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Chapter 2 (Rules 2.00 to 2.09): meetings of the judges - an annual meeting in the first two weeks of November, notice five days before it or 24 hours before a special meeting (Rule 2.00); the presiding judge and assistant presiding judge, elected by secret ballot for two-year terms beginning January 1 of an even year (Rule 2.01); court commissioners and juvenile referees (Rule 2.02); the court locations - the Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo; 901 Park Street, Paso Robles; 214 S. 16th Street, Grover Beach; the Juvenile Services Center, 1065 Kansas Avenue; and Veterans Hall, 801 Grand Street (Rule 2.03); the Court Executive Officer, who is also the court's clerk and jury commissioner (Rule 2.04); court personnel and the conflict of interest code (Rules 2.05 to 2.07); court security by the Sheriff and the rules on weapons and conduct (Rule 2.08); and remote court appearances by videoconference - the participants connect at least five (5) minutes early for a pre-hearing check, appearance procedure and decorum, no recording except under California Rules of Court, Rule 1.150 (Rule 2.09).
California > Second Appellate District > San Luis Obispo County > Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo
CHAPTER 2 – COURT ORGANIZATION AND PERSONNEL RULE 2.00 MEETINGS OF JUDGES (a) Annual Meetings An annual meeting of the judges must be held before or during the first two weeks of November of each year at a time and place to be designated by the presiding judge or a majority of the judges. (b) Notice Of Meetings: Quorum Written or verbal notice of meetings must be given, by the secretary of the presiding judge or otherwise, to each judge not less than five days before an annual meeting or 24 hours before a special meeting. A majority of the judges of the court must constitute a quorum for the transaction of court business at a meeting. (c) Special Meetings Additional judges meetings must be held at a time and place designated by the presiding judge or a majority of the judges. (d) Parliamentary Law Applicable to All Meetings Except as otherwise provided by law, the California Rules of Court, or these rules, the conduct of all meetings of judicial officers and committees of this court must be governed by the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order. (Amended 7/1/02) RULE 2.01 PRESIDING JUDGE AND ASSISTANT PRESIDING JUDGE (a) Election, Tenure and Removal At the annual meeting held before or during the first two weeks of the November of an odd calendar year, a majority of the judges appointed to the Court must elect, by secret ballot, a presiding judge and an assistant presiding judge. The presiding judge and assistant presiding judge must each serve for a term of two years commencing on the first day of the next even calendar year (January 1) and ending on the last day of the subsequent odd calendar year (December 31). A presiding judge or assistant presiding judge may be removed from office by a majority of the judges of the Court, voting by secret ballot, at a special meeting. If a judge is unable to personally attend any annual or special meeting held pursuant to this section, the judge may attend by telephone conference or by video conference. In the event of a telephonic or video appearance, the judge must register his or her vote by sending a ballot by email, fax or text message to the Court Executive Officer. The judge’s vote shall be held in confidence by the Court Executive Officer and not disclosed to the other judges. If technological difficulties arise from a telephonic or video appearance, the judge assumes the risk that his or her vote will not be tallied. (b) Selection and Succession Selection of the presiding judge and assistant presiding judge must be made on the basis of administrative qualifications and interest rather than by rotation or seniority, as provided by Rule 10.602 of the California Rules of Court. The assistant presiding judge must, subject to the elective process herein provided, be selected with the anticipation that he or she will succeed to the office of presiding judge at some future time. There must, however, be no limitation on the number of successive terms that may be served by presiding judge or assistant presiding judge. (c) Duties The presiding judge must perform the duties enumerated in Rule 10.603 of the California Rules of Court. In addition, with the concurrence of a majority of the judges and after election, the presiding judge must designate in November of each year the calendar assignments for each judge and court commissioner, for the ensuing calendar year commencing on December 1. The assistant presiding judge must perform such duties as may be assigned from time to time by the presiding judge, and in the absence of the presiding judge must exercise the powers of the presiding judge. (d) Judicial Schedules The presiding judge must adopt a process for scheduling judges’ vacations and absences from court for attendance at schools, conferences, workshops, or to participate in Judicial Council or other authorized committees or community outreach activities, and must prepare a plan for these vacations and absences from court. (1) Vacation Defined For the purposes of this section and subsection (c) of Rule 10.603 of the California Rules of Court, a day of vacation is defined as any day when a judge schedules a full days absence from the Court with the presiding judge, which is not an absence planned by the presiding judge for attending an authorized education program, conference or workshop for judges, or to participate in Judicial Council or other authorized committees or community outreach activities. Absences from the Court due to illness are not considered vacation time off. (e) Acting Presiding Judge In the absence or inability to act of both the presiding judge and assistant presiding judge, the powers of the presiding judge must be exercised by a judge designated by the presiding judge to be the acting presiding judge. (f) Grand Jury The presiding judge, or one of the judges