Recently the local Courts announced a change in the way citations are handled for speeding, reckless driving, commercial violations and many other traffic matters. It used to be the case that an attorney could set a case for trial and on the day of trial negotiate directly with the CHP officer for a reduction or dismissal of the charges, this is no longer the case.
The Kern County District Attorney recently issued a memo that disallows direct dealing with the cop for dismissal of a charge. Now the lawyer has to request a reduction from the Judge who can exercise discretion to reduce certain charges to non moving violations under certain conditions.
For example, if a commercial driver gets a speeding ticket and hires an attorney, the lawyer can request a reduction from the Court if the driver has a clean record an a copy of his or her driving record is produced. This does not apply to DUI or other misdemeanors. In Lamont Court Judges will permit a reduction in most cases. Lamont covers interstate 5 through the grapevine and covers cities such as Frazier Park, Pine Mountain Club, and Taft.