / The Press-Enterprise

People search for parking spaces at the Southwest Justice Center parking lot.

Lopez said she spent half an hour looking for a parking spot that recent day, and on the next day decided to arrive 45 minutes early to ensure she got a space in the courthouse lot.

Visitors and courthouse regulars said parking at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley becomes a serious problem when residents from throughout Southwest Riverside County are called in for jury duty.

The need for more parking spaces has been noticed by Sherrill Ellsworth, Riverside County supervising judge for the mid-county division that includes the Southwest Justice Center.

"We do have a problem," said Ellsworth, who hears cases and has an office at the Southwest Justice Center.

Ellsworth will discuss the issue at a May meeting with other judges in the mid-county region, she said, to see what kind of solutions may exist. Ellsworth added that she'll also talk to Riverside County Presiding Judge Richard Fields.

The justice center complex is home to the courthouse, the Southwest jail and the Temecula Police Department/Riverside County sheriff's Southwest station.

On a typical day, the parking lot gets crowded, said lawyer Nic Cocis, a courthouse regular.

When jury selection is underway, parked cars start lining Auld Road. Also, motorists park in a nearby dirt lot, he said.

Last week, many vehicles were parked along the street and almost 100 were in a dirt field across the street from the courthouse, he said.

"I do feel bad for jurors and for people who actually have to use the court," he said. "They are either looking for a parking space or tied up in the line waiting to get inside."

Cocis, like other regulars, said he avoids the parking conundrum by arriving early.

For Lake Elsinore resident Shirley Bridges, finding a parking space has taken up to 15 minutes on some days.

"I went around the parking lot six or seven times," she said. "They really need more spots."

Reach Tammy McCoy at 951-375-3729 or tmccoy@PE.com