I came here for jury duty. I noticed that there weren't many recent reviews when I searched it here so wanted to add a review. On the online portal where you see jury reporting, it lists the parking garage. It is located on the corner of 7th and Jefferson. I highly suggest parking at the garage. It is $7 but $6 with validation. The garage does get full so get there early. I got there at 7:00 when it opened to ensure I always got a spot. Some of the staff also park here. I preferred to park here vs the street because adding money for the street parking is not ideal considering we may be in court when the time runs out and I saw people get tickets who parked on the street. The juror room was larger than other courthouses. The space is very well kept/clean and there's free WiFi for you to work in between etc. This is also where you get your parking ticket validated for the garage (you get $1 off when validated). Shoutout to Vicki for being so helpful! The food cart downstairs was also good and they had a good variety. Although many people don't like jury duty, I found the staff to be helpful and the space to be clean. It was easy to navigate as well. They made my jury duty experience positive. read more

Rude black woman who answers the phones. I explained my situation and tried to get clarification. She only replied with, "I already answered your question . . . No more stories." Then goes on in circles about how she doesn't need to hear everything, which took longer than just answering my question. Yeah, she's a total genius. This just shows how lowly educated these individuals are. I interacted with the judge/commissioner here and he was patient and was clear in all of his directions, as well as taking the time to make sure all individuals understood their rights. This just show you the difference an education makes. If this woman can't even do her job correctly in a place that's administering the law, she doesn't deserve employment here. read more

Never go through probate if you are 55+ and use community home or nursing home services though medi-cal they will collect any assets that go through probate and that will take almost half to almost all of most people's assets. Get a trust lawyer spend the money legalzoom.com has good trust attorney's for only $549 use that get a trust avoid the courts making the decision taking all your assets your beneficiary has nothing at the end. If you have a trust and use medi-cal community home or nursing home services, CA dept of health care services the agency who operates medi-cal California Medicaid insurance they can't collect your assets for recovery of funds your assets are protected and probate can't steal your hard-earned assets that can be for your beneficiary like your kid's wife etc. Why let the government decide your beneficiary's life. read more

Call on Friday for less of a wait time, huh? My jury summons was lost in the mail so I called the jury duty phone number at 1pm and I'm still on hold 7 hours later and ticked from tenth in the queue to first... for over an hour now. Did the office close at 3pm and everyone in line slowly gave up, so I'm going to keep my phone oo and waiting for someone to return to the office on Monday so I'm actually going to talk to a human? read more

Welcome to paradise. As a juror you get $15 a day and .34/mile one way from home to the courthouse. Either park in the Jefferson garage for $6 (one dollar discount for jurors... oh I feel special) or run and feed the meters every 2 hours. Go up to the 3rd floor. Enter the room filled with other jurors. Collectively there will be somewhat low moral and the vibe will be similar to that of a wake or funeral. Make youself comfortable on the outdated yet comfortable furniture. Couches available as well as tables and chairs in case you brought your laptop in preparation for this joyous occasion. Yes, they have wifi. Find refuge in the outdoor patio or perhaps at the vending machine but just know you are tethered to the waiting room and are stuck like a broke down car. There is a podium in the corner. Stand behind it. With a loud voice entertain this crowd. A water cooler is present to keep you hydrated and to give a designated place to gossip. Good thing this only happens once a year. I just keep thinking about that mileage allowance and how happy I will be when I get my fat paycheck. read more

Wiley W Manuel Courthouse - Beautiful views throughout and a rooftop deck - Courthouses Near Me - Oakland, California

I was called for jury duty recently and had a positive experience here so I wanted to share for any future people in my position. I couldn't find any information online about a lactation space in the courthouse, and it was too late to call and ask. I know that you can defer service if you are breastfeeding but I was happy to show up and perform this civic duty as long as I could pump while I was there. So I packed my pump and supplies and hoped for the best. Security was simple. Didn't have to take off my shoes or open my bags. The metal detector is pretty sensitive so don't forget to take off your watch, belt, etc. I showed up right at the time on the summons and the room was about half full. Over the next hour, it filled up, and the jury room employees were kind and responsive. They tried to make it a pleasant experience with humor and thorough explanation of what was going on. You get $15/day after your first day of service and $12/day on top of that if you take public transit, which was a nice surprise. I asked the employees about a lactation space and while there wasn't a designated room, they set me up in a decent-sized storage space with an outlet, chair, and shelves. I've pumped in worse, and I really appreciated their trying to accommodate me as best they could. There weren't a ton of food options nearby but there is a small food cart in the lobby. It looked like it was cash only. I didn't end up getting picked for the jury. Maybe next time! read more

Subpoenaed to provide testimony on a criminal assault case. Parking was simple with it located on 7th Street next to the jail or rather the detention center. If you're ever on jury duty, bring your juror badge and it's free. A very sensitive metal detector pinged me to reenter, because of my heavy gold watch. The County Sheriffs were kind and cordial. Had a decent toasted bagel and coffee from a cart. A nice man was great and I noticed he recycled and reused stuff. Very green! Lots of creepy people roam about. I'm reminded that my father who spent his career in the judicial system once said, "Son, most people are here, because they are in trouble." This time not me! read more

Workers are hit or miss. Some are great but some are extra rude and need to be fired.

