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Fraud Alert: Scam Text Messages Claiming DMV Penalties -

We have been made aware of fraudulent text messages being sent to individuals claiming to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or the court system. These messages often state that the recipient owes penalties or fees related to traffic violations or DMV infractions and may include a link or phone number to resolve the matter. 

Take these steps to reduce the chances of falling victim to a text message scam:

  • Never respond to unsolicited or suspicious texts — If you receive a message asking for personal or financial information, do not reply.
  • Verify the source — If you are unsure, always contact the DMV through official channels.
  • Call the DMV if you have concerns — The DMV customer service team is available to help you at 800-777-0133.

Please see DMV warning about fraudulent texts: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/news-and-media/dmv-warns-of-fraudulent-te…

Jury Scam alert -

The Santa Barbara Superior Court has received complaints about individuals trying to scam members of the public by pretending to be court officers or officials. The Jury Services office of the Santa Barbara Superior Court does not call citizens to request payments for failing to appear for jury duty. California law does not permit citizens to pay a fine in lieu of jury duty. If you receive such a call simply hang up and, if the scammer persists, call your local law enforcement agency. Learn more about the recent scam warning.

Notice to Jurors:

Prospective jurors summoned for jury service can expect to receive their jury summons in postcard form. Please check your mail for a postcard with important instructions to fulfil your jury service. Visit the Jury Services page for more information.

Estate of Ermalinda Avila

Case Number

24PR00264

Case Type

Decedent's Estate

Hearing Date / Time

Wed, 03/12/2025 - 08:30

Nature of Proceedings

Trial Confirmation Conference

Tentative Ruling

Probate Notes:

Appearances required. 

The following is noted for the Court at the hearing:

                                         Procedural Posture

Petition for Probate and Letters Testamentary – Filed April 29, 2024

Petitioner:  Evelyn Catherine Avilla Lee

Status:         At issue 

Objection was filed by Jeffrey Avila Vargas on July 8, 2024, a competing petition for appointment as personal representative on July 18, 2024, and a properly served objection with summons on all but two persons entitled to notice, creating a contest over admission of the will to probate, and appointment of a personal representative, which requires Evidentiary Hearing to resolve. (In re Estate of Lensch (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 667, 676; Conservatorship of Farrant (2021) 67 Cal.App.5th 370, 377.)

Amended Will Contest – Filed October 4, 2024

Objector:     Jeffrey Avila Vargas

Status:         No written objection is on file, and there are still service defects.

Probate Code section 8250(a) requires personal service on all heirs/devisees.  There are Proofs of Service to that amended Will Contest on file, resulting in the following status of service to know heirs/devisees:

No Service

  • Estate of Eric Jacob Vargas
  • Regina Vargas Gonzales
  • Marcus Elias Vargas

Proper Service

  • Evelyn Catherine Avila Lee (rep’d. by Megan N. Bowker)
  • Jeffrey Avila Vargas
  • David Charles Avila Lee
  • Yazmin Mane Grizzanti
  • Gloria Gaitan
  • Joseph Patrick DeLira

Any service defect of the amended Will Contest can be cured by personal appearance of “each heir of the decedent” (Prob. Code, §8110(a)) and “[e]ach devisee, executor, and alternative executor named in any will being offered for probate” (Prob. Code, §8110(b)).

The Court struck from record Ms. Avila Lee’s ‘Reply’ on December 4, 2024.  Ms. Avila Lee claimed the Reply an objection, but no subsequent pleading objecting to the will contest is on file after the Reply was stricken from the record.

Appearances:

The court is open to the public for court business. The court is also conducting hearings via Zoom videoconference.

Meeting ID: 161 956 1423

Passcode: 137305

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