Persian-speaking attorney for San Diego County: criminal and family cases

The Law Office of Sourena Sarbazevatan represents people in San Diego County in criminal and family cases, in English and Persian (Farsi), but has no San Diego office: San Diego clients contact the Irvine office at (949) 591-9596 or through the contact page. The San Diego Superior Court assigns criminal and family cases to its Central, North County, East County or South County division using a ZIP code list. The Sheriff runs the county jails, including the San Diego Central Jail on Front Street.

San Diego County works differently from Orange County. Its court is split into regional divisions with their own family and criminal offices, the city of San Diego has its own police department while the Sheriff runs patrol stations elsewhere in the county, and in central San Diego the City Attorney, not the District Attorney, decides whether to file misdemeanor charges. This page explains those differences for Persian-speaking families in the county, with a focus on Carmel Valley and Rancho Bernardo, the two city ZIP codes with the largest Census counts of residents of Iranian ancestry. The full list of criminal and family matters the office handles is on the practice areas page.

No San Diego office: how San Diego clients reach the attorney

The office is at 200 Spectrum Center Drive, Suite 300, Irvine. It does not have a San Diego address, and nothing on this page should be read as one. A San Diego client contacts the office by calling (949) 591-9596 or by writing through the contact page, and consultations are available in English and Persian (Farsi). Court appearances in a San Diego case take place at the San Diego Superior Court location where the case is filed. Sourena Sarbazevatan is licensed by the State Bar of California (active, #351174, admitted November 23, 2023); more about him is on the page about Sourena Sarbazevatan. The office does not give immigration advice; a client who is not a U.S. citizen should also speak with an immigration attorney.

How a San Diego County case moves, step by step

1. The police contact. Inside the city of San Diego, the San Diego Police Department responds; its non-emergency lines are (619) 531-2000 and (858) 484-3154. The department lists Carmel Valley, Black Mountain Ranch, Del Mar Heights, Torrey Highlands and Sorrento Valley in its Northwestern Division, and Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain, Rancho Peñasquitos, Sabre Springs and San Pasqual in its Northeastern Division. Outside the city, the San Diego County Sheriff runs patrol stations, such as the 4S Ranch Substation at 10282 Rancho Bernardo Road.
2. Jail. The Sheriff lists its detention facilities, including the San Diego Central Jail at 1173 Front Street, the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility at 451 Riverview Parkway in Santee, the Vista Detention Facility at 325 South Melrose Drive and the South Bay Detention Facility at 500 Third Avenue in Chula Vista, all on (619) 409-5000. The Sheriff warns that families may find it difficult to contact an arrested person for some time after booking, and that calls from inside its facilities now come from 727-349-1561, a number some phone carriers flag as spam.
3. Bail. Before a first court appearance, bail is the amount in the arrest warrant or, without a warrant, the amount in the countywide bail schedule (Pen. Code § 1269b(b)). The San Diego court posts its current bail schedule, effective January 1, 2026. The Sheriff posts a list of licensed bail bond agencies in all its detention facilities and says it does not endorse any of them. The page on how bail works in California explains the hearing that follows.
4. The 48-hour rule. A person held in custody must be taken before a judge within 48 hours after arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays (Pen. Code § 825(a)(1)), and any California attorney may visit at the request of the person or a relative (§ 825(b)).
5. The charging decision. The court explains that the San Diego City Attorney decides whether to file misdemeanor charges in central San Diego, and the District Attorney decides for misdemeanors in the branch court areas and for all felonies. If no charges are filed, the person is released.
6. Which courthouse. The court's ZIP Code List (form ADM-254) assigns each ZIP code to a division. It lists 92130 (Carmel Valley) and 92127 (Rancho Bernardo) in the Central Division. For criminal cases, it notes two exceptions: cases arising in Coronado go to the South County Division, and cases arising in Del Mar go to the North County Division.
7. A DUI arrest. A person who receives a DMV notice of suspension has 10 days from receipt to request a hearing before the suspension takes effect (Veh. Code § 13558(b)).
8. A family case. Divorce, custody, non-governmental child support, domestic violence restraining order and parentage cases are filed according to the same ZIP Code List. Matters involving the Department of Child Support Services, surrogacy and the disposition of embryos are filed in the Central Division.

Many of the court's business office phones are answered from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and the court buildings open at 7:30 a.m. The court describes the North County Regional Center as "a full service branch court" with "a venue encompassing most of Northern San Diego County", in a building shared with the Sheriff, Probation and the District Attorney. Arriving early and calling in the morning both matter here. For the Central Courthouse in detail, see what to expect at the San Diego Central Courthouse.

The Persian-speaking community in San Diego County

Two points stand out. ZIP code 92130 lies entirely inside the city of San Diego, while only about half of the land in 92127 is inside the city and the rest is outside it, including a small part in the Fairbanks Ranch area, according to the Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP code to place relationship file. A 92127 address may be in an area patrolled by the San Diego Police or near the Sheriff's 4S Ranch Substation, which has a 92127 address, so the agency on the paperwork matters. And in the El Cajon and Santee Census area, about seven in ten people who speak Persian at home reported speaking English less than "very well". The San Diego court's policy, given available resources, is to provide an interpreter at no cost for courtroom proceedings and court-ordered, court-operated programs; a request must be made for each proceeding, and form ADM-348 can be used to make it.

What changes the answer?

