SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An audit released Wednesday criticizes the financial management of California’s court system, saying questionable spending by the agency that helps administer its budget cost cash-strapped courts millions of dollars.The Administrative Office of the Courts paid some of its staff members more than the governor and could save $7 million annually by using state employees instead of contractors and temporary employees in some cases, the audit found.It questioned a total of $30 million in compensation and other expenses over a four-year period ending in 2013 and said the Judicial Council, which oversees the administrative office, was not adequately monitoring the office’s spending.“Public confidence in the judicial system stems, in part, from confidence that the system’s administrators manage its operations efficiently and appropriately,” State Auditor Elaine Howle wrote. “This report concludes that questionable fiscal and operational decisions by the Judicial Council and the AOC have limited funds available to the courts.”California’s court system — the largest in the country — has faced budget cuts in recent years that have seen scores of courtrooms closed and thousands of employees laid off. Its budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year was $3.1 billion.In a statement, California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said the council was already in the process of implementing some of the audit recommendations.