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Law Offices | Felicia Yates & Associates is an essential business in the State of California, and remains open and available to all of our clients.
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December 9, 2020
The recent surge in COVID-19 (Coronavirus) cases and related health and safety concerns in the State of California, has prompted Governor
Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health to issue new Stay-at-Home orders, effective immediately, that are based upon the existing capacity at surrounding hospital ICU facilities. All court operations are considered an essential function in California, and are therefore exempt from the California Department of Public Health's regional Stay-at-Home order.
The San Bernardino County courts (which includes the court locations of Barstow, Fontana, Victorville, etc.), will remain open - but with even stricter safety protocols. The Court is once again reminding people that they should "not come to any court location if you have COVID-19, have been exposed to someone with
COVID-19, are feeling ill, or have been asked to quarantine by a health
professional."
The Riverside County courts - similar to San Bernardino County - will also remain open, and have now restored their traffic infraction services with certain procedural changes and stricter safety protocols. These would include the court locations of Banning, Indio, Murrieta, etc. The Court is also warning people against showing up if they are "feeling ill or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms as described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including but not limited to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle body ache, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea, or have been diagnosed with COVID-19..."
September 15, 2020
The San Bernardino County Superior Courts (which include the Barstow, Fontana, Victorville, Rancho Cucamonga, and San Bernardino Central Superior courthouses), resumed hearing infraction, misdemeanor, and felony matters as of June 2020. However, the size of the court calendars, hours of operations, telephone access, and general public access to the court clerk's offices and inside of the court buildings, continue to be limited and restricted.
On the other hand, the Riverside County Superior Courts (which would include Banning, Blythe, Indio, Murrieta, and Riverside courthouses) have postponed all in-person traffic infraction proceedings (arraignments, court trials, etc.) until further notice. Notices of Election - a court form where defendants may tell the Court how they would like their cases to proceed in the interim - are being mailed to all traffic defendants. All relevant law enforcement agencies are also being notified of these temporary measures.
We will provide additional updates here as they become available.
June 6, 2020
The various Superior Court systems we service throughout the State of California are beginning to open back up, with certain limitations & restrictions. Generally speaking, everyone who enters a Superior Court building will be required to adhere to the following policies:
1) Wear a face mask (which covers your nose and mouth);
2) Maintain a social distance of at least six (6) feet;
3) Only parties and their attorneys are currently allowed to enter the courthouse - witnesses must wait outside the court building until their appearances are needed;
4) Family and friends of attorneys, parties, witnesses, etc. are being asked not to attend court proceedings at this time.
The Barstow Superior Court and the Fontana Superior Court, for example, are going to begin holding their first court proceedings since the COVID-19 shutdown, starting on Monday, June 8, 2020. In the meantime, the number of cases on some of the court's daily calendars will be reduced in size. The court clerk's offices throughout San Bernardino County (which includes Barstow Superior Court and Fontana Superior Court) will also be limiting their public contact hours from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., until November 30, 2020.
We will continue to provide additional updates here as we learn new information.
May 18, 2020
The health and safety of our clients and staff is a top priority. We encourage everyone to practice social distancing and proper hygiene, during these unprecedented times.
The various Superior Court systems we service throughout the State of California have temporarily suspended their operations – except for emergencies – due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our office expects many of the County courts to begin re-opening for regular business by the end of May. For example, the San Bernardino County court system is anticipating a re-opening date of May 29, 2020, while the Riverside County Court system is anticipating a re-opening date of June 1, 2020. The court's full operations will be phased in over time. In the meantime, some court clerk's offices will be reducing or limiting their public contact hours.
We will provide updates here as we learn new information from the various government officials. In the meantime, here are some government resources to help you stay informed on COVID-19 and related support programs:
- California Courts - Judicial Branch of California
- IRS Coronavirus Tax Relief & Economic Stimulus Payments
- United States Small Business Administration
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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