Missed traffic court date, have new arraignment date, what to expect?

In My Humble Opinion
1

My stepdaughter was pulled over driving my car which had expired tags. We brought the car registration up to date today, and thought the court appearance deadline was the 19th, but actually it was yesterday.

So my wife went down to the courthouse and got a new arraignment date a couple of months out. So, what kind of fine or other punishment can we expect?

Also, she says my SD has to appear in court. Is there any possible way that she wouldn’t have to appear in person? She’ll be away at college on the court date. Fortunately it’s not too far away, not like she’s across the country or anything, but still. It would be great if she didn’t have to fly home just for this. And it’s a corrected registration violation, for godsakes. That has to be an infraction, or at worst a misdemeanor. I thought misdemeanor appearances could be handled by an attorney without the defendant having to show up.

Can anyone advise me on this?

2

Oh, we’re in California, by the way.

3

Ask for “Less Sand”. Trust me.

4

Call the Court Clerk and explain (or just drive over and talk to them if they have one of those new funky phone trees where you never get to talk to a human). Unless she is a minor, you can’t represent her. However, if you have got the registration fixed,a nd you don’t want to argue the fine, I don’t see why you can’t handle it by mail (which entails sending in your proof and a check, more or less).

It is not a misdomeaner, it is an infraction.