Wow.. super friendly and efficient service! I was really amazed at how happy and courteous everyone…read morewas! Did they all just get a raise today? I was here to get an extra birth certificate, and yeah you do have to wait a few minutes (10-15) but it's nothing like the DMV where you set up camp for a few days it seems! 1) Once through the double doors, meet with the friendly receptionist FIRST to get a form to fill out for the birth/death/marriage certificate or license you are trying to get. 2) Fill out the form, go back to the receptionist and give her your completed form. You'll then get a number. PRO TIP: Bring your own ID, and your own pen or pencil to fill out the form for a birth/death/marriage certificate! The tiny pencils here just barely get the job done. lol 3) Wait 5-10 minutes for your number to be called. 4) Go up to the window you are assigned and the clerks will get you what you need. On my way out, a different receptionist was just as friendly as the first one I met earlier! I'd never thought I'd say this, but Great job, Alameda County Clerks! Getting here: Super easy as it is just across the street from AC Transit bus lines. The Lake Merritt BART Station is just two blocks away. Street parking and a big county-run parking garage is next door too.

I'm pleasantly surprised with how easy it was so get a marriage license…read more We applied online, set up a zoom interview, and received our license in the mail with clear instructions on how to return. You're able to return it by mail but I wanted to hand it in so I can have the license right away. Parking can be a challenge but it's not too bad a block away from the building. The place is clean and organized. I came at around 930 on a Friday. Greeted quickly and handed a number. Sat for about ten minutes and had my license!

To my surprise, the court house is easy to navigate, employees are very nice and helpful, from…read moresecurity to window service. Easy peasy and quick service. Bravo to the employees !!

I remember every little thing As if it happened only…read moreyesterday... I was barely 19, this court was where I first served on a jury. It was such a messed up experience. This is the story. After deliberation the Jury Foreman asked for a vote. It was 11 to 1 for a guilty verdict. I was the lone hold out. The defendant was charged with assault on a police officer and possession of marijuana. On the main charge, assault on a police officer, the jury quickly and unanimously agreed the defendant was Not Guilty. The police officer's story was ludicrous. Instead of an assault on a police officer, there was convincing evidence that in responding to a domestic disturbance call the police had beat the living shit out of the defendant, and then tried to cover it up by arresting the defendant on a phony assault charge. When the defendant was arrested he had a tiny roach (the marijuana equivalent of a cigarette butt) in his pocket. The Judge instructed us that if we found that the defendant was in possession of marijuana we should find him guilty. In deliberation I agreed that the defendant was in possession of marijuana, but questioned whether such a minute amount merited (what at that time would have been) a misdemeanor conviction. I asked my fellow jurors, Are we really going to saddle this guy with a record for a roach? The Jury Foreman was a cigarette smoker. I come from a family of smokers, so I knew a little about them. When smokers run out of cigarettes, they get desperate. They call it having a "nicotine fit." When push comes to shove, I've seen smokers pull one of their cigarette butts out of their ashtray and light it up just for a quick hit of nicotine. I pointed out that if the roach was a cigarette butt, it wasn't even enough to quiet a nicotine fit. It wasn't a useable amount. The Jury Foreman looked at me with disgust. "What this comes down to," he said, "is some of us use marijuana and some of us don't." (Ouch) Clearly he was irritated by my analogy, and suspicious of anyone defending a doper. Various jurors weighed in, but no one saw it my way. I could not disagree that the guy was in possession, but I felt I wouldn't be able to live with myself for convicting him for a such a tiny amount. After several 11 to 1 votes, I persuaded the Jury Foreman to ask the Judge whether or not it mattered that it wasn't actually a useable quantity of marijuana. He wrote the question down and handed it to our bailiff. A short time later the Judge called the jury back to the court room. I don't recall exactly how he said it, but he announced that the Jury Foreman had made a request for an interpretation of law. Instead of directly addressing the issue I brought up, the Judge just read the section of the penal code the defendant was charged with violating and reiterated his previous instructions. And he sounded a little pissed off to be bothered with the question. So, now what was I gonna do? There wasn't going to be any guidance from the bench. I couldn't deny the guy was in possession. I tried my level best to convince my fellow jurors of my position and failed. I wasn't even sure if my position had any legal merit. So, I hated doing it, but I voted to convict. At the time I didn't see there was anything else I could do. So messed up. Mikey C says: It was long ago and it was far away, and it was so much better that it is today