It's now been 3 times that I've been called for Jury Duty here at the Wiley W. Manual Courthouse. It was only the 2nd time that I actually showed up and that one involved a snarly Deputy at the Security Check Point, a lot of waiting in the Jury Room, much talk of what an Citizen's honor this is (I agree), and the start of Jury Selection until the Defendant decided at the last minute to settle. So it was One Day, One Trial, and I'm Out. And "Rich" with all that Jury Pay. I called in the other times and the nice recorded voice told me that my service was not needed. Darn! All those "Guilty Guilty Guilty" or "I Plead Insanity" (Remember Cheech and Chong?) Jury fantasies went down the drain....It is important to call in, otherwise being a "No Show" would not be a good thing. Historical Footnote: Wiley W. Manuel was an associate justice on the Supreme Court of California from 1977 - 1981 and the first African American to serve on our State's High Court. Justice Manuel was known for his dedication to pro bono work. read more

I just got back from my second date with traffic court. I kissed her goodbye and hopefully will never see her again. TRAFFIC COURT SURVIVAL TIPS: - Walk in court registration starts at 8am. The first 120 cases are taken at 9:30, and 50 unlucky shmos have to hang around until 2pm. You want to make sure you're in the first group. Show up BEFORE 7am and plan on being there for at least 4 hours. - Parking around here blows. Take BART to 12th St Downtown Oakland and walk the 4 blocks. - Leave your pocket knife and anything metal at home so you can get through the security. I didn't know this and they made me throw away my keychain sized Gerber multi-tool because it had a blade on it. Never mind that the blade was shorter than a key and would have made a lousy weapon. - Dress like you deserve respect and you'll get it. There are plenty of people that come in here with grubby jeans and a t-shirt. Don't be one of them. Guys: at a minimum, wear a shirt with buttons and a collar. - If you're fighting a ticket from a red light camera, don't bother. They have a lovely video of you smiling as you drive through the red light, and there's a cop who's job it is to meet you there and show you the video. He WILL show up, and you'll just end up having wasted half a day to pay the same darn fee you could have paid from the comfort of your home. read more

Wiley W Manuel Courthouse - Google Street View - Courthouses Near Me - Oakland, California

This is the ghettoest court house I've ever been to and I've lived in Stockton. It's ridiculous how early you have to line up in order to meet the cutoff for walk-in traffic court. I came here with my friend to deal with her ticket and we arrived at 7AM to find that the line already snaked around the corner. I swear the first person in line must've spent the night there. Most judges will give you a fine reduction just for showing up in court, but the judge who dealt with my friend's ticket said, "It doesn't matter if you're poor, fat, ugly, cute, on welfare, no one is getting a fine reduction. I'm the only person that matters in this room." Umm, okay, get off your high horse. You're a freaking traffic court judge. And to top it all off, I saw a lady drink a hot pink liquid out of a mayonnaise jar in line. Skeeeetch. read more

See all

Living in Alameda County for the last 27 years, I've been receiving an annual jury duty summons. After calling in year after year the evening before the date of summons, I've been excused and considered served for the year. Well, a new year and came a new summons and this time I was called in to the Wiley Manuel Courthouse on Washington and 7th Sts. After proceeding through security at the entrance, prospective jurors proceed to check-in at the jurors room on the third floor. A large room with a mixture of outdated plastic and soft-cushioned chairs with tables scattered around. We were asked to watched a film on the jury process, but with three 26" CRT TVs, yes CRTs, hanging from the ceiling, viewing was limited to depending where you were seated. There's free fast Wi-Fi in the courthouse, but did notice that some people had trouble locating outlets for their laptops. Our jury pool was then directed to the courtroom #109 on the fifth floor where we all assembled. The case was a 2 count misdemeanor concealed in a vehicle weapons charge. The first 18 names were called to for the jury pool and lucky me, I was called. After each of us answered the fourteen questions on the sheet, subsequent questioning by the DA and public defender, and dismissals, I became a member of the jury over the course of two half-day sessions. With testimony from only three witnesses, opening and closing argument in one day, we got the case for deliberation. Our jury deliberated and in an hour arrived at a unanimous decision. The decision was rendered and my two days of civic duty was complete. It was my first jury service and it was a pleasant experience. During breaks outside the courtroom, there are soft cushioned benches for you to sit with a view of Downtown Oakland. Perfect view of the Warriors practice facilities atop the Marriott parking structure. Should I look forward to my next summons in 12 months? read more

