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35 rules
The court's Juvenile Division page: juvenile justice and juvenile dependency cases heard at the Watsonville Courthouse; juvenile transfer-in hearings - dependency on Tuesday/Thursday at 9:30 AM at the Watsonville Court (subject to change), juvenile justice on Monday/Tuesday at 1:30 PM at the Watsonville Court and on Wednesday at 1:30 PM and Friday at 8:30 AM at Felton Juvenile Hall (3650 Graham Hill Road, Felton), filed at 1 Second Street, Watsonville; and answers on arrests and detention, the right to an attorney, fees, citations and the sealing of juvenile records.
The court's Language Access page: qualified court interpreters at no cost in criminal, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, probate, mental health, family law, civil harassment, unlawful detainer, traffic, small claims and other limited civil cases; requesting, cancelling or confirming an interpreter through the Language Access Coordinator (access@santacruzcourt.org or 831-420-2427), in person at the clerk's offices, or in court; Judicial Council Form INT 300 for civil cases; the language access complaint process; and, under California Rule of Court 1.300, forms LA-350 and LA-400 for court-ordered services in the litigant's language.
The court's Remote Appearance page: the Zoom meeting of each department, calendar and program by case type (Departments A to D, Departments 1 to 7 and 10, Felton Juvenile Hall, family law settlement conferences, Family Court Services, the Self Help Center); for non-criminal cases, notice to the court and all other parties on form RA-010 and evidence submitted and served before the scheduled date; for criminal cases, remote appearances by misdemeanor defendants at any hearing except trials and by felony defendants at some hearings, under Penal Code Section 977; for traffic and infraction cases, remote arraignments for all defendants and remote court trials only for pro-per defendants with a medical, financial or travel hardship; no remote option for the media or public to observe; and the prohibition of recording consistent with the California Rules of Court, rule 1.150.
The court's procedure for the electronic audio recording of proceedings in civil limited, misdemeanor and traffic cases: the Court's Electronic Recording Request Form emailed to courtrecords@santacruzcourt.org or dropped off in Room 110 at the Santa Cruz Courthouse, with payment ($20 for the first hearing; $5 for each additional hearing date) and a general processing time of 7 business days; the audio delivered by a download link; and, following Local Rule 10.1.06, transcription arranged directly with the transcriber authorized by the Court, eScribers.
The court's procedure for a hearing date on the law and motion or probate calendar: the date is obtained from the calendar clerk by email (civilinfo@santacruzcourt.org) and reserved before the papers are filed, the email giving the case number, the filing party, the type of hearing and availability; probate settings Monday, Wednesday, Friday, all hearing types set 9 weeks out; civil settings in Law and Motion Dept 10 (Tuesday & Thursday) and Dept 5 (CEQA cases, Class Actions, Petitions for Writ of Mandate; Monday, Wednesday & Friday), hard matters 12 weeks out and all other motions at least 45 days out; and taking a matter off calendar by email.
The guidelines (with comments referencing authorities) for a motion for preliminary approval - the class definition, a case summary, the settlement terms and their evaluation, settlements requiring claims, coupon settlements, cy pres distributions, notice to class members under California Rule of Court 3.766, typicality and adequacy of representation, costs and fees, the exhibits (the settlement agreement, the proposed notice, claim and exclusion forms, and a proposed schedule) and additional information - and for a motion for final approval: the preliminary approval papers, how notice in fact was given, opt-outs, objections and claims, the evaluation of the settlement, a lodestar calculation for attorneys' fees, costs, incentive payments and administration costs, and a final report on settlement administration when ordered. Its first line credits the Federal Judicial Center.
The court's list of civil hard matters (01/01/20; printed “Adopted for INTERNAL USE”): summary judgment and adjudication, demurrers, motions to strike and SLAP motions, reconsideration, motions to tax costs or attorney fees, discovery motions (to compel answers, production and depositions, to re-open discovery, protective orders and admissions), motions for protective order, judgment on the pleadings, motions to quash, for change of venue, to compel arbitration and to expunge lis pendens, petitions for writ of mandate, preliminary injunctions, and motions to certify a class action.
