The court will be closed Friday, September 25, 2026, in observance of Native American Day.
Sacramento Superior Court, CA
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Department 3A
Writ Departments and Protocols - Department 3A
The clerk of Department 3A schedules hearings on writ petitions and motions addressing preliminary matters. Writ petitions and motions are normally heard in Department 3A on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Other times may be set only with the court's approval upon a showing of good cause.
The moving party must reserve a date with the department clerk before noticing a hearing. Prior to reserving a hearing date, the moving party shall contact the clerk at 916-874-5527 for available dates and times. The moving party shall then meet and confer with all parties to select a mutually convenient date and time from the available dates and times provided by the clerk. After this meet and confer has occurred, the moving party may call the clerk to reserve the agreed date and time.
Ex parte applications must comply with California Rules of Court, rule 3.1200 et seq. Specifically, pursuant to rule 3.1201, any application for ex parte relief must be in writing. Applications for ex parte relief and oppositions thereto should be filed directly in the assigned department. When documents are not filed directly in the assigned department, parties shall deliver an endorsed copy directly to the department. Parties wishing to request an ex parte hearing must contact the clerk in Department 3A. The clerk will not reserve a hearing date, but rather, the court will review the pleadings, and if the court determines that a hearing is necessary, the clerk will advise the moving party of the time and date set for the hearing. Once advised by the court of the appearance date, the moving party is required to give notice pursuant to rule 3.1203.
The court prefers at least 48 hours' notice but will accept less upon a showing of urgency.
Effective August 21, 2023, the caption page of the first pleading in any case that alleges one or more claims pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Pub. Res. Code, §§ 21000, et seq.) shall clearly identify that the case is a CEQA case. The words “CEQA case” must appear on the caption page.
Additionally, if the CEQA claim relates to an infrastructure project governed by Public Resources Code sections 21189.80 et seq, the caption page must also state the code sections under which the CEQA cause of action is litigated and state “Expedited Review.”
At the time the pleading is filed, the person presenting the pleading for filing must notify the clerk processing the filing that the case is a CEQA case and, if warranted, that it is entitled to expedited review under Public Resources Code section 21189.85. Once a notice of case assignment is generated, the petitioner must immediately deliver a courtesy copy of the pleading to the assigned department and contact the department clerk regarding scheduling a case management conference.
In addition to compliance with the court’s rules regarding e-filing, parties must deliver two hard copies of all filings to Department 3A on the same day that the motion or pleading is e-filed. If the motion or pleading is e-filed after hours or on a weekend/court holiday, the hard copies shall be delivered to Department 3A the following court day.
Additionally, at the time of filing of any document, parties are directed to email a courtesy copy of any filing as a PDF to Department 3A. Emailing the courtesy copy will not be considered filing.
We do not accept fax filings.
In most cases, Department 3A uses the Tentative Ruling System. On the court day before each hearing, the court will post either a tentative ruling or a direction that the parties appear at the hearing.
Any tentative ruling or direction to appear at the hearing will be available at 2 p.m. the day before and may be obtained on the Public Portal. For those without access to the Internet, a copy of the tentative ruling or direction to appear may be obtained from the clerk of Department 3A.
A tentative ruling shall become the ruling of the court, unless a party contacts the Department 3A clerk to request a hearing no later than 4:00 p.m. on the court day preceding the hearing and further advises the clerk that the party requesting the hearing has notified all other parties of its request and intention to appear. If no hearing is requested, the tentative ruling will become the ruling of the court without a hearing.
All notices of motions or hearings shall include the following information in the notice: "Pursuant to Local Rule 1.06, the court will make a tentative ruling on this matter by 2 p.m., the court day before the hearing. The complete text of the tentative rulings for the department may be downloaded from the court’s website. If the party does not have online access, they may call the dedicated phone number for the department as referenced in the local telephone directory between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on the court day before the hearing and receive the tentative ruling. If you do not call the court and the opposing party by 4 p.m. on the court day before the hearing, no hearing will be held."
Parties are encouraged to appear remotely at conferences, hearings, and proceedings by video or telephone on the Zoom platform with notice to the court and all other parties in accordance Code of Civil Procedure § 367.75. If appearing remotely, parties are required to participate in their hearing using a device that has video and/or audio capability (i.e. computer, smartphone, or tablet). Although remote participation is not required, the court will presume all parties are appearing remotely for non-evidentiary civil hearings.
The parties may join the Zoom session for the hearing on the tentative ruling by audio and/or video through the following link/telephone number:
- Join Department 3A by Zoom link
- To join by phone, dial (833) 568-8864 and enter ID 160 7584 1179
The parties must meet and confer regarding the hearing date and the substance of any motion. The moving party shall include a declaration attesting to this with any motion.
Issuance of an alternative writ merely places the matter on the court's calendar for hearing. It does not stay any action or afford any affirmative relief. If issued, the alternative writ must be served in the same manner as a summons in a civil action unless the court orders otherwise. (Refer to Code Civ. Proc., §1073.) The court will set a briefing schedule when the alternative writ is issued.
In bringing a mandamus petition to trial/hearing on the merits, the court prefers that parties proceed by noticed motion instead of by alternative writ. (Refer to page 7 of the Writ of Mandate Guide).
Absent a showing of good cause or waiver by the responding party, no alternative writ will be issued unless the moving party serves all parties with the application at least five days before the ex parte hearing.
Administrative records are lodged directly with the department. The administrative record must be lodged in the department not less than 25 days, but not more than 45 days, before the hearing. Parties should attach a cover sheet to the administrative record listing the case name, case number, and the date and time of the hearing.
In most cases, the Court prefers parties to lodge both a physical AND electronic version of the administrative record. Documents comprising the administrative record must be bound or in binders. However, if the administrative record is voluminous (generally, if it fills more than three large three-ring binders and/or exceeds 500 pages in length), parties are directed to maintain a physical copy of the original administrative record and to lodge with the department ONLY an electronic copy of the administrative record. The electronic copy of the administrative record must be (i) created in portable document format (PDF) or other format for which the software for creating and reading documents is generally available; (ii) divided into a series of electronic files and include electronic bookmarks that identify each part of the record and clearly state the volume and page numbers contained in each part of the record; (iii) capable of full text searching; and (iv) contained on a USB flash drive, labeled with the case name, case number, and title of the document.
For cases with voluminous administrative records, binders containing copies of excerpts of the administrative record cited in the parties’ briefing shall be submitted.
Parties should consult with the clerk if they are unable to comply with any of these requirements.
Once a hearing or motion is set on the calendar, it may be continued only upon an order of the court. A party requesting a continuance should obtain available dates and times from the clerk of Department 3A, meet and confer with all parties on a new date. Thereafter, the party seeking the continuance shall present either a Stipulation and Proposed Order or, if opposing parties are unwilling to stipulate, a motion and proposed order for a continuance. Applicable filing fees shall be paid at the civil front counter.
Proof of service of the petition or alternative writ must be filed with the court prior to any hearing on an application for issuance of a temporary stay, temporary restraining order, or preliminary injunction.
Objections to evidence must comply with California Rules of Court rule 3.1352 and rule 3.1354.