About the author →
A DUI arrest in Arcadia, Monrovia, or Pasadena often ends with a court date at 300 East Walnut Street, a building many people have never entered. Los Angeles County's public location listing shows the courthouse open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., serving Altadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre, with criminal, traffic, and District Attorney services on site. This page covers the practical side: how to confirm which department your case is in, what the court's remote system does and does not settle, how the DMV hearing request works, and how summary probation is described by Los Angeles County. Your first deadline is not in court at all. The DMV hearing request is due within 10 days of the arrest.
Pasadena Courthouse — court & DMV details
Why your case is here
The Pasadena Courthouse at 300 East Walnut Street is the Northeast District's criminal court, serving Pasadena and the surrounding foothill cities — Arcadia, Monrovia, and Sierra Madre. DUIs from this area, including enforcement around Old Pasadena, the Rose Bowl, and the 210 and 134 freeways, are heard here. Unincorporated Altadena and similar areas route here as County DA cases.
Pasadena runs its own city prosecutor
Pasadena is one of the few LA County cities with its own city prosecutor: a misdemeanor DUI arrested by Pasadena PD within the city is prosecuted by the Pasadena City Prosecutor, not the District Attorney. DUIs in Altadena and other unincorporated areas, in surrounding cities without their own prosecutor, or any felony, go to the LA County DA.
Finding your department before you drive to Walnut Street
Start with the paperwork from your arrest or the court notice, which should list a date, a time, and a department. The Superior Court's website offers a criminal calendar search, and its criminal division page lists courthouse phone numbers with call hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Use one of those to confirm where you are headed, because this building handles more than criminal cases. The court's own information page for one second-floor courtroom, for example, says it hears only evictions.
Give yourself extra time on the day. The county listing gives 8:30 a.m. as the start of the day, and you will want a cushion for parking, the entrance, and finding the courtroom. Pasadena Transit lists a trip planner and real-time bus information on its website, so entering 300 East Walnut Street there is a quick way to see a current route if you would rather not drive.
Asking the DMV for your hearing from the San Gabriel Valley
The DMV says you must request an administrative hearing within 10 days of receiving notice of its action, and that you do it by phone through a Driver Safety Office. Have your full name, driver license number, and date of birth ready. The DMV says hearings are held remotely or in person, that the remote option uses Microsoft Teams video, and that a telephone option exists if you lack a device.
Your Notice of Hearing sets the details, and the DMV warns that it will proceed with the case if you do not attend. The DMV's Driver Safety Office page lists one Los Angeles County office, in El Segundo, with the number (833) 543-7703. That page does not say which office serves Pasadena cases, so follow your notice and ask Ron's office if anything is unclear. More on the process is on our DMV hearing page.
Probation after a Pasadena case: who actually supervises it
If a Pasadena DUI case ends in probation, the type matters. Los Angeles County Probation describes summary probation, also called court or informal probation, as supervised by the court, not the probation department. That means a misdemeanor sentence may not involve a probation officer at all, and the court's orders are what you track.
Keep every order the court gives you, including any program enrollment, fine, or deadline, and bring them to each meeting with Ron. Do not sign up for a program or pay anything until you know what, if anything, the court has ordered, since the requirements depend on how the case resolves.
The 10-day DMV deadline
A San Gabriel Valley DUI means two cases: the criminal case at Pasadena and the DMV's separate case against your license, with a 10-day deadline to request a hearing. How the DMV hearing works →
How Ron defends a DUI at the Pasadena Courthouse
Two prosecuting offices can sit across from you in a case filed at 300 East Walnut Street. The Pasadena City Prosecutor handles misdemeanors arising inside the City of Pasadena, so a Pasadena PD arrest generally means dealing with that office. Arrests in Altadena and the surrounding cities, along with felony filings, go to the Los Angeles County District Attorney, which has services at this courthouse. Ron's first step is confirming which office filed your case, because each one has its own contacts and its own way of working.
After the arraignment, where the charges are read and a plea is entered, a case commonly moves through pretrial dates. Ron uses that stretch to request the police reports, any video, and the breath or blood test records, then reviews the stop, the field sobriety tests, and the chemical testing. Motions or a trial come later if negotiation does not resolve things, and no attorney can promise how a case will end.
The Superior Court has a remote system called LACourtConnect, but each department sets its own rules, so whether a criminal department allows it for your hearing is a question to settle early. Ron's office is in Irvine, and he works with you directly on the Pasadena case and the DMV hearing request.
Where will my Pasadena or Arcadia DUI be heard?
Who prosecutes a Pasadena DUI?
Do I have to appear in Pasadena myself?
How do I keep my license?
← Back to Los Angeles County DUI Defense
Ron defends DUI cases across Southern California from his Irvine office — and works directly with you, not a call center.
Learn more about Ron Chini →