The court's rules for evidence when a party appears remotely in civil, probate, family law, small claims, juvenile dependency and juvenile justice matters (2/04/2022): evidence provided before the hearing date by parties who have given or received notice of intent to appear remotely; attorneys e-file all exhibits as a single PDF document with a cover sheet and index; self-represented litigants e-file or submit over the counter with a cover sheet and a statement of how a copy was provided to the other party; service and submission 7 court days prior in probate, family law, small claims and civil short cause trials, 5 court days prior in unlawful detainers, and as directed by the judge for long cause trials, restraining orders and dependency; service by any method including mail, email, fax or personal delivery; and untimely evidence excluded barring good cause.
The court's policies adopted pursuant to Government Code section 7284.8(a) (created November 2018, reviewed March 2026): wide access to justice through pseudonyms where feasible, no disclosure of or inquiry into immigration status by court personnel except as required, and fewer required appearances and remote appearances where permitted; for children, arrests for immigration enforcement purposes prohibited within juvenile courthouses or courtrooms unless there is an immediate risk to the safety and protection of the public; for immigrant crime victims, U Nonimmigrant Status Certifications (Form I-918) completed by all hearing officers upon request; staff training and responses to requests for access to nonpublic restricted areas and to administrative warrants, judicial warrants, subpoenas and notices to appear; and limits on collecting and releasing personal information, release dates and juvenile case file information.
The court's procedure for playing a video as evidence at a trial or evidentiary hearing, in person or remote (5/9/2022): the court's preferred method - the video uploaded to a video-sharing platform as public and the link emailed to all parties and the court before the hearing, with the case number and hearing date in the subject line, to the court's address for the case type (familylawinfo@santacruzcourt.org, smallclaimsinfo@santacruzcourt.org, civilinfo@santacruzcourt.org); or screen sharing from a laptop or computer, never a smart phone or tablet, after the video is shared with all parties before the court date.
Division Eight (Superior Court Appellate Division; Rules 8.1.01 to 8.1.06): Code of Civil Procedure § 77 and California Rules of Court 8.800 through 8.891; notices of appeal filed with the Appeals Clerk in Room 110 at the Santa Cruz Court facility (juvenile dependency appeals with the Dependency Clerk at the Watsonville Court facility); ex parte applications submitted to the Appeals Clerk for the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division; writ proceedings; infraction cases; and the original trial court file used instead of a clerk’s transcript, with transcripts of electronically recorded proceedings in electronic form only (Rule 8.1.06).
Division Eleven (Exhibits; Rules 11.1.01 and 11.1.02): exhibits the Executive Officer/Clerk will not accept or retain - bulky, heavy, hazardous or toxic waste material, or biological material, each defined in a footnote; exhibit lists for evidence on removable storage devices; toxic materials under Penal Code § 1417.3(b); the exhibits not sent to the exhibits custodian (explosives, flammables, corrosives, controlled substances, firearms, knives and other weapons) and the photographs, technical reports or dummy objects used in their place; 8 ½” x 11” photographs in place of foam boards; and civil, probate and family law exhibits returned to the offering party at the conclusion of trial and kept until 60 days after a final judgment or dismissal (Rule 11.1.02).