Not sure what his name is nor do I care to learn, whoever Court Jones's court assitant is is so unnecessarily rude it is disgusting. For someone who's only job is to pass out papers there is no reason to be so rude unprovoked when people are simply trying to ask a question. He tried to belittle me and claim I had no involvement with my case when it wasn't even able to be presented today. So not only should he mind his business he should pull the stick out his rear. Talking down on people like they didn't just wait 3 hours to be heard. Get it together. read more

African American women in the front super rude. Came in to the window , no greeting , just straight to what I needed . Ok I get it , but when I tried to explain my self on what my needs where , she quickly cut me off telling me to go elsewhere , because apparently I wasn't in the correct place. How can she know what my needs where if 2 words came out of my mouth. They have people working here for a courthouse, with no manners, no education, no politeness. Very ridiculous. They should give the opportunity to others who would definitely get the job right. Hopefully in my next visit I see difference faces. read more

I called in at 11.10 am, 10/21/2020, answered by an African-American lady, and so surprised how rude the lady answered the phone. It seems like she really hates her job and shouldn't be working there if she can't handle simple questions. Very unprofessional. read more

I am stunned to be giving a courthouse a 4 star rating, but I am. I was summoned for jury duty (it's definitely an annual thing in Alameda County) and initially wished I had been summoned to the Rene C. Davidson courthouse near Lake Merritt instead. However, once I realized how close Old Oakland, City Center, and Chinatown were to the Wiley W. Manuel courthouse, I was glad to have been at this location. For coffee, there is a Starbucks, Peet's, Specialty's and other cafes located between the 12 Street BART station and Wiley. If you want breakfast, there's a bagel shop, Jamba Juice and La Salsa close by. There are also a few restaurants serving up full on breakfasts. There are lots and lots of options for lunch. If you decide to bring your own food, you can eat in the juror assembly room; which is located on the third floor. It's a much smaller assembly room than at Rene, but there's still plenty of room. There are tables and outlets if you need to do some work. The clerk that manages the assembly room was efficient. On jury selection day, be prepared to wait in line to get into the courthouse. Thankfully, the line moves fairly quickly. If you decide to drive to the courthouse, avoid the hassle of dealing with metered parking and park instead in the nearby garage. This way you don't have to worry about keeping track of how much time you have left on the meter and figuring out how to excuse yourself from the courtroom if you end up being assigned to a courtroom for jury selection or a trial. The views of Oakland from the upper levels of the courthouse are quite nice. read more

SUCH an epic waste of time! If you've been sent one of those lovely photo cards in the mail from Alameda County, capturing you doing a "California roll" style right-on-red, let me spare you the hassle of showing up to Wiley W Manuel Courthouse thinking you'll have the slightest chance to defend your case, request a reduced fine, or exercise your democratic rights. Instead you'll find a bunch of mindless government monkeys on a power trip, who will spout patronizing scripted lines at you and ignore any sensible facts you present. Who appoints these ridiculous people anyway? My tax dollars are funding this circus of egomaniacs? Depressing. I will say, the ladies at the info window were pleasant enough and surprisingly informative when I went to sign-up for walk-in court. But once I showed up at 2pm for my hearing (along with about 50 other mistakenly optimistic citizens), it was an utter joke. Court is supposed to start at 2pm. We've all got 2 hours on our meters. At 2:20, the judge is nowhere to be found. Then he comes in and taps away on his computer for 15 minutes. The clerks are chatting and laughing and making us feel like idiots, since we aren't even allowed to read a book, let alone whisper or laugh. One of the clerks keeps barking orders at us like we're kindergarteners, like "sit up straight!" and "I'd better not see you talking to your neighbor!" Aye Aye Captain Control Freak. Finally, court is in session. The judge gives us a rundown of how it'll work: he calls our name, we step up to the microphone (ooooh yay, just like Judge Judy!), he tells us the charge against us, we give our plea. What he didn't tell us is that virtually nothing will change when we stand up there. If you're guilty, there's no chance of reducing the fine. He'll just say "how soon can you pay that?" and you'll go home wondering why you showed up to court when you could have stayed home, spared yourself the ghetto freak show, wrote a written declaration and received with the same dismal results from the comfort of your own home. So basically, unless you have some serious evidence to get you off the hook, don't even think you'll have a shot at sympathy or compromise here. $490 for not making a 10-second stop at the red light is highway robbery, but "write to your state legislature" if you've got a problem with it. Because we all have the time for that. FYI, paid parking is pretty easy in this area. Or, here's an idea... if you're a Club One member you can use your parking validation coupon for 2 free hours and walk a little further. I'm proud to award this 1-star review to such a deserving recipient. Wiley W Manuel Courthouse crew, you're quite remarkable! Oh, and how funny is it to Check-In on your Yelp app and see the message "Keep it up to become a regular!" Ha, me thinks not. read more