I was summoned for jury duty and then chosen as a member of the jury, so I was here for a few days…read morein a row. I honestly didn't have a bad experience at all. Parking is definitely a hassle. I got dropped off every morning, so that I didn't have to worry about parking. I do know that many people like the Alco park garage, but spots can fill up fast. When you first go in, there's security check. Nothing too crazy, but was told by a deputy to never bring metal forks in (if you were to pack your lunch), because security will stop you. I did pack my own lunch every day. If you needed a fork, you could go to the snack bar located lobby level. This was my first jury duty, so I didn't know what to expect. After security check, I went to a large room where I sat and wait. They played a video for us, and then had us fill out a questionnaire. The lawyers and judge then came down to speak to us a bit. You then have a chance to fill out a form in case of hardship, where the judge can excuse you. Everyone who is not filing for hardship goes upstairs to a courtroom and wait. A random number of people were then called to be questioned by both attorneys. This basically went on until both attorneys were okay with the panel. Now for my experience as a juror...it honestly wasn't that bad. I thought this was a great experience and very educational. My favorite part was definitely getting to know the rest of my fellow jurors. We had great conversations during breaks. Your experience is definitely depended on how you view being on jury duty. I hated missing work, but my fellow jurors made it fun. And the trial itself was nice to watch and take part of.

I got called in for jury duty and had to report at 8:30 am on a Thursday morning. Parking is…read morelimited so I took uber as I didn't have to worry about parking or car break in. When I arrived, you have to go to a metal detector like when you go to through airport security. Then there was a line to the jury assembly room. There is also a snack bar on the way to the jury assembly room. After about 2 hours of waiting in the assembly room, the judge came down to talk to all of us rather than in the courtroom to save time and gave us the details of the trial, which would last for 2 months, and if we couldn't attend for two months and it was a hardship, he asked those who couldn't commit to write a hardship request and he even posted the dates we would have to be in court. I had a hardship due to caregiving duties and a trip planned so I was excused for another year. We also had to complete a 10 page questionnaire rather than answering all these questions one by one verbally in front of the court. The process took the whole morning and expect to spend some time waiting for each step.

Review #243 - 2016…read more Well, here's another place that I'd NEVER imagine myself writing a 4-star review for... Going to court is probably one of the worse thing that I could ever imagine doing on any given day, especially traffic court. My nephew got a speeding ticket and we ended up here twice because the first time we showed up, we were told he had to bring a parent or legal guardian since he was under 18, which I'm neither. The reason for my good rating is because I felt like we were treated like human beings rather than looked upon as criminals like other courthouses that I've been to. The officers up front who were checking us in were kind and polite, the cashier was helpful and nice, even the bailiff and judge were nice. I'm been to the Richmond courthouse plenty of times--so, if you want to see why I think this courthouse deserves a 4-star rating, you'll have to go experience the ghetto first.

I came here to be support at a court date. First of all, Judge Susan or something like that in the…read morecenter room, is completely unfair, rude, gave a first time child of 17yrs old No hope, No chance and stated he needed harsher punishment, who says that?! I just feel like we were all treated as criminals when we were just in audience? The child had no chance I'm not understanding the humanity of this judge?? I had to put 1star and that was for the officers in front who were human!

