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Remote appearances generally allowed in Traffic Infraction cases, scheduling one indicating consent pursuant to California Penal Code section 1428.5 (the Traffic Arraignment Advisement read first; the appearance confirmation and the directions to the remote appearance links sent by email); the advisement - the rights (the citation read in open court, presence in person at the arraignment and court trial, officers by video unless the defendant objects, an appearance by video as consent to remote appearances by all parties and a waiver of personal presence, counsel for a misdemeanor, a jury trial for a misdemeanor or an Officer Court Trial for an infraction within 45 days, confrontation, subpoenas, testimony or silence, appeal), base fines and Penalties and Assessments, the 1 point and Traffic Violator School (TVS: 18 months from the last, the $70 administrative fee and the school's fee, the request made when the case is heard); the deadlines to schedule a remote appearance with the Clerk’s Office ((209) 725-4107 Merced, (209) 725- 4124 Los Banos) or online - Arraignments, Further Proceedings, and Pay or Appear no later than 3 PM on the court day before the hearing, Court Trials no later than 10 calendar days before the hearing date (officers likewise where the Notice of Court Trial permits remote appearances); evidence submitted by 3 PM on the court day before the hearing; payment online within five (5) business days, fines referred to Court Collections if not paid within fourteen (14) calendar days of the hearing date; and preparing for the appearance (the link confirmed the day before, joining up to 10 minutes early, first and last name and the case number).
California > Fifth Appellate District > Merced County > Superior Court of California, County of Merced
The Court generally allows remote appearances in Traffic Infraction cases. Before appearing remotely, be sure to read the traffic advisement, linked below. Scheduling a remote appearance indicates your consent to a remote appearance pursuant to California Penal Code section 1428.5. After you schedule your remote appearance, you will receive information from the court via email indicating the appearance confirmation and directions to obtain remote appearance links. Traffic Arraignment Advisement Traffic Arraignment Advisement Welcome to the traffic arraignment calendar. The purpose of today’s arraignment calendar is for the Court to advise you of the charges against you, go over all your options under Penal and Vehicle Codes, and for you to tell the Court how you wish to proceed. If you wish to proceed by way of an entry of plea today, the available pleas are guilty, not guilty, or no contest. A plea of no contest has the same effect as a plea of guilty, except that it cannot be used against you in any civil action. At each stage of the traffic court process, everyone is entitled to certain rights. First, you have the right to have the citation or complaint against you read in open court. You have the right to be present in person at the arraignment and court trial. Unless you inform the court that you object to remote appearances by witnesses, officers may appear by video at your court trial. By appearing by video, you are consenting to remote appearances by all parties and waiving your right to be personally present. If you are charged with a misdemeanor, you have the right to be represented by an attorney. If you would like an attorney to assist you, and if you cannot afford to hire one, provided you meet certain financial guidelines, the Court can appoint the Public Defender to help you. You have the right to a trial on the citation or complaint filed against you. If you are charged with a misdemeanor, you have the right to a jury trial, and when you are out of custody, you have the right to such a trial within 45 days of today’s date. If you are charged with an infraction, you have the right to an Officer Court Trial within 45 days of today’s date. Whether a misdemeanor or infraction, you may also waive the right to have your trial within 45 days and choose a Jury Trial or Officer Court Trial date past 45 days. At the trial, you have the right to see, hear, question, confront, and cross-examine any witness that may appear or be called against you. At the trial, you also have the right to bring to court any witness or evidence that may be helpful to your case and use the subpoena powers of the court to enforce that right at no cost to you. At trial, you have the right to testify in your own defense, or in the alternative, the right to not testify, remain silent, and not incriminate yourself. Lastly, you have the right to appeal the Court’s decision. If you enter a plea today of guilty or no contest to an infraction, the Court will set a base fine. The base fines for all traffic infractions are set by the California Legislature. Please be advised that fines and fees imposed by the legislature, called “Penalties and Assessments,” are always added to base fines. Penalties and Assessments differ for every case based on the vehicle code(s) cited and an individual’s past driving record, but typically, Penalties and Assessments substantially increase the base fine. For example: For a defendant with a perfect past driving record, a $35.00 base fine for a speeding citation, with all Penaltie sand Assessments added, may total approximately $237.00. (See the Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule). If you enter a plea today of guilty or no contest to an infraction that is a moving violation under the Vehicle Code, it will appear as 1 point on your DMV driving record. If you wish to convert the 1-point moving violation to 0 points and have the DMV mask the citation from your automobile insurance company, you may attend Traffic Violator School (TVS) if eligible. You MUST state your request to take TVS at the time your case is being heard, or the point will be placed on your record until you complete TVS. To be eligible, it must be 18 months from the violation date for which you last attended TVS to the present violation date; and the violations must be a moving qualifying Vehicle Code Section. Also, there is an additional fee for TVS in addition to the total amount of your traffic violation. There is a $70 administrative fee to attend Traffic Violator school, and the fee that will need to be paid to the TVS school of your choice. The Judicial Officer