It was the last day to pay my ticket + I had plans later, so I had to guarantee myself a 9:30am trial time. 5:00am: eyes open. fling covers off. let's do dis. 6:00am: arrive to find ~50 people ahead of me in standstill line. first 30 get to sit on planters. i stand. 6:40am: sunrise 7:00am: some doode gets dropped off in front and thinks he can "merge" at the front of the line. everyone stares. no, honey. 7:20am: bums woke up and commence banging on trash can lids 7:50am: security starts letting people in. i am a bona fide, ipod-listening, sniffling, sneezing, human popsicle at this point. 8:10am: at traffic window. confirmed for walk-in court! 9:30am: enter courtroom. watch DVD. listen to rules. wait for judge. 10:15am: my name is called. showed judge my license. pled guilty. instead of ordering my head chopped off, he reduced my fine. 10:30am: leave courtroom. 11:00am: paid. outta there. 2:30pm: spent that $175 I saved on clothes at Banana's 30% Friends & Family. I rolled a stop sign in Berkeley and was caught without my license on me - both citations = $397. Showed the judge my driver's license, got it reduced to $200+$25 fee for getting a reduction = $225. Most people received a fine reduction for merely showing up, or presenting proof of this or that. If you plead guilty, the court will offer you a chance to explain the situation, or see what documents you have which rectify the situation. The judge will then determine how much of a reduction you will receive. Several people decided on doing traffic school AFTER judgment was passed, and the judge was pissed because you are supposed to request that at the time you request a trial (after security). Even though it was weird to handle my biz in front of 80 people, hearing other cases was pretty interesting. Several were nabbed for toll evasion on Oakland side of the Bay Bridge. Remember; right-most lane is NOT a FastTrak, and it will SKIP the toll plaza and you won't be able to pay. This is an almost $400 ticket, and the judge will only reduce it to $281, even if it is obvious you made an honest mistake. Tips: *DON'T come to court wearing/carrying unnecessary items, or people will speed ahead of you while you're putting your outfit back on at security. This can affect when your name is called inside the courtroom. *DO garage park; it's $1.50/hr, cash only, no change for $50s/$100s. Do NOT meter because it's unpredictable how long you are going to wait at any step during the process. But if you must meter, know they start at 8am. *DO bring license, registration, insurance -- even if not directly relevant to your case. *DON'T use your cell phone during session; you WILL get kicked out and have to come back court another day. *DO look into "trial by written declaration" instead of going to walk-in court -- wish i knew this beforehand!! I will never California roll again. I will never go more than 10mph above the speed limit, or drive without my license. Even if I'm the last person on earth and there's the slightest chance there is one surviving cop, judge, and person working in collections. Honestly, I hate obeying traffic rules sometimes (haha), but this was so not worth it. read more

Security is incompetent at best, with restrictive and prohibiting hours I wish I could give zero stars. I need help filing a restraining order, but my ongoing experience with this building and "self help" center is demoralized and hope dashing at best. I'm sure good kind people work here. I have yet to meet them, or be helped in any meaningful way. read more

This is specifically for traffic Judge Jacqueline Taber in the basement, department 101. She is like Judge Judy, only older and funnier. She has a heart but does not suffer fools, like dude in front of me who tried to beat his ticket for riding his bike in front of a cop through a stop sign in Emeryville. She does not have a court reporter so she takes the notes her self, total old school. "I don't care if you are the only one within 100 miles, stop means stop!" she told the guy. He then tried to get her to reduce the fine and she blitzed him with a few questions about what he and his wife do for a living. She reduced his fine and then my fine by $100, though I just switched by traffic violation to a guilty plea. A husband and wife got nailed for seatbelt violations, prompting her to say, "The couple that gets traffic violations together, stays together." A cop had nailed them dead to rights for seatbelt violations. They testified that they were two doors from their house when they got stopped, and she let them go with no fine but a stern warning. I waited for 1.5 hours to get to my case but the Judge's show made the time fly. "What side of the bed did you all get up on this morning?" she asked the lucky bunch that she cut loose because the cops did not appear. read more