I came here for jury duty. I noticed that there weren't many recent reviews when I searched it here…read moreso wanted to add a review. On the online portal where you see jury reporting, it lists the parking garage. It is located on the corner of 7th and Jefferson. I highly suggest parking at the garage. It is $7 but $6 with validation. The garage does get full so get there early. I got there at 7:00 when it opened to ensure I always got a spot. Some of the staff also park here. I preferred to park here vs the street because adding money for the street parking is not ideal considering we may be in court when the time runs out and I saw people get tickets who parked on the street. The juror room was larger than other courthouses. The space is very well kept/clean and there's free WiFi for you to work in between etc. This is also where you get your parking ticket validated for the garage (you get $1 off when validated). Shoutout to Vicki for being so helpful! The food cart downstairs was also good and they had a good variety. Although many people don't like jury duty, I found the staff to be helpful and the space to be clean. It was easy to navigate as well. They made my jury duty experience positive.

Rude black woman who answers the phones. I explained my situation and tried to get clarification…read more She only replied with, "I already answered your question . . . No more stories." Then goes on in circles about how she doesn't need to hear everything, which took longer than just answering my question. Yeah, she's a total genius. This just shows how lowly educated these individuals are. I interacted with the judge/commissioner here and he was patient and was clear in all of his directions, as well as taking the time to make sure all individuals understood their rights. This just show you the difference an education makes. If this woman can't even do her job correctly in a place that's administering the law, she doesn't deserve employment here.

Bring a coat and warm pants, I brought lightweight versions of each just in case and was still…read moreshivering, along with many others. They say to come at 8:30, but the only thing worth coming before that is to get parking in the small lot next to the courthouse. If you find yourself with extra time beforehand, there's a path and a beach just across the street. Airport style security does not involve removing shoes. They let me in with my salad and chopsticks without a second glance. Also my poi made it in, a performance art prop, that I take with me everywhere. If you're at the end of the line entering the building (because you were off on a fun walk and not standing in line for half an hour to enter the building), you may be told that the jury assembly room is full and that you'll had to wait outside on some benches. This happened to me. The sounds of voices down the hallway are semi muted and semi echoey. There's no explanation for what comes next, when you're sitting outside the room, just the instructions to wait outside the room. I haven't been to any other courthouse in the Bay Area, so I can't compare. I have to say, expectations have not been set appropriately for the 8 of us sitting outside the room right now. And we still have no idea of the time we are summoned for today. Some time later into orientation... the group of us waiting outside the room have been let into the room to stand. There was a long introduction speech that contained about 10% useful information. It felt like we were getting a review of the courthouses in Oakland (learned that it is 7$ parking over there). Now the TV / DVD isn't working and we're all sitting around while potential jurors volunteer to try to debug the system. 5 minutes and counting... the potential juror trying to help just slapped the DVD player... Apparently the video is just to tell us about the first day. If not selected for today, dismissed for 12 months. Otherwise, depends on judge and case. 3 hours after start time, I've effectively completed one questionnaire and now we are released until tomorrow morning. Day 2 update! Line up to enter at 8:40, get in at 8:50, they've run out of work slips. Told to wait outside jury summons room, attendant will collect us and bring us to court before 9am start time. 8:58am and attendant hasn't come, a group of us walk downstairs and enter courtroom just before 9am. Sometime around 9:10am, roll call is taken to figure out who the missing person is. Sometime later judge enters. Everyone stands, everyone sits. 9:40am: judge explained that they had to call in another pool of potential jurors and asks us to return 9am next day to be selected with the other pool, and dismisses us for the day. Why couldn't they just give us a call? There's only 20 of us left in the pool.