designated by the presiding judge, must impanel and have charge of the proceedings of the grand jury and must act as the liaison between the court and the grand jury. All indictments must be presented to the presiding judge or such judge as the presiding judge may from time to time designate. (g) Vacancy in Office (1) Vacancy of Presiding Judge If the office of the presiding judge becomes vacant, or the presiding judge, because of disability, is unable to discharge the duties of the office, the assistant presiding judge must succeed to the office of presiding judge for the unexpired term of the presiding judge. (2) Vacancy of Assistant Presiding Judge If the office of assistant presiding judge becomes vacant, the presiding judge must conduct a special election at a meeting of judges of the court to select an interim assistant presiding judge to serve the unexpired term of the assistant presiding judge. (3) If the offices of both the presiding judge and the assistant presiding judge become vacant, the last former presiding judge who is still a member of the court must become the acting presiding judge and must serve as such until the vacant offices are filled by election. The acting presiding judge must conduct a special election to elect a presiding judge and assistant presiding judge to serve the unexpired terms of the presiding judge and assistant presiding judge, respectively. (Amended 1/1/12) RULE 2.02 COURT COMMISSIONER The judges of the court may appoint persons as court commissioners pursuant to Government Code section 70141. The judges of the court may appoint persons as juvenile referees pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 247. The duties of such person(s) must be appropriate for subordinate judicial officers and/or as prescribed by statute. (Amended 1/1/08) RULE 2.03 COURT LOCATIONS (a) The Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo will regularly sit at the following court locations: Courthouse Annex 1035 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 901 Park Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446 214 S. 16th Street, Grover Beach, CA 93433 Juvenile Services Center, 1065 Kansas Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 Veterans Hall, 801 Grand Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 (Subd (a) amended effective July 1, 2023; previously amended January 1, 2012) (b) Designation of Headquarters The San Luis Obispo location will be deemed the headquarters for administrative purposes. Each location will have concurrent county-wide jurisdiction. In addition, the court may conduct sessions at any appropriate location within the County of San Luis Obispo at the direction of the judge presiding at such hearing. RULE 2.04 COURT ADMINISTRATION (a) There must be one employee of the court who must be known as the Court Executive Officer. This officer is also the Clerk of the Court and is responsible for all civil case functions, administrative functions, and criminal case and traffic case functions. This officer is also the Jury Commissioner. There must also be one employee of the court who must be known as the Assistant Court Executive Officer. This officer must be appointed by a majority vote of the judges. (b) Except as otherwise directed by the presiding judge, the duties of this officer must be as set forth in Rule 10.610of the California Rules of Court. (Amended 1/1/06) RULE 2.05 COURT PERSONNEL (a) Definition All persons appearing on the payroll of the Court as permanent employees must be considered Court personnel and state trial court employees as defined in the Trial Court Employment Protection and Governance Act [Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 71600) of Title 8 of the California Government Code). (1) Judges Only persons elected or appointed to the office of the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo shall be considered judicial personnel. (2) Officers Court commissioners, referees of the juvenile court, traffic referees, court attorneys, and the court executive officer are the officers of the court. (3) Employees All court personnel who are neither judges of the court nor court officers will be considered court employees. (b) Conditions of Service (1) All officers and employees of the court must be subject to the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, Personnel Rules and Procedures. (Amended 7/1/02) RULE 2.06 COURT EMPLOYMENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST CODE (a) Adoption of Code This rule must constitute the Court's Conflict of Interest Code as required by Government Code Section 87300, and hereby incorporates by reference California Administrative Code, Title 2, Section 18730 ("Standard Code") and any amendments to it. This court also in adopting the court personnel rules and procedures adopts the conflict of interest provisions set forth in those rules. (b) Place of Filing Statements of Economic Interest Pursuant to Section 4(c) of the Standard Code, designated employees must file statement of economic interests with the Human Resources Department of the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo. (c) Appendices to the Standard Code The Court adopts the following appendices to the Standard Code. (Amended 1/1/11) APPENDIX I – DESIGNATED CLASSIFICATIONS DESIGNATED EMPLOYEE, CONTRACTOR OR CONSULTANT CLASSIFICATIONS Position Disclosure Category Court Executive Officer 1,2,4 Assistant Court Executive Officer 1,2,4 All Directors 1,2,4 All Operations Officers 1,2,4 Family Law Facilitator 3,4 All Court Attorneys 3,4 All Department Managers 1,2,4 All Analysts 1,2,4 Accountant I/II 1,2,4 Consultant – as designated by the Court Executive Officer* _________________________ *Consultants for this purpose are individuals assisting the Court in carrying out managerial functions and shall disclose pursuant to the broadest disclosure category in the code subject to the following limitations: The Executive Officer may designate in writing that a particular consultant is hired to perform a range of duties requiring compliance with the disclosure