Whoa. Seriously. The line to get through security is attrocious. It wrapped around the block. I was lucky enough to be appearing across the street, at 600 Washington St. If you are appearing here, I'd advise showing up crazy f'ing early. If you don't, you are going to be 1) Late for your hearing. Judges don't generally like that; and/or 2) spending an inordinate amount of time bullshitting with some of the finest insane defendants that the Oakland justice system can throw at you. Either way, good times! Also, the public parking lot across the street does NOT accept change. So unless you want to burn that $10 or $20 bill for a $6 parking spot...bring change. read more

The Wiley W Manuel Courthouse deserves 0 star. I would be embarrassed if this place was named after me. Horrible customer service. The judge and the crew were very late to the 9AM hearing - rude!! If you are asking people to be on time, you need to practice what you preach and show up on time. We were treated like criminals, ignorant children, or second class citizens. My car did not pass the smog test and although I paid my registration on time, DMV did not send me the sticker until the smog situation was resolved. To clear the smog test, I would have to pay $5000 to fix it, more than my car was worth. PLUS, it completely stopped running and I had to tow it to the dealer to trade it in. I came to clear my fix-it ticket and wanted to reduce the $285 fee. I told the judge I no longer owned the car and it was basically scrapped. He wouldn't reduce the fine - show absolutely no mercy. The tardy, 'honorable' judge said: "It doesn't matter if you're poor, fat, ugly, cute, on welfare, black, white, no one is getting a fine reduction. Just tell me your plea: not guilty, guilty, or no contest and how you are going to pay your fine". Get off your power trip and intimidation game. Our tax money pays for your salary and you are here to serve the public, not bullying people. I felt BULLIED. I left feeling absolutely disgusted with the whole experience. read more

Called in for jury duty. The gentleman manning the desk doing the announcements is a regular comedian. Would listen to jokes again at the butt-crack of dawn. read more

This is a sad place to hold the name of "Superior " Court--old, dark and dingy. I totally agree with other Yelpers that, if you're going to contest a traffic citation, you should 1) dress nicely, 2) leave plenty of time, 3) either take BART or pay to park in a lot (not meter) and 4) minimize your metal accessories to simplify your security scan. Also, take a book: you'll likely have a wait once inside. They are pretty organized and treat visitors with respect. If your officer doesn't show, you're off the hook. In my case, no such luck. I got stuck with $500 for a "rolling right" on a red. Oh, and you have to pay for traffic school in addition. This is important: if you feel your fine is poses a real hardship, you need to speak up and ask for a fine reduction. You can also request to be able to do community service. The judge seemed very understanding about financial burdens. read more

I  called in at 9:59am, 07/14/21, answered by an African-American lady, she answered the phone HORRIBLE. I had some questions and she kept giving really rude sarcastic answers. She ended up clicking on me saying "to have a nice day" without answering my questions. This is honesty crazy to me. That jobs will keep people like this and not discipline them. It seems like she really hates her job and shouldn't be working there if she can't handle SIMPLE questions. Very very very unprofessional! read more

Traffic night court on Tuesdays at 5:30pm.. barely any parking available, so I got dropped off. They don't really give you a hard time during the screening, so it wasn't too bad. I went on a day when the judge was the "no story" judge, meaning, don't tell your story to him, he's not going to listen. The administrator gave a brief heads-up on what to do when we get called up. He listed the 4 different pleas (guilty, not guilty, no contest and traffic school) and described them to us. He then instructed to think about how we would like to plea then escorted us into the courtroom to watch a video that elaborated what he told us outside. The judge then gives his courtroom instructions. This is to expedite the process so that everyone can get out of there quick. It would have been nice if the cases weren't called ALPHABETICALLY - I was the 2nd to last group to be called. SIGH. Got there around 5:15pm and left in an hour. Not too bad. read more

