Public Comment Statement -- Government Neglect, Police Chase, Court Obstruction, and Retaliation…read more Good evening. My name is Timothy Lal On February 1, 2020, I was struck head‑on when Vallejo police pursued a juvenile at high speed through a residential neighborhood. The juvenile was driving a stolen, older vehicle; the pursuit could have been ended later without endangering residents. That reckless chase left me with a traumatic brain injury and set off six years of physical, emotional, and financial harm as I have been trying to get help. Because of the injury and the way government systems responded, I lost thirty years of artwork and intellectual property, family heirlooms, my mother's work, and collections of deep sentimental and monetary value. I was forced into homelessness and endured years of instability. The Vallejo court repeatedly obstructed my attempts to file and pursue my case, offered no meaningful guidance or referrals to support programs, and effectively blocked my access to justice when I needed it most. Their inaction multiplied my suffering. When I reached out publicly for help, instead of support I faced efforts to silence me. My social‑media accounts were targeted and taken down after I posted about my experience. That felt like retaliation. Rather than connecting me to medical, legal, or housing resources, the system put more effort into keeping me from getting help than into actually helping me. I want to be clear about one part of this that has not been emphasized enough: the behavior of Vallejo court clerks and records staff. When I presented my situation to them they were adamant about not helping. They sounded bothered and aggrieved that I was expressing the suffering I'm enduring. Their tone, their repeated refusals, and their lack of follow‑through felt negligent and uncaring. This pattern was not limited to one office -- it extended across the Vallejo courts, the records office, and the Vallejo Police Department. The culture I encountered felt deeply wrong for people in positions of public trust. It felt like a criminal work culture; it felt thug‑like. That is how their conduct came across to me, and it contributed directly to years of additional harm. This is not just about paperwork or delays. This is about dignity and safety. The failures of the police pursuit and the court's refusal to assist cost me my livelihood, my creative legacy, and my sense of humanity. I ask this council to acknowledge the harm caused by these government actions and to take concrete steps to prevent this from happening to others. I request the following actions: - An independent investigation into the police pursuit policies that led to my crash and into how my filings were handled by the Vallejo court. - A full public records production under the California Public Records Act for all communications, filings, and internal decisions related to my case. - An inquiry into alleged retaliation including any city requests or actions that led to social‑media account takedowns or other efforts to silence public complaints. - A review of court and records‑office practices and culture, including staff training, complaint handling, and customer service standards, with public reporting of findings. - Clear, accessible referral procedures so people harmed by government activity are immediately connected to medical, legal, and housing resources. - Consideration of restitution or remedies for the irreplaceable loss of artwork, heirlooms, and the years of harm I have endured. I have spent six years trying to get help. I am asking for accountability, transparency, and compassion. Treat this as government‑caused harm that demands a real response. Thank you for listening.

Unorganized. I have…read morehad paperwork lost for traffic tickets on the clerks end. With modern day technology, there should never be paperwork lost on the the courts end.

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

This place is always packed. Nothing like trying to get to court and having to wait a massive line…read morejust to get through security. I understand why and I'm glad that they have security.

I have come here 6 times over the past 4 months and every time I've been treated very well and I…read moreget so much help from everyone! There is a free legal service here for people who need it! Richard is the Supervising Lawyer and he and his team know what they are doing and are extremely helpful with difficult family law issues!!! If you have a family law legal problem contact them and I know they will be helpful!!!

Fast and easy to get birth certificate Got there just after…read morethey were open on a holiday and got out 25 mins or so later

I finally decided to come to CCC Records office because researching online at home does not give…read moreyou the image of the documents. I could not be sure if the documents are exactly what I wanted. I was very pleased with the service I received, specifically from William. He was polite, very responsive, helpful and patient with me. (He was probably biting his tongue to not say something hurtful or rude). Anyway, my effort in going there was so worth it. I should have experimented more in navigating their computer instead of getting frustrated. Now I know the quickest way to find specific documents in their database and get hard copies. Thank you much!

I have reported many times over the years for Jury Duty at the Hall of Justice. The staff running…read morethe department are efficient , professional and kind. They communicate very well about what the process is and what is going on. Very few people enjoy Jury Duty but the folks there really take a lot of pain out of the process, by the end of the experience many of my fellow jurors where laughing and enjoying the whole experience, so if you're summoned don't worry, it's not as bad as you think.

