King City Courthouse to reopen after being closed for eight years
KING CITY, Cali. (KION)
No longer will South Monterey County residents have to make an hour plus trip up Highway 101 for court services. The King City Superior Court will reopen after nearly an eight year closure. And residents, like Ruban Martinez, said it would be convenient. "I would have to go all the way to Salinas, or Monterey to take care of any court issues. So it would be perfect if we had it in King City."
The courthouse's reopening, which has already slowly taken place, will bring back services such as divorce, marital separation, name changes, landlord tenant matters, step-parent adoption, domestic violence and harassment orders, just to name a few. In September of 2013 the courthouse closed due to resource constraints, like lack of staffing, from the recession.
“We’ve known all along, certainly since we closed the king city courthouse about the ongoing need for court service for residents of south county and we have been very aware of that ever since,"said Chris Ruhl, Court Executive Officer for Monterey County.
That's why in early 2018 the county started providing court service at the Greenfield Civic Center to shorten the commute. There, residents had access to self help services and eventually traffic case services, for a couple of years until the pandemic hit. Those services, have been on pause since last March.
"The County and the Judicial Council worked very closely together to rehabilitate the courthouse in King City and make it ready for use and so we are just thrilled that they have completed that work and we are able to reopen in person services again," said Ruhl.
The King City Superior Court will be open the second Tuesday of each month, between 9 am and 1 pm, starting July 13th. The County is going to see what the demand is, with hopes to open twice a month come fall. Monterey County is expecting a steady increase in demand, assuming they can find the staffing.
Ruhl also mentioned, appointments in advance are highly recommended to insure you get the services you are looking for. Contact by phone at (831) 647-5800 ext. 3005 or via the county website, https://www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/self-help
