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Alameda County, California Superior Court and Law Enforcement Directory 

 

If you have been charged with a drink-driving or DUI offence in the County of Alameda in the state of California, you will have signed a notice to appear before a judge at an arraignment, normally scheduled between 1-3 weeks after your arrest date.

 

Superior Courts in California

 

Superior Courts in California have jurisdiction over trial jurisdiction over all criminal cases including felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic matters. There are 58 in total across the state and serve over 34 million people. This listing is limited to Alameda County in East Bay of Northern California. For other locations in California, please see the directory on own homepage.

 

The Difference between California Superior Courts and other State County Courts

 

Before June 1998, California's trial courts consisted of superior and municipal courts, each with its own jurisdiction and number of judges fixed by the Legislature. In June 1998, California voters approved Proposition 220, a constitutional amendment that permitted the judges in each county to merge their superior and municipal courts into a "unified," or single, superior court. As of February 2001, all of California's 58 counties have voted to unify their trial courts.

 

This essentially means that harsher penalties can be imposed by California Superior Courts than traditional County or Municipal courts, or at least can be referred to a courtroom in the same building that can give out harsher punishments for borderline cases if the judges collude and decide this is appropriate.

 

The benefit of the California Superior Courts is that you will likely only need to go to one destination in your county to take care of your case if it gets referred to a different court, or is progressed from a misdemeanor to a felony case at the behest of the initial judge at your arraignment.

 

The downside is that the judges are very familiar with each other, and this makes it *essential* to hire an experienced California DUI attorney who knows how a particular judge has ruled in the past, and is likely to rule in similar cases to yours in the future.

 

Public Defenders in California

 

Like most states in the US, public defenders typically have ten to twenty times the caseload of a private attorney and will be looking to make the quickest, easiest deal with the DA’s office to get your case off his or her caseload as quickly as possible. This is especially so in California because the population, and therefore number of people applying for a public defender is so much greater than in less sparsely populated states. To reiterate, if you can afford to, you should absolutely hire an experienced DUI attorney to help you fight your DUI case in California and protect your rights.

 

Below is a contact directory for Alameda County. California Superior Court: including criminal (DUI) and traffic offenses:

 

Oakland Courthouse - Rene C. Davidson

 

Court Divisions at this Location

 

 

Departments 1 - 13, including Departments 1A & 1B, are located at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland.

 

Address:


1225 Fallon Street
Oakland, California 94612
General Telephone: (510) 891-6000
 

Office Hours:

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
 

Building Doors Open:

7:45 a.m.
 

Phone Number:

(510) 891-6009
 

Phone Hours:

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
 

Hours of Operation:

*Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays.
 

Directions

 

Please note that the public entrance to the courthouse is closest to 12th and Oak Streets.

 

From I-880 North from San Jose, Fremont, Hayward, and the Oakland International Airport:

 

Continue on I-880 North to the Oak Street exit. Upon exiting the I-880 North, turn right on Oak Street and drive five blocks to 12th Street. The courthouse is located on the corner of 12th and Oak Streets.

 

From I-580 West from San Leandro and Pleasanton:

 

Follow I-580 to the I-980 connector, heading west. Continue on I-980 and exit on Jackson Street. Turn left on Jackson Street and then turn right on 11th Street. Turn left on Oak Street. The courthouse is located on the corner of 12th and Oak Streets.

 

From I-80 East from the Bay Bridge, Berkeley, and Emeryville:

 

From the Bay Bridge/Berkeley-Emeryville area, follow directions from I-580 to the I-980 connector. Continue westbound on I-980 and exit on Jackson Street. Turn left on Jackson Street and continue to 13th Street and make a right turn. The courthouse is on the corner of 13th and Oak Streets.

 

For more information visit the following sites:


* Directions
* Google Maps
* Mapquest
 

From Lake Merritt BART Station:

 

Taking the BART Fremont line, exit at Lake Merritt BART station on 9th and Oak Streets. The courthouse is three blocks east of the BART station on the corner of 12th and Oak Streets.

 

For other public transit information, please visit the following sites:


* San Francisco Bay Area Transit Information
* Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
* AC Transit
 

Parking Information

 

The Alameda County parking garage, Alcopark, is located on Jackson Street between 12th Street and 13th Street. The rate is $7.00 per day for the general public or $6.00 per day with juror validation. Limited metered street parking is also available.

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