Misdemeanor For Out of State License

[EB29]

I received a ticket for having an expired license because I still have my out of state license in California. I have an upcoming court date and will have my CA license by that date. I would like to have my misdemeanor lowered to an infraction. What's the best way to do this? How do I handle the court preceding? Do I pay the ticket I received in the mail before the court date, even if I would like the penalty reduced? Thanks.

 

[CdwJava]

If you were cited in CA for VC 12500(a), this is generally a correctable violation. Assuming you now reside in CA you can get a valid CA license, present it to the court, and be liable for a $25 administrative fee.

The offense is rarely ever filed as a misdemeanor. Most often it will be an infraction and handled in Traffic Court. No DA is going to want to waste his time and impanel a jury for an unlicensed driver violation unless there are numerous priors or some egregious circumstances involved.

Get your valid license and present it to the court on the court date. That will probably resolve the matter minus the small fee.

 

[EB29]

Thanks, that's what I was cited for. So would I wait to pay the penalty I received in the mail until the court date as well?

 

[Zigner]

Thanks, that's what I was cited for. So would I wait to pay the penalty I received in the mail until the court date as well?

I would suggest that you speak to the clerk at the traffic counter in the court prior to your court date to get this cleared up. You don't have to wait until your court date.

ETA: If this is allowed to be "correctable" then you will only have to pay the $25 fee.