Sonoma County Superior Court begins partial closure due to coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic forced the partial closure of the Sonoma County Superior Court on Monday, an unprecedented action that will shut down all but the most critical cases until early next month.

The courthouse will prioritize both felony and misdemeanor cases involving people who are being held at the Sonoma County Jail and are unwilling to delay their cases, according to an announcement by Sonoma County Presiding Judge Bradford DeMeo.

Only three departments at the Sonoma County Superior Court, and one courtroom at the Sonoma County Juvenile Justice Center, will remain open for those cases, DeMeo said in a letter Monday. The Civil and Family Courthouse and Empire Annex, both located on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa, will be closed to the public. Reviews of emergency domestic violence protective orders, civil harassment orders and foreclosure injunctions will continue, but all other civil and family law cases will be delayed for 60 days.

DeMeo made the decision to reduce the court’s operations until April 3 in agreement with the court’s executive committee and executive officer.

“If you do not have an in-custody matter, or a time-not waived matter, you are not required to come to court and we would encourage you to stay home and remain well,” DeMeo said in a letter to local attorneys Sunday.

Neither DeMeo or Arlene Junior, the court’s executive officer, were available for comment Monday about the court’s partial closure.

The closure came as public health officials announced two more health care workers in Sonoma County have tested positive for the respiratory disease now spreading through the community. Six Sonoma County residents have now tested positive for coronavirus; three work in health care, while two contracted the virus while traveling aboard cruise ships. Health officials have refused to release details about the sixth person.

The court’s decision to curtail operations mirrored similar reductions at courthouses throughout the state, including in Marin and Santa Clara counties, as fears of coronavirus continued to grow. The Supreme Court, where a majority of the justices are over the age of 65, postponed arguments scheduled in late March and early April because of the respiratory disease, the Associated Press reported.

While the 2019 Kincade fire and 2017 Tubbs fire prompted court officials to cease most operations, the nearly three-week closure announced Monday was unprecedented in length for the Sonoma County Superior Court, said Michelle Zyromski, president of the Sonoma County Bar Association.

The delays could prove frustrating for clients whose settlement hearings or jury trials have been postponed despite months of waiting for a resolution, Zyromski said. It was not clear if the court would interrupt ongoing criminal trials or make exceptions for lawyers seeking pressing legal actions not mentioned in DeMeo’s letter.

“Everything for us is griding to a halt,” Zyromski said. “It was not unexpected but the length of (the closure) will be challenging.”

Notices of the closure covered walls and entrances to the Sonoma County courthouse on Monday, when many visitors who were unaware of the decision arrived to discover locked and darkened offices.

Jocelyne Palacios, 22, of Santa Rosa, an overnight worker at a factory, went to the courthouse to inquire whether she could pay off a traffic ticket in installments. Online payments were temporarily unavailable Monday, according to the court’s website. Palacios made the trip to the courthouse with her daughter and father just past noon, interrupting her regular sleep schedule sort out payment of the ticket.

“It’s overwhelming,” Palacios said. “I need to get this over with.”

Kelly Brown, 41, also of Santa Rosa, said she had not heard from court officials by Monday afternoon regarding her upcoming jury duty scheduled for next week. The close proximity to other jurors during the lengthly selection process, as well as uncertainly over the building’s overall cleanliness, was concerning, Brown said.

“Not knowing if I’m sitting in a clean courtroom ... all the things people have touched, all the door handles,” Brown said. “I don’t want to go.”

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com.