Even though this courthouse is in a part of Oakland that some people would like to avoid, it doesn't bother me too much because this area is my old "stomping ground"...close to where I grew up - Oakland Chinatown. The overwhelming reviews of the Wiley W Manuel Courthouse are below a three star. I have been to this courthouse twice, last year in April and just recently - November 20 through November 26. Both visits involved jury duty. Sheesh...I guess they keep sending me these summons every year. I'm not terribly fond of receiving these summons once every year, but I guess it's part of my civic duty to appear. Okay, I know the routine - anything metal (bracelets, keys, belts, purses, etc.) have to be removed, placed in the big gray container and gently pushed through the metal detector. It's no big deal for me because the building I work in has the same security procedures. Tip: If the bling, bling you have on ain't real, that machine is gonna squeal. Up to the third floor, room 360 I go. The gentleman working in the Jury Assembly Room is informative and helpful. First question he usually asks is whether or not there are any government employees present. If yes, approach the desk and be prepared to fill out a form. That applies to me since I am a government employee for the State of California. I don't use the plastic sleeve holder that they provide for the juror badge. My badge is placed in my clear plastic sleeve, along with my state ID badge. Could this possibly be a reason why the court employees and the officers of the Sheriff's Dept. are friendly with me. Well, I don't give them BS, and the gesture is reciprocated. I know the majority of the people do not like to get that jury summon in the mail and dread reporting for jury duty because they do not know what kind of case is on the court calendar. I have to psyche myself up for these summons. Tip: Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse hold proceedings on criminal (misdemeanor) cases. Rene C. Davidson Courthouse hold proceedings in civil litigation and criminal (felony) cases. Last year's experience on jury duty did not last long. It was a criminal (misdemeanor) case. Prosecuting attorney did not have a problem with me, but defendant's attorney did a peremptory challenge on me and I was let go that very day in the afternoon. Oh, wow, I was rejected, and y'all know rejection hurts...ha, ha, ha. But seriously, I was hoping to be selected to be a juror, as I have not performed the civic duty for almost 40 years. My most recent visit ran for three days. I was juror #9 in the box. The case was one of domestic violence. One of the hardest thing for me was to answer the question of being a victim of domestic vioilence. I had a "meltdown" in that jury box, was excused briefly to compose myself and I did myself proud - answered the remaining questions without having a second meltdown. It was upon the agreement of the judge, and counsel for the People of the State of California and defendant, that I be excused from serving as a juror. The case was not an appropriate one for me, and I know I would not have been a fair and impartial juror in deciding the fate of the defendant. Being excused occurred on my 61st birthday - November 26...wow, what an experience. The judge on the bench thanked me for appearing for jury duty and wished me a happy birthday. It was also nice that the court clerk and several of the spectators (potential jurors) did the same before I left out of the courtroom. I was relieved to be let go as a juror, and it was time for me to enjoy the rest of my day...celebrate good times, c'mon. Finally, I'm gonna have to slap myself on the forehead. Twice I have forgotten to stop and find out where Judge Gloria Rhynes' courtroom is, so I can say hello to her. She's an acquaintance whom I have known for about 20 years or so. I will have to remember the next time I get a summon for jury duty at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse to give a greeting of hello to the gentleman in the Jury Assembly Room to pass on to Judge Rhynes. read more

Goodbye Day. Exit Stage Left. That was the feeling after my four-day jury duty stint. I sat in on a Criminal Misdemeanor case (2 charges of drunk driving). The location is in a section called Old Oakland. The courthouse itself is a dry-looking building of concrete and stucco. It is located across from the Oakland Police Department with several bail-bonds business across 7th avenue. You can park in a few parkings lots about one block away. Of course, if you are a adventurist, you can attempt free street parking about 3-4 blocks away. For me, no thanks. As you enter the builidng, you must go through an airport-security. The builidng opens at 7:45am and there is a long-line of people awaiting to pay their parking violations on the ground floor. It's not too bad after 8am, but there is a larger line as the time draws nears to 9am. I overheard the lady on the PA announce "please don't yell at the worker, as they did not give you the ticket". Haha. There is a lunch cart near the elevators if you are that hungry. The jury assembly room is on the third floor. The dude-clerk working has a quick dry-wit and made the waiting experience not as painful as I expected. The jury assembly room has many cushy chairs and extremely fast WiFi (about 8MBps clocked). So...bring your laptop and other wireless devices to take advantage of the wait time. (I watched episodes of KBS Bridal Mask up to Episode 14 hehe). The courhouse is also close to Oakland Chinatown, which was terrific for me. Overall, the experience was not as bad as I mind-melted it to be. read more

I received a red light camera ticket and wanted to set up a payment plan. I thought I would have to go to court so here we go. I followed all the reviews here and arrived a few minutes before 6am. Dragging my butt out of bed at 5a.m. was not necessary. Though I did get a nice free parking spot by the park. I would say you could arrive around 6:30 even 7:00. Even though the line wrapped around the block- everyone got into court this morning. And you do not get seen in court in the order that you arrive- it is all based on your ticket(s). Camera light tickets go last. Another hard to find fact is that if you want to go to traffic school and want to set up a payment plan - you can do this at the windows with a clerk. They give you 4 months to pay with a small first time payment. The middle 2 payments are bigger and the last is smaller. read more

