Trial courts: restructuring and bail forfeiture.

Existing law provides for the restructuring of the trial court system, including the abolition of municipal courts, the unification of those courts with superior courts, and state funding of trial courts. Under existing law, a statutory reference to a judicial district that relates to a municipal court in a county in which unification has occurred generally means the county, as specified. This bill would modify provisions of law to reflect trial court restructuring. As part of these modifications, this bill would delete obsolete references to municipal courts and would specify the jurisdiction of a writ petition relating to a small claims case in the unified state court system. Further, this bill would revise various provisions to reflect the state's responsibility for trial court funding, including provisions related to jury fees in civil cases, payment of expert witnesses, interpreters, and translators in criminal actions, juvenile proceedings, and certain civil actions. This bill would also delete obsolete references to judicial districts, counties, and county entities following trial court restructuring. Additionally, this bill would prescribe the rules applying to the acceptance of money by superior courts to reflect trial court restructuring. Existing law also provides for the forfeiture of the undertaking of bail when a defendant fails to appear in court. Under existing law, a court must enter a summary judgment against the bondsman named in the bail bond within 180 days of the date of forfeiture or within 180 days of the date of mailing of the notice, regardless of the amount of the bail. This bill would provide that an appeal from an order of the superior court on a motion to vacate a bail forfeiture shall be to the court of appeal as an unlimited civil case if the amount in controversy exceeds $25,000, and to the appellate division of the superior court as a limited civil case if the amount in controversy does not exceed $25,000, except as specified.