requirements described in this section. The Executive Officer’s determination is a public record and shall be retained for public inspection in the same manner and location as this conflict of interest code. (Appendix I amended effective January 1, 2023; previously amended January 1, 2011, July 1, 2022.) APPENDIX II – DISCLOSURE CATEGORIES Category 1. Employees or consultants assigned to this disclosure category shall report interests in real property located within San Luis Obispo County or within two miles of San Luis Obispo County. Category 2. Employees or consultants assigned to this disclosure category shall report investments in business positions and income from business entities engaged in the manufacture, sale, lease or provision of supplies, materials, equipment, real property and services of the type used by this Court within the past two (2) years. Category 3. Employees or consultants in a designated classification assigned to this disclosure category shall report all investments, sources of income, interests in real property, and positions in business entitled as follows: If during a reporting period a designated employee in this category did not participate in, or was not required to disqualify himself or herself from participating in, a case or other assignment in which he or she had a financial interest as defined by section 87103 of the Government Code, the employee shall sign a statement to that effect under penalty of perjury. This statement shall be filed as the statement of economic interests required by section 4(c) of the Standard Code. An employee who disqualified himself or herself from participating in a case or assignment in which he or she had a financial interest shall disclose the case or assignment and the disqualifying interest and file the statement with the Court Executive Officer. Category 4. The name and address of the donor of any gift valued at $50.00 or more must be reported; a description and estimated value of the gift must also be reported. Reportable gifts include gifts from business entities or individuals providing services which contract with or furnish goods or services to the designated employee or otherwise solicit business from the designated employee. If the donor may be affected by any decision made or participated in by such designated employee, gifts are reportable if received from any source under which the designated employee is required to report income and/or investments. No designated employee shall accept gifts from any single source in any calendar year with a total value of more than two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00). (Government Code §89503(c)) (Amended 1/1/11) RULE 2.07 GIFTS No court employee shall accept, solicit, or agree to accept any gift, favor or anything of value based upon any understanding, either explicit or implicit that the official actions, decisions, or judgment of any court employee would be influenced thereby. (Amended 7/1/11) RULE 2.08 COURT SECURITY AND CONDUCT (a) Security Security in the courtroom will be maintained by the Sheriff of the County of San Luis Obispo. (b) Weapons (1) No person, other than a currently employed peace officer or authorized court personnel shall bring any weapon into any courtroom. Authorization for court personnel must be given only by the presiding judge. (2) No party to a case, including a currently employed peace officer shall possess any weapon in a courtroom. (3) All persons in possession of a weapon, even if authorized, must disclose such fact to the bailiff of the courtroom before entry and in any event as soon as possible after entry. (c) Dress No person will appear in court without a shirt, or barefoot or wearing a tank top (or tube top or crop top), shorts or a hat. (d) Restricted Areas The following areas of the court premises are reserved for the exclusive use of the judiciary and court staff: (1) San Luis Obispo The offices of the clerk of the court in Rooms 220 and 385, chambers and adjoining hallways, and the gated and fenced parking area. (2) Paso Robles Branch The office of the clerk for the criminal, civil, and small claims divisions and chambers. (3) Grover Beach The office of the clerk of the court in the modular building; the cashier’s office and chambers in the courthouse; the gated and fenced parking area and area in between the modular and courthouse building. (Subd (d)(3) adopted effective January 1, 2022) (4) Juvenile Services Center Chambers and Office of the Clerk of the Court. These areas described above are limited to the judiciary and court staff. Members of the public, law enforcement, attorneys and their staff and other individuals are specifically prohibited from entering these areas unless directed to enter by a staff member for the purpose of conducting court business. Court staff will be responsible for enforcing these restrictions by requesting anyone other than court staff to leave. Bailiffs of the court are to remove individuals who violate this court order and report violations to the presiding judge. (Subd (d) amended effective July 1, 2026.) Rule 2.08 amended effective January 1, 2004. RULE 2.09 REMOTE COURT APPEARANCES VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING (a) Program Overview (1) A judicial officer may set a hearing to be conducted by a remote court appearance via videoconferencing (hereinafter referred to as “remote video appearance(s)”), as permitted by law. (2) During a remote video appearance, some or all of the participants in the hearing may appear at the hearing remotely by utilizing a videoconferencing platform (such as Zoom or WebEx). This includes the judicial officer, court staff, attorneys, parties, witnesses, court interpreters, and other participants. The participants who appear remotely will connect to the hearing through an electronic device, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, cellular telephone/smartphone, or other mobile electronic device. When a matter is set to be heard by remote video appearance, the Court will provide the participants with instructions in advance for joining