This is your basic old 1960s courthouse. Nothing special, nothing great, probably lots of lead…read morepaint and asbestos, but hopefully you won't be here that long. I do love the ample street parking and modern civic center buildings across the street. The whole area is well-maintained and is really a pleasant surprise on the east side of downtown Fairfield. Remember to leave your aerosol spray cans and pocket knives in your car -- you will need to place all your metals in the tray and pass through security.

Beautiful court house. Judge Getty is so kind and efficient. Overall a great experience.read more

Wow! I had the worst experience at this courthouse starting with the disgruntled security guard at…read morethe door this morning. I was trying to get information on where to go & he just started yelled at me telling me I need an appt. One of the clerks finally came out & she was extremely helpful; Emily. There should be more employees like her there. She wasn't able to answer my questions so she grabbed her supervisor to come speak to me. Once again, this woman was very rude & unhelpful. And, she's a supervisor? Wow!!! Extremely disappointed in our court system.

Quick take: Easy process if you are prepared…read more During COVID-19 they are practicing social distancing so the line is spread out. There's a sign that states only 2 people max can be in the lobby at the same time. The process is fairly smooth if you arrive with the case number, case name, driver's license number. Bring cash or pay with a credit card. No restrooms in this building. Go across the street to the jury duty entrance. Go through the metal detector screening and let them know you came from across the street for the restroom.

Court records is a functional naming of the Contra Costa Superior Court…read more lower level has all the legal papers in the court system stored in computers: divorce/marriage , real estate transcations, tax lien, ficticious business names. legal judgments, + the usual legal documents. records are very accessible, personnel on hand can give you instructions how to operate the computers. looking up info her is easier than Alameda County's similiar operation in Oakland, Ca. parking is very accessible at the meters in the area. .

NEW FREE PARKING STRUCTURE NEXT TO THE COURTHOUSE! enter the same way you would for the free…read moreoutdoor lot next to the courthouse, but drive toward the back. if you have an 8 or 9am report time, i think you have a good shot at getting a parking space without getting here super early now. if you have an afternoon summons, you might still need to get street parking. last time i reported here (3 years ago?), i arrived at 7:30am for an 8am report and i still had to park at a metered spot a couple blocks away. this time i got here at 7:30am and i snagged one of the last spots in the original lot. the following day, i was required to be here at 9am and i showed up at 8:40am and there were still 50 spots (according to the board) in the new parking structure. parking was a huge gripe i had with this courthouse. at least now that's one less complaint when i report...

I had to Jury duty again. It seems like get this every year!.....ugg…read moreNot only that, PARKING is hard to find, so get there really early. or park far away.

My ex-husband moved out of state so I filed documents in September for a hearing update since I now…read morehave our son 100% instead of 50/50. My hearing was set to December 2023, and two business days before our hearing, I received a text message informing me that all hearings for that week have been rescheduled to April 2024. I called and asked why this happened and was informed that the judge was out of the office. I've already waited months for this hearing and now I have to wait even more months to be seen. I was also told that if I wanted to expedite the hearing then I had to process an ex-parte, but of course I had to file those documents and pay the ex-parte fee. This really sucks. Do better Family Law Center.

These people were beyond incompetent in handling my divorce documents. What should have been a few…read moremonth process, dragged on for well over a year. The process was nearly as painful as the divorce itself. First, they make it sound like all you need to do to file for divorce on your own is to fill out all the docs on their web site and serve your spouse. This isn't the case. There are many instructions, deadlines and docs that aren't shown on the web site. The first time I filed, they lost most of my docs, and I had to both refile and then re-serve my spouse. She didn't appreciate that much. I filed the docs at least 5 times, and each time they sent them back with some sort of items I'd have to correct. Even after showing the full docs to their lawyer at the Contra Costa county office in Martinez on two occasions, there were still items that she didn't catch in the review that required the entire application to be returned. Then 14 months later, I get the final docs in the form of a court order without an explanation. They should fire these people and start over. My advice is to hire a divorce attorney to go over the docs and let them duke it out with the county bureaucrats.

They don't answer the phone, it's literally an endless loop of recordings. Even when the automated…read moresystem says it's goin to transfer you to a person, it just replays the options. Terrible. I can't drive there due to my car being suspended. I can't win with these people.

4 stars because i got someone really helpful on the phone. Even though it took a long time to get…read morethru. If you can pay or make arrangements to pay because if u get behind or delinquent u have to deal with 3rd party GC SERVICES which can be annoying. Just paid $360 for a u-turn ticket in solano county fairfield ouch