COVID-19 Court closure update
The Ventura Superior Court continues with limited operations that started Thursday, March 19th and now goes through Tuesday, June 9th.
During this time, the majority of courtrooms and all clerk’s offices at all court locations remain closed to the public. A small number of courtrooms continue operating to hear urgent criminal, juvenile, temporary restraining order issues and emergency ex parte Family Law, Civil and Probate matters only.
Jury Services remains closed through June 12, 2020. If you were scheduled for jury duty during this time, your service has been ended, you are not expected to appear, and have been given credit for one year. If you are summoned for a date, beginning on June 15, 2020, please check online or call (805) 289-8661 for further Jury Services updates.
All civil trials and non-emergency hearings have been suspended for 90 days since March 20, 2020. Based on the Chief Justice’s Statewide Orders, all criminal trials have been suspended for up to 90 days. The total extension should be calculated from the last date on which the trail could have been conducted under Penal Code Section 1382. All of these matters will be continued to a new date and notices will be mailed out. Traffic citations are still due and may be paid online, and the Courts Self-Help Centers remain closed. Law firms and attorneys should go to the Court’s website at www.ventura.courts.ca.gov to review the emergency orders for details.
The clerk’s office started processing the backlog of petitions for juvenile delinquency, criminal complaints, traffic and non-traffic infraction and misdemeanor citations, search warrant returns, violations of probation and violations of diversion related to new arrests effective May 4, 2020. For these matters, May 4th is deemed the first that is not a court holiday. The Court Collections Unit is accepting telephone calls from the public from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily and then to 5:00 p.m. starting May 18, 2020.
The court will announce whether limited operations will continue beyond June 9th based on guidance provided by public health agencies. These measures have being taken to reduce the number of court staff, jurors, parties and attorneys in order to protect public health and safety. These actions are in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Order to Stay Home issued March 19th and the Ventura County Public Health Department’s Stay Well at Home Order issued March 20th in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.