If you’ve received a traffic ticket and can’t find it online, you’re not alone. It recently happened to someone here in the Coachella Valley—and attorney Walter Clark has advice on how to handle it.
Clark says the most important thing is not to panic. “These citations rarely get completely lost,” he explained. “What usually happens is a delay in processing or a mistake in how the officer wrote the citation—misspellings and poor penmanship are very common.”
In this case, the individual was given a court date of July 24, even though the ticket wasn’t appearing in the online system. Clark says that date is still valid. “They’ve been given the grace of a promise to appear. So just show up to court on that date, or keep checking online as the system may update closer to the deadline.”
He adds that if the ticket still doesn’t appear by the time of the court date, you can request a dismissal. Otherwise, Clark recommends asking for traffic school to avoid points on your driving record—something that could raise your insurance premiums.
“Judges like to say the only difference between a California stop and a full stop is $100,” Clark joked, “but it could cost you more in the long run if you don’t take care of it properly.”
His bottom line: don’t ignore the court date. “If you skip it, you could end up with a bench warrant.”
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By: Fred Roggin
June 13, 2025
