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Your Glendale Criminal Defense Attorney
California’s criminal filing deadlines scale directly with offense severity, from a one-year misdemeanor window up to no deadline at all for crimes like murder. The actual deadlines by offense class, and what can extend them, are covered further down this page.
What a California Criminal Charge Involves
A California criminal record can potentially be addressed later through the state’s record-sealing process, though eligibility and timing vary significantly by offense.
When California Can and Can't File Charges
California’s general rule scales by offense: no deadline for the most serious crimes (§799), 6 years for felonies punishable by 8 or more years (§800), 3 years for other felonies (§801), 1 year for misdemeanors (§802). The deadline clock generally starts running at the time the offense is committed, except for the discovery-rule exceptions that apply to specific offense types.
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Bail and Your First Court Appearance in California
California voters rejected Senate Bill 10’s attempt to abolish cash bail statewide via Proposition 25 in November 2020, so cash bail technically remains the law. Humphrey’s ability-to-pay requirement applies at the same first court appearance where release conditions are otherwise set, not as a separate later proceeding.
How Much a California Charge Can Actually Cost You
A wobbler reduced to a misdemeanor under § 17(b) generally stops counting as a felony going forward, with one real exception: a serious or violent felony still counts as a strike even after reduction. California’s Three Strikes law (Penal Code § 667) doesn’t make a first or second strike an automatic life sentence, but it does double the exposure on any later felony, and a third serious or violent strike can trigger a mandatory 25-years-to-life sentence.
California's DUI Laws
A DUI causing injury to another person is charged separately under Vehicle Code § 23153, carrying real additional exposure beyond the standard § 23152 penalties. Beyond the criminal penalties, a DUI conviction is separately reported to the DMV and can affect insurance rates for years, independent of whatever the court itself imposes.
What Happens To a California Record Later
Under § 1203.4, eligible convictions can be set aside through a court petition, changing how the record appears on most background checks without erasing that it existed. Sealed under the Clean Slate Act still isn’t the same as destroyed: sealed records remain accessible to certain law enforcement and licensing purposes even after automatic sealing applies.
What Glendale Residents Should Know
A criminal case connected to Glendale follows California’s statewide framework directly: the same statute of limitations, the same arraignment rules, the same DUI penalties if applicable.
Speak With a Glendale Criminal Defense Attorney
Because bail and plea decisions often happen fast, reaching out to an attorney early in Glendale matters more than it might seem at first. The form on this page connects you directly with a criminal defense attorney to go over your situation and next steps.
Other CA CD cities nearby: criminal defense cases from El Monte.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a wobbler charge get the felony or misdemeanor filing deadline?
The felony deadline: a wobbler always runs on the longer felony filing window, even if it’s ultimately charged or resolved as a misdemeanor. Missing the applicable deadline generally bars the state from bringing that specific charge at all.
Will I automatically be released on bail in California?
No, it’s not automatic; the California Supreme Court’s In re Humphrey decision (2021) requires a court to weigh ability to pay and consider non-monetary conditions before imposing cash bail. This inquiry happens at the same first court appearance where release conditions are otherwise set.
How far back does California look for prior DUIs?
California uses a rolling 10-year lookback window: only prior DUIs within that window count toward escalating a new charge’s penalties. Fines for both a first and second DUI generally fall between $390 and $1,000 before additional penalty assessments.
Do I need to file anything for Clean Slate Act sealing?
For records covered by the automatic process, no; the DOJ reviews and seals qualifying records on a monthly cycle, and a § 1203.4 petition is still the path for records the automatic process doesn’t reach. Felony convictions become eligible for automatic sealing once they’re four or more years old; misdemeanors and dismissed arrests can qualify earlier.
Where would my Glendale criminal case be filed?
Criminal cases connected to Glendale are generally filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, California’s single-tier trial court for the county.
What a Wobbler Classification Doesn't Change
A criminal case connected to Glendale runs on the same tiered filing deadlines covered above, and none of it gets more forgiving the longer a real defense takes to get underway. The DUI lookback window, the SOL tiers, and bail conditions are all fixed points a defense has to work around, not against, starting now rather than later.