Most unprofessional, illiterate, rude and inconsistent individuals working here. Not only do you get accosted and hollered at by the "boys" from Bad Boys Bail Bonds standing right outside the doors, but when you get in, it doesn't get any better! The cops are rude unless you look cookie-cutter cute, the women at the front tell you a different story every time you ask them, and the proctor (this man with a badge who gave everyone instructions like they were 4 years old of what NOT to do) told everyone sitting inside the court to be silent but then exits and proceeds to laugh boisterously on his way into the courtroom as the judge is speaking. Lack of consistency in the judicial system? BIG PROBLEM. Get your shit together. You're making America's judicial system look like a joke. read more

2013/068 I admit my review would probably be different had I been on jury duty, or here for some other reason other than to be a "shadow jurist" for pay. Sure, the line is long. And it sucks having to line up outside if you're caught in the rain. But compared to lining up at the SF courthouse, it's not as bad. Or as gritty. The SF location is literally next door to the jail, so I personally thought the people lining up here in Oakland were not as seedy-looking. The location is in a park-like setting. The guards here were always super nice during the times I went. But I'm usually non-threatening looking. Getting old does that to a person. I really only had to go up a floor to get to a courtroom. The bathroom happened to have a door with a loose latch. I screwed in the latch manually each time I used it. You'd think that for a courtroom, the doors leading into it would be *quieter*. But each time I had to leave, the door made a banging noise that irritated the court reporter. She gently scolded us to close the door more gently. I forget which court room I was in, but it was standard, I guess. Seating was purposefully uncomfortable (but that didn't prevent some of us from nodding off during the droning). Equipped for A/V stuff for lawyers to get the point across. Tables large enough to intimidate the other side with a team of lawyers and tons of books of evidence to spread around. Outside of the courtroom were several benches to wait on. And huge windows overlooking the courtyard (and whatever line forms of people waiting to get in). Also, the food options near this courthouse were definitely more varied than the SF one. read more

Discrimination. Was told, by a court Police officer, to wait in the long line and that I could not have access to the handicap accessible entrance, unless I had a wheelchair. Once I got inside, I asked another officer what was the handicap protocol for entry. He said "To enter through the handicap door" When I went to the Line for traffic court , the nice lady organizing the line, advised me that since I was handicap I could proceed to window one and not wait in line. How disgusting to be treated like that. Filing a formal complaint as well! read more

This pertains to walk-in courts. Long waiting time is expected. Call for at least a half day off for walk-ins. Do dress properly. The less you bring the better. FREE parking on the street is actually available if you come early enough - and when I say early, I mean 6am, seriously. I mean, if you are doing walk-ins, you might as well have to be there that early to get a 9:30 session. If you walk in at 9am, don't expect a walk-in session assigned. Believe me, been there done that. Look on the map between Jefferson & MLK, 7th and 8th St. you will find free parking - limited spots though... So bust out 10 of your alarm clocks to get you there at 6am. Bring an iPod/iPhone - or what have you nowadays to keep you company while you wait before the gate opens at 7:50am. Last but not least, you get to watch the sunrise (on a nice day)! read more

A quick addendum to my previous review. There's one element to the Wiley that ranks it highly - its public bathroom. If you're walking the streets of Oakland, headed into those grey spaces by the freeway, in-between Old Town and Jack London, and you find yourself in need of a bathroom, well, good luck. Nary an available toilet to be found, not without plunking down for a latte or a $12 dollar lunch. (There's always the "bar-storming" approach to bathrooms. Just pick a bar, barge in without breaking stride, DO NOT make eye contact with any staff, and head straight for the bathroom. Then walk out the same way. That's what bars are for, anyway. If deep down you don't believe in your heart of hearts that it's your birthright - your BIRTHRIGHT - to abuse The Trappist's bathroom without so much as a glance at their menu, well, then you don't "get" what America's all about.) The Wiley, however, offers a brilliant solution! A government-maintained restroom open to all taxpayers in good standing! All you have to do is take off your shoes and belt! Hazzah! It's perfect, because most people, having a natural repulsion to courthouses, would never DREAM of entering one unless absolutely necessary! Just avoid it during the early part of the day, when it's jam-packed with traffic-scofflaws begging for mercy! By early afternoon, the place is a ghost town, PERFECT for long, private restroom engagements! Oh, and better to wear slippers! The easier to remove them going through the Terror-Check at the entrance! Which is All Good, since I'm wearing my suede bedtime slippers, or maybe my good clogs, whenever I'm hitting the low Oakland streets, anyway... read more