This organization is so defunct, it is beyond explanation…read more Got a ticket? Cool, try paying it... Gotta work with the city? As a sole proprietor or fortune 500? Get to the back of the que, which is five hours long... Oh, and our automated phone system? State of the art in 1997. It's a perfect labyrinth, there is no actual way out except hanging up on the minotaur after you starve yourself to death and give up in abject apathy... We like to think of ourselves as the personification of government irresponsibility. We have realized final metamorphosis of organization. We are perfection and YOU have no chance. One less cog in the wheel affects us none the less. Good luck and goodbye, ~Alameda City Hall

It's a nice building n the exterior that's well maintained…read more There are two towers to this building identified as North & South towers. From the landscape, the rotunda inside to the skywalk 13 floors up it's a beautiful building at face value. There is no public access to most of the building including the skywalk...unless you sneak up somehow. The views from the skywalk are seemingly endless and go from views of San Francisco( the bridge included), through Oakland/ Alameda and the surrounding cities. Most either work in the building or have official business with a federal agency. There is a cafe/cafeteria on the 5th floor of the North tower in addition to a nice outdoor wrap around patio with views. There is a second outdoor space in the other tower as well. The IRS, Coast Guard, Va, Social Security, TIGTA, and the federal court are a few things located in these buildings. The highest traffic tends to be for the IRS walk in office. It's one of the nicest buildings in the downtown area and i'd somehow to get a chance to get inside the rotunda offers the best pictures.

Located just a few steps from Bart 12th street station, the building is named after former…read morecongressman and mayor of Oakland, Ronald V. Dellums. This is a beautiful establishment with two 17-story towers connected by sky bridge located at the 13th and 14th levels. I asked the security guard at the plaza across the street if the building is accessible to the public. He said he doesn't know but flagged down two gentlemen who according to him were federal employees. He asked them and said yes, it's okay to enter the building. I entered the lobby but tough luck, there's officers by the entrance who will stop you right away. I was told that you'll only be allowed if you have an appointment for a hearing. What do you mean? I have to be involved in a lawsuit or be part of a jury before I'm allowed? Just kidding but I do wish I had the chance to see what's inside the buildings and more so, to be able to walk that connecting bridge. Oh well, at least I tried.

I am not sure if this is the best place, as I couldn't find the actual probation office in Yelp,…read morebut this is who this review is meant for, specifically Mrs. Martinez i have been on probation most of my life, and it has always seemed as though it's just there to get you caught up again and again, instead of trying to understand the individual and why they (in my case) keep getting into trouble . Mrs. Martinez is different; she actually cares about what is going on in your life that has led you to her and really pulls out all the stops and options to help you be successful not only in completing your probation successfully but also in your life inso making it possible to stay off of probation in the future. She has gotten me into counseling (something I never thought was even an option or that I needed or would be helpful , but it was, for understanding why I make some of these bad choices, understanding what triggers me and how to deal with those triggers ) instead of a rehab treatment I didn't need and would have gotten me let go of my current job, due to all the required check ins and meetings i would need to attend . she also helped me to get back on my feet with temoarary houseing until together we found affordable perminate houseing keeping my family the entire time. All probation officers dealing with troubled individuals should have this approach instead of setting you up to fail to keep you in the system and money flowing through the jails. If all probation iofficers handeled certin cases like this I truly belive crime would be down and we lives could be saved.

The clerks in Family Law here are great. Very efficient and helpful in every encounter. If only all…read moregovernment offices were run this well!

I'm extremely frustrated with my experience in the small claims court division, particularly in my…read moreinteractions with Isabella. On two separate occasions, I've been given incorrect or incomplete information, which resulted in me making unnecessary trips over an hour round trip only to find out things were not handled properly. This process is already time-sensitive and stressful, so having to deal with avoidable mistakes and miscommunication only adds to that burden. During my most recent visit, the paperwork was even completed incorrectly and had to be altered afterward, which did not inspire confidence in the accuracy or professionalism of the process. I understand that questions may come up, but there is a noticeable lack of consistency and preparedness that makes navigating the system much more difficult than it should be. Additionally, the tone and attitude I encountered felt dismissive at times, which made an already frustrating situation worse. I'm sharing this because I believe the court system should provide clear, reliable guidance, especially for individuals trying to follow the proper steps on their own. Right now, that standard is not being met in my experience.

Best court house, in and out like I was trying to get married or something. They also do name…read morechanges! Now that's a hell of a place