When I was growing up in California, we had both superior courts and municipal courts. Municipal courts were in every county throughout California. They handled smaller cases than the superior courts, such as civil cases involving disputes of $25,000 or less, and criminal cases involving misdemeanors and infractions.
But at some point, municipal courts vanished, and all we have now are superior courts in each county. What happened to them? Why did they vanish?
Unification of Courts by Constitutional Amendment
In 1998, Senate Constitutional Amendment 4 was passed by the California Legislature. The bill provided for voluntary unification of the superior and municipal courts in each California county. Since it would be voluntary, each county would have to decide for itself whether to unify its court system.
After Senate Constitutional Amendment 4 was passed, it proceeded as Proposition 220 for California to vote on. California voters passed Proposition 220 on June 2, 1998. Article I and VI of the California Constitution were amended on June 3, 1998 to include provisions regarding unification.
Unification would be decided by majority vote of the county’s superior and municipal court judges. Ultimately, by January, 2001, all 58 counties in California had voted to unify their court systems. This brought the end to municipal courts.
Other Changes Beyond Unification
Proposition 220 spawned some other changes in the California court system beyond unification. Proposition 220 created the Appellate Division within the county court system. New judges would be elected by countywide election and would also be required to be members of the State Bar of California for at least 10 years. Civil cases that would have been heard in municipal court, where the disputed amount was $25,000 or less, were designated as limited civil cases. Criminal cases that would have been heard in municipal court were designated as misdemeanor or infraction cases.
Los Gatos Courthouse
On a side note, my hometown of Los Gatos in Santa Clara County used to have its own municipal courthouse. The Los Gatos Courthouse handled small claims and traffic cases, so it used to be a municipal court before it later became a superior court under the unification process. I remember it being fully operational when I was growing up in the area. But in 2008, they closed it down and transferred its functions to other courthouses in Santa Clara County. The building is still there at 14205 Knowles Drive, but it’s all dilapidated and fenced off. Santa Clara County has been trying to sell the property for years, but so far there haven’t been any takers. I snapped the photo below of the building as it currently stands.
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