Instantly Connect For Your Criminal Defense Consultation When Filling Out Form
Your Lakewood Criminal Defense Attorney
California’s criminal filing deadlines are tiered by offense severity, and a charge that can be filed as either a felony or a misdemeanor, a “wobbler,” runs on the longer felony deadline either way. California’s bail system has its own real, recent history worth understanding, covered separately further down this page.
How a California Criminal Case Actually Proceeds
Every California county has run a single, unified Superior Court since 1998’s trial-court unification (Proposition 220); there’s no separate municipal court layer anymore, regardless of whether the charge is a felony or a misdemeanor.
California's Criminal Filing Deadlines
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). Missing the applicable deadline generally bars the state from bringing that specific charge at all, regardless of how strong the underlying evidence is.
Facing a criminal charge in Lakewood? Get matched with an attorney now.
Cash Bail, Prop 25, and What Changed
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. Realignment under AB 109 (2011) shifted many lower-level felony sentences from state prison to county jail, and Propositions 47 (2014) and 57 (2016) further reshaped exposure by reclassifying many theft and drug felonies as misdemeanors and expanding parole eligibility for non-violent offenses.
DUI Charges Under California Vehicle Code § 23152
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 Lakewood Residents Should Know
A criminal case connected to Lakewood follows California’s statewide framework directly: the same statute of limitations, the same arraignment rules, the same DUI penalties if applicable.
Speak With a Lakewood Criminal Defense Attorney
Given the deadlines and arraignment rules involved, connecting with an attorney early in Lakewood gives more time to build a real defense before key decisions get made. Complete the form here to speak with a criminal defense attorney about what your case may involve.
You may also be near: criminal defense attorneys serving Long Beach, criminal defense cases from Whittier, our coverage in Norwalk.
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. A § 1203.4 dismissal lets a person legally answer “no” to most job applications asking about the conviction, even though the record still technically exists.
Where would my Lakewood criminal case be filed?
Criminal cases connected to Lakewood are generally filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, California’s single-tier trial court for the county.
Fewer Legal Hurdles Doesn't Mean There's No Rush
A criminal case connected to Lakewood 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. A wobbler’s ultimate classification isn’t decided instantly, and the groundwork that shapes it benefits from an early start, not a rushed one.