Division Five (Criminal Practice; Rules 5.1.01 to 5.1.17): criminal departments, consolidation into the lowest numbered case and probation violation assignments; Title 4 of the California Rules of Court; pretrial motions served and filed at least ten (10) court days before the hearing, opposition five (5) and replies two (2) court days before, misdemeanor motions to suppress set for confirmation the Tuesday before, and Penal Code § 995 motions set on a different date; trial readiness conferences at 9:00 a.m. on the Wednesday two weeks before trial, and in limine motions, witness and exhibit lists and jury instructions filed by 12 noon on the date of the Calendar Call; a $50 fee to set aside a bail bond forfeiture; real property bonds (a noticed motion at least 10 days before the hearing) and personal surety bonds; diversion restitution of $200 for misdemeanor offenses and $350 for felony offenses; search warrants reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office; expert witness fee applications (local form SUPCR 1127); habeas corpus writs assigned to the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division; community service credit; the clerk's ability-to-pay determinations; requests to calendar on local court form SUPCR 205; and the local criminal bail schedule, reviewed annually (Rule 5.1.17).
Division Four (Probate Rules; Rules 4.1 to 4.5): required appearances; the Probate Attorney's review and the Pre-Approval List one day prior to the hearing; trial on contested matters (meet and confer no later than fourteen calendar days before trial; trial briefs no later than seven (7) court days before); petitions and status reports filed at least 15 days prior to the hearing; proposed orders and letters by the fifth court day prior; ex parte matters determined on the papers by 2:30 p.m. (temporary conservatorship and guardianship paperwork no later than 10:00 a.m. five (5) court days before the ex parte date); blocked accounts; and the probate referees (Rule 4.1); probate of estates - special administration, petitions for probate (Judicial Council form DE-111), notices, bond waivers, the Inventory and Appraisal (DE-160) within four months, sales of real property and overbids, distribution, and compensation, ordinarily no more than 75% of the statutory compensation before final distribution (Rule 4.2); conservatorships and guardianships - temporary appointments, forty-five (45) days' notice, a $750.00 fee for the Court Investigator and $250.00 for each later investigation or review, independent powers, limited conservatorships, local form SUPPR 1085, accounts, reports, fees, and compensation not exceeding $40 per hour (Rule 4.3); trusts - accounts, petitions under Probate Code § 850 with notice under section 851, and trustee compensation under Estate of Nazro (Rule 4.4); and special needs trusts (Rule 4.5).
Division Nine (Miscellaneous; Rules 9.1 and 9.2): a written transcription with any audio recording offered into evidence (Rule 9.1.01); official reporting services - the departments in which official court reporters are normally available (felony, juvenile dependency and juvenile justice, freedom from control, contested LPS conservatorships, and contempt of DCSS orders), those in which they are not, procuring a private certified court reporter pro tempore, and the request of a party granted a fee waiver for an official court reporter on Judicial Council Form FW-020 at least 10 calendar days before (Rule 9.1.02); and recording in court, renamed and renumbered as Rule 1.5.01 (Rule 9.2).
Division One (General Rules; Rules 1.1 to 1.5): the application of the local rules, the presiding judge, who serves for a two year term, and the assistant presiding judge (Rules 1.1.01 to 1.1.08); a judge's vacation day (Rule 1.1.09); elisors in civil and probate cases and in family law cases - the application or request for order, the supporting declaration, the proposed order, and signing within up to three (3) court days (Rule 1.1.10); the Prevention of Bias Committee (Rule 1.1.11); hours of operation and requests for copies (Rule 1.2); electronic filing, required for civil, family, probate, LPS, appellate, criminal (subsequent filings only), juvenile justice (subsequent filings only), and dependency case types, its exceptions, documents received at or prior to 11:59 p.m. deemed filed that court day, and criminal trial documents for the Master Calendar no later than 12 p.m. (Rule 1.3); remote appearances on Zoom - non-criminal cases under Code of Civil Procedure § 367.75, criminal cases under Penal Code §977 with local court form SUPCR 321, Waiver of Defendant’s Personal Presence, oral argument in the Appellate Division on Optional Local Form SUPAPP-100, and public and media access in person only, a non-party's request for remote access made at least two court days prior (Rule 1.4); and photography, broadcasting and recording in court-controlled spaces, prohibited without prior permission from the court, with media requests on Judicial Council form MC-500 (Rule 1.5.01).