• The ZIP code. Under the court's ZIP Code List, the ZIP code decides the division for criminal filings, apart from the listed exceptions, and for most family law cases, so a Carmel Valley case and a Vista case go to different courthouses.
• City or county police. Inside the city of San Diego, the San Diego Police Department responds; outside it, the Sheriff or another city's police may be the agency. The arresting agency's report rules apply.
• Getting the police report. The San Diego Police Department charges $12 for every report except arrest reports at its Records Division, 1401 Broadway, open Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and 50 cents for an arrest report, of which only page 1 can be released. It does not release police reports to arrested individuals or suspects, who may obtain them through their legal representatives in discovery or by subpoena.
• A domestic violence charge. The criminal court must consider a protective order on its own motion (Pen. Code § 136.2(e)(1)), and a family court can issue its own restraining order (Fam. Code § 6320). The page on criminal protective orders explains the difference.
• Citizenship. Before a guilty or no contest plea, the judge must read the immigration advisement in Pen. Code § 1016.5(a). See how a California criminal case can affect a green card or visa.
• Residency for a divorce. One spouse must have lived in California for six months and in San Diego County for three months before filing (Fam. Code § 2320(a)). A family that moved from Orange County recently may not yet meet the San Diego County requirement.
• Custody disputes. When custody or visitation is contested, the court must set the issues for mediation (Fam. Code § 3170(a)); in San Diego, Family Court Services provides this as child custody recommending counseling at all four courthouses.

A worked example

For example, imagine a couple in Rancho Bernardo, ZIP code 92127, who married in Iran and moved to San Diego ten years ago. This is a hypothetical, not a real case. They have two children and own a home in San Diego, and the husband still holds an apartment in Tehran inherited from his father. The wife decides to file for divorce.

Because 92127 is listed in the Central Division, her case is filed at the Central Courthouse on Union Street, where the family business office is on the fourth floor. The couple disagree on a parenting schedule, so before the hearing they are sent to Family Court Services for child custody recommending counseling. Her mother, who speaks little English, wants to come and translate, but the wife asks the court for an interpreter on form ADM-348 instead.

Three Iran questions follow: whether the mahr in their marriage contract can be enforced, whether the Tehran apartment is divided, and how their Iranian marriage certificate is used in court. The page on whether a mahr is enforceable in a California divorce covers the first under California law. The second is covered on the page about property in Iran in a California divorce. The third is on the page about divorcing in California after marrying in Iran.

Mistakes San Diego families make in the first days

• Going to the nearest courthouse. The ZIP Code List, not distance, decides the division for criminal filings and most family law cases.
• Assuming the District Attorney has the misdemeanor. In central San Diego, the City Attorney decides whether to file misdemeanor charges.
• Blocking the jail's calls. Calls from Sheriff's facilities come from 727-349-1561; save the number.
• Asking SDPD for the report as the arrested person. The department does not release it to arrested individuals; it goes through legal representatives.
• Missing the DMV deadline. The 10 days run from receipt of the notice.
• Relying on a relative to interpret. Request a court interpreter on form ADM-348 for each hearing.

What to do this week

1. Find the division, date and department on the court paper, and check the ZIP Code List if you are filing a family case.
2. If someone is in custody, save 727-349-1561 so jail calls come through, and call (619) 409-5000 for facility information.
3. After a DUI arrest, count 10 days from receiving the DMV notice; see why the 10-day DMV deadline matters.
4. Write down the time and place of the contact, the officers' names if known, and any witnesses.
5. If you need an interpreter, file form ADM-348 as far ahead of the hearing as possible.
6. If you are not a U.S. citizen, contact an immigration attorney before any plea.
7. Contact the Irvine office by phone or through the contact page to speak in English or Persian.

Guides for San Diego clients

Criminal defense:

• How a DUI case works in Orange County and San Diego
• What a domestic violence charge means for your case, your home and your children
• Assault and battery charges in California
• Theft or fraud charges in California and their penalties
• Drug charges in California and what Prop. 36 changed
• Sexual assault and sex offense charges in California
• Weapon and firearm charges in California
• Traveling abroad, for example to Iran, while a California case is open
• Clearing a criminal record with a dismissal under Penal Code 1203.4

Family law:

• How divorce works in California, from filing to final judgment
• How California courts decide child custody and visitation
• How child support and spousal support are decided in California
• How property is divided in a California divorce
• Premarital and marital agreements in California
• Whether a divorce granted in Iran is recognized in California
• What to expect at the San Diego Central Courthouse

Frequently asked questions

Does the office have a San Diego location?

No. The office is in Irvine and has no San Diego office. San Diego clients contact it by phone at (949) 591-9596 or through the contact page, and hearings take place at the San Diego Superior Court location where the case is filed.

Which courthouse handles a Carmel Valley or Rancho Bernardo case?

The court's ZIP Code List places 92130 (Carmel Valley) and 92127 (Rancho Bernardo) in the Central Division, whose courthouse for criminal and family cases is at 1100 Union Street. The paperwork in each case names the exact location.

Where is someone taken after an arrest in San Diego?

The Sheriff runs the county's detention facilities, including the San Diego Central Jail at 1173 Front Street, Las Colinas in Santee, and facilities in Vista and Chula Vista. The Sheriff's information line for these facilities is (619) 409-5000.

Is there a fee to ask for a domestic violence restraining order?

No. The San Diego court says there is no fee to apply for a domestic violence restraining order, and packets are available at the Central, North County, East County and South County business offices.

Can I talk to the attorney in Persian?

Yes. Consultations are available in English and Persian (Farsi).

Does the office give immigration advice?

No. The office handles criminal and family matters and does not give immigration advice.

The Law Office of Sourena Sarbazevatan represents people in Orange County and San Diego in criminal defense and family law matters, in English and Persian (Farsi). Call (949) 591-9596 or use the contact page.