I'm not surprised this place doesn't have good reviews because nobody wants to be here obviously. however the customer service for the traffic division is horrible and they are extremely rude for no reason. They give smart a** answers for simple questions and beat around the bush to answer your original questions read more

Morons doesn't begin to tell the story. I got a simple insurance ticket. I forgot to put the new cards in the car. It happens. I paid the fine and sent in the proof. By happenstance my insurance rolls on the day of the ticket. Those idiots didn't accept it and sent it back with a letter written by someone who obviously didn't finish the 3rd grade. "Insurance proof is not valid. Auto liability of insurance must show you had cover on the day you were stop. Policy date shown on the exact day is not acceptable as proofs of correction" Seriously. The letter contained no further instructions. No phone number. Nothing. The next missive I received from these clowns was a $910 bill followed by a $1210 bill and a suspended license. No one is helpful. No one cares that they made a mistake and no one wants to fix their own screw up. It's probably going to cost me $1210 to get my license back. For a lousy insurance card ticket. Asshats. read more

This has got to be one of the most ridiculous and condescending wastes of time possible! If you're ever driving through San Leandro, AVOID the right hand turn at Teagarden and Marina Blvd! THATS RIGHT. TEAGARDEN AND MARINA BLVD. At that intersection, you're bound to get a ticket even if you do a right-on-red after stopping for a few seconds. If you have the slightest thought of thinking you'll get away with defending your case and trying to BELIEVE like a southern preacher in his sermon praising almighty jesus for some sympathy, you're wrong. You do not get to exercise your democratic rights, and this courthouse exercises the classic case of pitting minorities against minorities. Here you'll find a bunch of monkeys in black robes meandering over your case like they actually are doing something significant in life. What you'll find are 20 other people seated in the courthouse with you for the same intersection and same traffic footage. The court computers have a bit of lag and your footage will look sped up... and that's justification enough for you to pay that fine. Somehow my tax dollars fund internet explorer, and windows XP, and old, psycotic judges who are on a massive powertrip. The clerks you encounter gossip with each other, laughing and talking all while ordering you around like infants. It's ridiculous. They're probably also on a power trip because they're being paid minimum wage. Now, I'm not saying I'm a lawyer by any means, but I think I'm perfectly capable of defending myself... and lol, they don't offer you any public defenders. Talk about a real court. SAVE YOURSELF TIME BY: - Sending in your plea through mail - Not wasting 2 days to 1. arraign your trail 2. go to your trail where practically nothing will change. I'm proud to give this one star review to the judicial mister (you don't get the honor of getting called honor), Taylor Culver who was a sassy enough in all his scripted talk, and his ridicule for saying I looked like someone who's probably college educated but "I won't be able to make a case for myself against the law". Absolutely pathetic. Overall, legalized extortion and you're not getting out of this. I have completely lost my faith in our justice system and honestly, french this courthouse! read more

Terrible place. Traffic court judge made "woman driver" comment when I was speaking. Police officer said things that were not true while on the stand, and then looked at me. The judge then asked me how I could dispute something if the officer said it was true. I was appalled and have lost faith in both institutions. The other people involved, such as the clerks, are helpful and courteous. read more

Judge CULVER. This ones for you. Before our plea/session started we were told to watch a video stating OUR RIGHTS. And Culver pretty much told us we have no other rights but stating: Guilty, Not Guilty, Traffic School, or No contest. If you plead guilty, he will not listen to your circumstances during the incident of your ticket. He will ask "how will you make payment" and then dismiss you. He doesn't care about your story or who you are. Culver doesn't want to hear your "story" unless the other party (cop) is in the courtroom. Oh and let's not forget, Culver can "read perfectly fine" so no need to point out a cops signature to help him out...(another person before me was trying to show proof of his fix-it ticket) So rude. So in other words, if you're a first time ticket offender and you wanted to come to court to see if being a first time offender would minimize your fees, forget it. You have to plead NOT GUILTY in order to be heard at all... Meaning you would have to come in a SECOND TIME, wait 2 hours in the cold, go through another process probably to have him charge you with something else and risk not being able to take traffic school if your cop shows up. Just pay your fine and move out of there. Pay it over the phone or mail a check to avoid the extra processing fees. Unless you got a ticket for not having 1) insurance 2) license 3) registration DO NOT EXPECT TO GET YOUR TICKET REDUCED. You're better off paying it by mailing in a check! Good Luck people :) read more

Arrive here early if you want to take care of your business and get on your way to work. I arrived here at 7am on a Monday morning and already there was a line. Great... If you have to pay off a fix it ticket, I'd say save yourself the time and headache and just write a check. Line here goes very slowly, as well. This place is on par with the DMV or post office, in other words, terrible. read more