The Superior Court of California, County of Ventura County, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Ventura County.
Ventura County was formed on March 22, 1872.[3] The original Ventura County Courthouse was completed in 1875[4]: 55, 58 by William Dewey Hobson and T. B. Steepleton from a design by Hobson. Additions were made in 1879 and 1884,[5] and the building was remodeled in 1900.[6] The first courthouse was demolished around 1920;[7] the site is now occupied by the May Henning School on Santa Clara Street.[4]: 58
A bond measure was passed, authorizing US$150,000 (equivalent to $5,060,000 in 2024) for a new courthouse in 1911.[8] The new Ventura County Courthouse was designed by architect Albert C. Martin Sr. and completed in 1912.[9] The new building was officially dedicated on July 7, 1913.[10][11]: 29 A new jail wing was added in 1931–32.[12][13] After the 1912 building was declared unsafe in November 1968,[14] the City of Ventura purchased the 1912 building and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[9] After the city completed an extensive renovation,[15] partially defrayed by grants from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Economic Development Administration,[16] it has served as the Ventura City Hall since 1974.[17]
The County of Ventura purchased land in eastern Ventura for a new Government Center.[16] The current main courtrooms and administrative offices of the Ventura County Superior Court are at the Ventura Hall of Justice, which was completed in 1980 as part of Phase 2 of the Ventura County Government Center. The design is credited to the architectural firms led by John Carl Warnecke and Dan Dworsky.[18][19]
The East County Courthouse in Simi Valley opened in March 1991.[20] Although the East County Courthouse was intended to provide services for communities east of the Conejo Grade, it was nearly closed in 1993 over a budget dispute and only staffed by court commissioners, whose scope was limited to traffic, small claims, and family cases until 1995.[21]
The main court is located at the Ventura Hall of Justice in Ventura. Juvenile cases are primarily held at the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard.[22]
Cases are also held at the East County Courthouse in Simi Valley.[22] It is notable as the site of the 1992 trial for the police officers who were accused of beating Rodney King.[23][24] The East County Courthouse had opened in 1991.[25]