Rolling Hills Estates, California

Rolling Hills Estates is one of four cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. RHE, as Rolling Hills Estates is also known, is a community of mostly “ranch-style” homes, although RHE is also home to the Peninsula Center Shopping Center (including “The Avenue”), Peninsula High School and Chadwick, an expensive private school for grades K through 12. There are also two elementary schools in the city, Rancho Vista and Dapplegray.

RHE has about 8,000 residents, approximately 70% of whom are Caucasian and 23% are Asian. Like its wealthier neighbor, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates is marked by numerous horse trails, hilly terrain and views of Los Angeles. RHE, however, is not a gated community like Rolling Hills. It does, however, attempt to project an upper-class image, as it has a ban on drive-through restaurants and strict curfew laws.

The Lomita Sheriffs Department polices RHE. The main thoroughfares crossing RHE are Hawthorne Boulevard, Crenshaw Boulevard, Silver Spur Road and Palos Verdes Drive North.

Legal disputes arising in Rolling Hills Estates are heard in the Torrance Superior Court. Such cases, both criminal and civil, draw jurors from Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, West Carson, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Lomita, parts of Harbor City and of course, Rolling Hills Estates. Our office does the majority of its work in the Torrance courthouse. We are experienced with all of the judges, the clerks, all of the city prosecutors and almost all of the district attorneys. We like to think of the Torrance courthouse as our “home court.”

Due to the Peninsula Center shopping area, RHE does see its fair share of shoplifting incidents, as well as auto burglary incidents. Recently, there was an unsolved murder of an elder woman in her car in its multi-story parking structure. There is also an unsolved murder of an attorney, a resident of RHE, from a residential area in the city.

Our office has represented several individuals over the years accused of shoplifting at the various stores within the Peninsula Center. We have also represented a fair number of juveniles for offenses ranging from sales of a controlled substance on campus, speed contests, hit and run, felony vandalism, to criminal threats on campus, to battery of a parent, to DUI.

Our office has also represented a small number of clients in DUI and domestic violence in matters arising out of Rolling Hills Estates. The most common area where the Lomita Sheriffs have made traffic stops for DUI is along Palos Verdes Drive North, which is actively patrolled at night.

If one is charged with a misdemeanor offense arising in Rolling Hills Estates, the case will have its first appearance, an arraignment, in Department 3 with Judge David K. Reinert, on the second floor. If the case is not resolved in Department 3, the case will proceed for a pre-trial in Department 5 with Judge Amy Carter next door. The Torrance District Attorney’s office will handle the prosecution of the case.

If one is charged with a felony out of RHE, the case begins with the arraignment on the second floor in Department 4. Judge Thomas Sokolov is the judge in 4. If the case moves past Department 4 to a preliminary hearing, the case will be heard in Department 8 with Judge Nicole C. Bershon. If the matter proceeds to a superior court arraignment following the preliminary hearing, it will be assigned to one of several judges (Hector Guzman, Edmund Willcox Clarke, Gary Tanaka, Laura Ellison or Alan Honeycutt). If the matter is set for trial and cannot be heard in the Torrance court, the first option is to send the case for trial to the Inglewood courthouse, however, it can be sent anywhere in Los Angeles County (including Lancaster or Pomona).

The Torrance Courthouse has free parking in a large lot just north of the courthouse and adjoining the courthouse. There is also free parking along Maple Avenue.

For more information about common cases that one might face if arrested in this city, click on the following articles:

1. Do Warrants Eventually Expire If Police Do Not Arrest You?

2. What Punishment Do I Face for Domestic Violence?

3. What Punishment Do I Face for a First-Time DUI?

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