the videoconference. Participants shall ensure that the electronic device is equipped with both a camera and a microphone to participate in the remote video proceeding, unless the Court has authorized another means of participating. (3) The Court may consider alternative arrangements for participation in the hearing when a litigant or participant does not have access to the technology to participate in a remote video appearance. (4) All attorneys, parties, and other participants making remote video appearances must connect to the court session at least five (5) minutes before the scheduled court appearance in order to participate in a pre-hearing check with the courtroom clerk. (5) Existing rules and procedures regarding the making of the record by a court reporter or electronic device, or for obtaining a transcript after the hearing, apply to remote video appearances. Participants may not record or broadcast the remote video appearance except in compliance with California Rules of Court, Rule 1.150. A violation of this local rule may result in the imposition of sanctions as set forth in subsection (f) of Rule 1.150. (6) The Court may terminate the remote video appearance if participants do not comply with the following rules regarding procedure and decorum. (b) Appearance Procedure Participants using a videoconferencing platform in remote video appearances, including attorneys, parties, and other participants must: (1) Ensure that they have sufficient battery power for the entire remote video appearance, including having a charger readily available, and access to enough cellular data and/or Wi-Fi for the duration of the remote video appearance; (2) Eliminate, to the greatest extent possible, all ambient and/or distracting noise from the participant’s location; (3) Ensure consistent lighting, avoiding rooms with bright windows and/or back-lighting, so that the participant can be seen; (4) Mute their phones and/or not speak until it is their turn to speak or their case is called; (5) Speak directly into the microphone on the electronic device used to connect to the court session; and (6) Speak slowly, avoid interrupting others, and identify themselves each time they speak. (c) Decorum Participants in a remote video appearance must: (1) Participate in the remote video appearance with the same degree of courtesy, decorum, use of appropriate language, and courtroom etiquette as required for a personal courtroom appearance; and (2) Dress appropriately in the same manner as they would for a personal appearance in court, without sunglasses and/or hats. Rule 2.09 adopted effective May 11, 2020.
CHAPTER 2 – COURT ORGANIZATION AND PERSONNEL RULE 2.00 MEETINGS OF JUDGES (a) Annual Meetings An annual meeting of the judges must be held before or during the first two weeks of November of each year at a time and place to be designated by the presiding judge or a majority of the judges. (b) Notice Of Meetings: Quorum Written or verbal notice of meetings must be given, by the secretary of the pre
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-08 (California T4 San Luis Obispo build 2026-10-08) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-san-luis-obispo/docs/local-rules/local-rules-be-effective-july-1-2026.pdf (the court's rule book, “Rules of the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, Effective July 1, 2026”, as fetched 2026-10-08; 1342001 bytes, sha256 529d32bded120bc75a274269fb81bc94001fed283619190951cbc84909e80ffe; 144 pages) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow) over the rule body (PDF pages 11 to 130, printed 1 to 120): each page's running header (“San Luis Obispo Superior Court”) and printed page number removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the rules' paragraphs; the one struck word in the book (Rule 11.1902(c), read on the page image) set aside as chrome with the composer's strike_out, so the card reads the rule as amended; the body cut at the chapter headings (“CHAPTER N –”), which reassemble it; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass. The cover, the table of contents, Appendix I (the schedule of fees), Appendix II (the local forms lists) and the index belong to no chapter; Chapters 6, 8, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 29 print only repealed rules and have no card; the book has no Chapter 17.
Division XI: information forms for data processing (Rule 11.2); required action - action taken on all calendared cases and a future date always set (Rule 11.19); and pro tem judges - an attorney named as a plaintiff in a civil or small claims case may not sit as a judge pro-tem during the case or within six months following its resolution, nor one named as a defendant in two or more such cases (Rule 11.22). Rules 11.1, 11.3 to 11.5, 11.7 to 11.18, 11.20 and 11.21 are repealed, and Rule 11.6 (voluntary arbitration; see Local Rule 10.2) was repealed and renumbered.
Duval County's indigent-defense and magistration rules under the Texas Fair Defense Act (S.B. 7): who may be booked into the county jail and on what paper; arrest-case numbering; presentment to a magistrate within 48 hours (art. 15.16); the magistrate's warnings, counsel inquiry, interpreter duty, indigence determination and appointment of counsel within 24 hours of a request; the alternative appointment plan under art. 26.04(g)-(h) with annual applications, seven attorney categories (capital, first and second degree, third degree/state jail/misdemeanor, competency, appeals, post-conviction, extradition), CLE and experience standards, random rotation within each category, written acceptance within 48 hours, first contact by the end of the next working day, replacement and suspension of counsel, fee applications within five days of completing services and the compensation attachment ($500 pleas; $175/$150 hourly; $1,400 per jury-trial day; appellate caps); bail schedules by offense class with a personal bond office (fee $20 or 3%), pre-trial supervision and revocation hearings within two working days; arraignment settings and notice; repeal of conflicting rules.