Department B is located at the end of the hallway and the current bench officer is John Slawson who previously sat in Torrance, Ca. The doors to the courtroom should open at approximately 8:30 a.m. (Although in the last 11 years that I have been to the Pomona courthouse, I can count only a handful of times that they have opened up on time). Litigants enter the courtroom and take a seat. After the courtroom fills in, the clerk will take roll and ask who is present and resolve any procedural issues (such as whether you filed the proof of service for your hearing etc.). Judge Slawson promptly takes the bench as 8:45 a.m. Judge Slawson takes matter with attorneys first followed by matters requiring an interpreter (if they have an interpreter in the courtroom standing by). Judge Slawson then takes self-represented litigants with agreements followed by those who disagree. My experience with Judge Slawson is that he is overall fair to the litigants and make sure that he gives both sides an opportunity to express their position. One thing I might add about Judge Slawson is that he very adamant about cases moving forward and, if you have not been to Court before, he will likely set a Case Management Conference for you to return in a future date to either set the matter for trial (if your issue(s) are disputed or set your case for receipt of judgment (if you and the other party anticipate you will be reaching an agreement). A final word of caution is to be careful of the clerk (asking questions etc). She has grown quite salty over the years.