Division Seven (Arbitration/Mediation; Rules 7.1.01 to 7.1.04): the court's preference for mediation, no case ordered to mediation without the stipulation of all parties; the Judicial Mediation Program - requests on the Case Management Conference Statement, Judicial Council form CM-110, or local form SUPCV 1012 at least 10 days before the case management conference, one week per month or eight half-day sessions per month in each civil department, and continuances on local form SUPCV 1013; confidential mediation briefs at least five court days prior, not to exceed 10 pages with up to 20 additional pages of exhibits (Rule 7.1.03); and pro-tem panel arbitration and panel mediation (Rule 7.1.04).
Division Six (Juvenile Court Rules; Rules 6.1 to 6.4): the Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office at 1 Second Street, Watsonville, and the viewing of files; the confidentiality warning on juvenile court documents; motions with a proof of service; ex parte applications under California Rule of Court 3.1200; input on placement in a short-term residential therapeutic program on form JV-236, at least two court days before the hearing (Rule 6.1); dependency matters - the collaborative court, confidentiality, settlement conferences before every contested hearing, access to minors, the presence of children, attorneys with at least 12 hours of training and 8 hours of continuing education every year, client complaints, contested hearings, dependency mediation through Family Court Services, and the Mexican Consulate’s access to juvenile court records (Rule 6.2); the Court Appointed Special Advocate program (Rule 6.3); and juvenile justice attorneys' qualifications - 12 hours of training or 50% of practice, 8 hours of continuing education every year, and Judicial Council Form JV-700 (Rule 6.4).
Division Ten (Electronic Recording of Proceedings; Rules 10.1.01 to 10.1.09): electronic recording of proceedings in limited civil cases and misdemeanor or infraction cases under Government Code § 69957; equipment and monitors under California Rules of Court 2.952 and 2.954; the monitor's certificate and the maintenance of recordings; transcripts accepted only if prepared by the transcriber authorized by the Court, with the requestor arranging and paying for transcription directly with the transcriber; and requests for recordings made to the Judges’ Chambers Office.
Division Three (Family Law; Rules 3.1 to 3.8): meet and confer, completion of forms, the initial status conference set approximately 180 days from filing, status conferences (local form SUPFL 1034 filed no later than 10 days before the court date; SUPFL 1013 to move it), the Request for Trial on local form SUPFL 1042 and trial continuances (Rules 3.1.03 to 3.1.07); Voluntary Settlement Conferences - eligibility, requests on mandatory Local Form SUPFL 500, rescheduling on mandatory Local Form SUPFL 501, confidential settlement conference statements five court days prior (Rule 3.1.08); judicial mediation briefs at least seven (7) court days prior (Rule 3.1.09); ex partes in family law - notice by 10:00 a.m. the court day before the 1:00 p.m. hearing, as indicated on Judicial Council form FL-303, papers to the Watsonville Courthouse by 3:00 p.m., and objections by 10:00 a.m. (Rule 3.1.13); service by publication or posting, assignment of cases and challenges, continuances on forms FL-306, FL-307 and FL-309, and the Domestic Violence Coordination Protocol (Rules 3.1.14 to 3.1.17); support calculations (Rule 3.2.01); Child Custody Recommending Counseling - three free hours every 12 months - evaluations under Evidence Code Section 730, communication, referrals, private mediation, complaints, and supervised visitation providers (FL-324(P), FL-324(NP)) (Rule 3.3); the online co-parenting course (Rule 3.4); the family law facilitator (Rule 3.5); order preparation (Rule 3.6.01); and counsel for minor children (FL-322, FL-323) (Rule 3.8).