will advise you of the charges on the citation and will inquire if you have read this advisement. They will then ask how you wish to proceed. You may ask any questions you have, and then you are required to enter a plea. If you plead guilty or no contest, a base fine will be assessed, and possible TVS discussed. If you enter a plea of not guilty and request an Officer Court Trial within 45 days, the Judicial Officer will set a trial date for you. TRAFFIC ONLINE SERVICES Additional information can be found at Traffic | Superior Court of California | County of Merced. PAY TICKET: Your case will be updated and available for online payment within five (5) business days. Fines will be referred to Court Collections for collection if not paid within fourteen (14) calendar days of the hearing date. Online: Traffic | Superior Court of California | County of Merced Mail: Merced Traffic Division, 720 W. 20th Street, Merced, CA 95340, or Robert M. Falasco Justice Center, 1159 G Street, Los Banos, CA 93635 Drop Box: 24-hour drop boxes at the following locations: Drop Boxes and Locations | Superior Court of California | County of Merced Payment Plan: Contact the Clerk’s Office at (209) 725-4107 for Merced and (209) 725- 4124 for Los Banos, or visit the Request a Payment Plan Arrangement section at Traffic | Superior Court of California | County of Merced, for further information. Unable to pay your fine: Visit Can't Afford to Pay Fine: Traffic and Other Infractions | California Courts | Self Help Guide or visit the Financial Hardship and Inability to Pay at Traffic | Superior Court of California | County of Merced TRAFFIC SCHOOL under More Information at Traffic | Superior Court of California | County of Merced VIEW LOCAL FORMS FOR TRAFFIC at Local Forms | Superior Court of California | County of Merced Scheduling Remote Appearances You may schedule and consent to remote appearances before the deadlines noted below by contacting the Clerk’s Office at (209) 725-4107 for Merced and (209) 725-4124 for Los Banos. You may also schedule and consent to remote appearances by submitting your information here. You have the right to be present in person at the arraignment and court trial. Unless you inform the court that you object to remote appearances by witnesses, officers may appear by video at your court trial; by appearing by video, you are consenting to remote appearances by all parties and waiving your right to be personally present. Arraignments Schedule your remote appearance no later than 3 PM on the court day before your hearing. Further Proceedings Schedule your remote appearance no later than 3 PM on the court day before your hearing. You may also indicate a remote appearance during the court hearings before the further proceeding. Pay or Appear Schedule your remote appearance no later than 3 PM on the court day before your hearing. Court Trials Schedule your remote appearance no later than 10 calendar days before the hearing date. You may also indicate a remote appearance during the court hearings before the officer court trial. For officers appearing in court trials, you may schedule your remote appearance if the Notice of Court Trial indicates remote appearances are permitted, no later than 10 calendar days before the hearing date. Evidence must be submitted to the court by 3 PM on the court day before the hearing by mail to the Clerk’s Office, in-person submission at the Clerk’s Office, or by contacting the Clerk’s Office for submission information. Preparing for your Remote Appearance Confirm you received the link to connect the day before the hearing. Prepare in the same way you would if appearing in person. Dress appropriately. Think about your background. It is highly recommended that you be located indoors with limited background noise and distractions. It is highly recommended to use a headset with a mic equipped. Join the meeting up to 10 minutes early. Review the Court’s Remote Appearance Guidance: How to Prepare for Your Court Appearance via Zoom Please enter both your first and last name when joining the meeting. It is highly encouraged to also include your case number. Your case may not be heard at the time the calendar is scheduled to start. The courtroom may admit you into the meeting and place you and all other participants on mute. Only once your case is called, please unmute yourself and turn on your video. Keep in mind that your case may not be called for a few hours.
The Court generally allows remote appearances in Traffic Infraction cases. Before appearing remotely, be sure to read the traffic advisement, linked below. Scheduling a remote appearance indicates your consent to a remote appearance pursuant to California Penal Code section 1428.5. After you schedule your remote appearance, you will receive information from the court via email indicating the appea
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-15 (California T4 Merced build 2026-10-15) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-merced/pages/traffic-remote-appearance.html (the page as fetched 2026-10-15; 634112 bytes, sha256 35baf354d452e2761576e1b1eb1806e554ae9d5239fc0652c5fd9420e7cb84d2) with the Orange HTML composer (compose-site.py, the Judicial Council theme's area): the article's content sections (section.jcc-section), news bodies (div.jcc-news-full) and title banners (div.jcc-hero; the first banner's heading, the page title, is chrome) - the site header, menus, breadcrumb and footer lie outside them; each block starts a line and each table cell is set on its own line; chrome removed: 1 item (the page title, “Traffic - Remote Appearance”); proof (the multiset of non-space characters equals the containers' text less chrome and scripts) passes. Review note: The page says “The Court generally allows remote appearances in Traffic Infraction cases” and has a remote appearance scheduled no later than 3 PM on the court day before an arraignment or further proceeding and 10 calendar days before a court trial; Rule 2.2 (carded with Rules 2 to 2.6) authorizes remote appearances in criminal proceedings, which it defines to include all Traffic matters, “for good cause only on a case-by-case basis”, requested at least two (2) business days in advance - the review task asks which procedure governs traffic infraction cases.
3 verbatim requirements on remote appearances in CALEB S. JOHNSTON's division.
6 verbatim requirements on remote appearances in MICHAEL G. KAPLAN's division.