Division Two (Civil Rules; Rules 2.1 to 2.11): case management - the first conference set approximately 120 days from filing (collection cases approximately 360 days), cross-complaints, and continuances on local form SUPCV 1014 filed no later than ten (10) calendar days before the conference (Rule 2.1); trial setting, the long cause calendar call on the Thursday two weeks before trial at 1:30 p.m., motions in limine and responses at least 2 court days before their hearing, short cause trials on the daily 8:30 a.m. Law & Motion Calendar, trial briefs, and continuances of trials - traffic and minor violation trials (requests received fifteen days prior) and all other trials on local form SUPCV 1013 (Rule 2.2); compromises of minors' claims, filed at least ten (10) days before the hearing (Rule 2.3); the law and motion calendar - hearing dates cleared with the Clerk's Office, continuances, argument limited to ten (10) minutes per side, informal discovery conferences with a Joint Statement at least five (5) court days prior, and unlawful detainer demurrers and motions to strike (Rule 2.4); class settlement approval motions under the California Superior Court Guidelines (Rule 2.6.01); attorney fees on default, stipulations to commissioners and exhibit formatting (Rule 2.8); ex parte matters - notice by 10:00 a.m. the court day before, notice to the court by 11:00 a.m., papers by 3:00 p.m., objections by 10:00 a.m. and signed orders after 2:30 p.m.; restraining order requests filed in Watsonville no later than 10:00 a.m.; and unlawful detainer ex partes (Rule 2.9); civil tentative rulings by 3:00 p.m. and requests for oral argument by 4:00 p.m. (Rule 2.10); and CEQA administrative records, trial notebooks and record excerpts 21 days before the hearing (Rule 2.11).
The Lawyer’s Pledge (29 pledges, among them compliance with the California Rules of Professional Conduct, punctuality, candor, civility to the court, opposing counsel, witnesses and court personnel, and good faith in discovery) and the Judges’ Pledge (13 pledges of courtesy, civility, punctuality, full consideration and prompt decision), each effective 1/1/2000, printed after the last division of the rule book.
The case management rules govern all applicable civil cases; a court may by local rule exempt specified types or categories of general civil cases if it has alternative case-processing and trial-setting procedures, which must be included in its local rules; wherever a court sets an initial case management conference, the rules apply.
Time periods under the California Rules of Court are computed by excluding the first day and including the last; if the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday it is excluded and the period runs to the next day that is not a holiday. Unless otherwise provided by law, the court may extend or shorten the time within which a party must perform any act under the rules.
Each ground of demurrer must be stated in a separate paragraph; a demurrer must be served and filed with a notice of hearing set under Code of Civil Procedure section 1005, for a hearing not more than 35 days after filing or on the first date available thereafter; following a ruling, leave to answer or amend within 10 days is deemed granted (5 calendar days in unlawful detainer and forcible entry or detainer cases), and the defendant has 10 days to answer or otherwise plead after the demurrer is overruled, the time to amend expires, or the demurrer is sustained without leave to amend.
When a court receives an electronically submitted document it must promptly send the filer confirmation of receipt with the date and time, and a document is received when that confirmation is created; if the document complies with filing requirements and the fees are paid, the court must promptly confirm filing with the date and time, any transaction number, the titles as filed and the fees assessed; absent the court's confirmation there is no presumption of receipt or filing, and the filer is responsible for verifying; a rejection notice must state its reasons; and when a technical problem with the court's electronic filing system prevents acceptance on a court day, a document the filer shows was attempted that day is deemed filed that day, except for a complaint or other initial pleading.
A document that may be served by mail, express mail, overnight delivery or fax may be served electronically under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6; a party consents by serving and filing a notice with its electronic service address or by affirmative consent through the court's electronic filing system or service provider (form EFS-005-CV); a court may require electronic service by local rule or order, and a party required to file electronically must also serve and accept service electronically except as to parties, including self-represented parties, who are not required to; parties must promptly notify the court and all parties of a change of electronic service address; service is complete as section 1010.6 provides (on transmission or notification when a provider is used); proof of electronic service is made under section 1013b, and proof of service of moving papers must be filed at least five court days before the hearing.
A party seeking an ex parte order must notify all parties no later than 10:00 a.m. the court day before the ex parte appearance, absent a showing of exceptional circumstances that justify shorter notice; in an unlawful detainer proceeding shorter notice is permitted if the notice given is reasonable.
Moving and supporting papers are served and filed under Code of Civil Procedure section 1005 and the electronic filing and service statutes and rules; the court may shorten time on a showing of good cause; proof of service of the moving papers must be filed no later than five court days before the hearing; no paper may be rejected for filing as untimely, though the court may refuse to consider it; a paper submitted before the clerk's office closes on its due date is timely, and a court may provide by local rule that an electronically filed paper received before midnight on a court day is filed that day.
The court must set an initial case management conference in each case, with notice to all parties no later than 45 days before it unless the court orders otherwise; counsel and self-represented parties must appear in person or remotely as rule 3.672 provides, be familiar with the case and be prepared to commit to positions on the issues in rules 3.724 and 3.727; the court may issue a case management order without appearances, and by local rule may excuse attendance at initial conferences in limited civil cases.
A 'local rule' is every rule, regulation, order, policy, form or standard of general application adopted by a court to govern practice or procedure in that court, or by a judge to govern practice or procedure in that judge's courtroom; each court must make its local rules available for inspection and copying at every location that accepts filings, publish them through an official publisher, and file them electronically with the Judicial Council 45 days before the January 1 or July 1 effective date with a certificate stating, among other things, whether the court posts its local rules on its website; proposed rules other than calendaring rules must be distributed for comment at least 45 days before adoption; courts must periodically repeal outdated or inconsistent rules; and a rule may take effect on another date only with the Judicial Council chair's authorization.
Unless a statute or rules 8.108, 8.702 or 8.712 provide otherwise, a notice of appeal must be filed by the earliest of 60 days after the superior court clerk serves a notice of entry of judgment or a filed-endorsed copy, 60 days after a party serves or is served with such a document with proof of service, or 180 days after entry of judgment; no court may extend the time except as rule 8.66 provides, and a late notice requires dismissal; the rule defines the entry date of judgments and appealable orders, treats a notice filed after rendition but before entry as filed on entry, and applies to appealable orders.
A court may permit, or require, parties to file documents electronically in civil actions by local rule under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6, specifying the case types covered; self-represented parties are exempt from mandatory electronic filing and service and, in mixed cases, file, serve and are served by non-electronic means unless they agree otherwise; a party required to e-file must be excused on a showing of undue hardship or significant prejudice through a process the court must provide; fees must be consistent with section 1010.6, and the effective date of filing is as section 1010.6 prescribes. A court that permits e-filing may also order all parties in a class, consolidated, coordinated or complex action to file electronically.
The complaint must be served on all named defendants, with proofs of service filed, within 60 days after filing (30 days for a defendant added by amendment), and a cross-complaint adding new parties must be served with proofs filed within 30 days; the parties may stipulate to one 15-day extension of the 30-day response period; a request for entry of default must be filed within 10 days after the time to respond has elapsed and a default judgment obtained within 45 days after default is entered, or the court may issue an order to show cause regarding sanctions. Collections cases under rule 3.740(a), unlawful detainer actions and Family Code proceedings are excluded.
A summary judgment or summary adjudication motion must contain a notice of motion, a separate statement of undisputed material facts in the rule's two-column format with citations to exhibit, title, page and line numbers, a memorandum, supporting evidence and any request for judicial notice; summary adjudication must state the specific cause of action, affirmative defense, damages claim or duty issue in the notice and repeat it verbatim in the separate statement; the opposition consists of a memorandum, a responsive separate statement stating 'disputed' or 'undisputed' for each fact with the evidence for any dispute and any additional material facts, opposing evidence and any request for judicial notice; evidence exceeding 25 pages must be separately bound with a table of contents; and on request a party must provide an electronic version of its separate statement within three days. The rule's format illustrations in subdivision (h) are on the official page.