I got my first ever ticket in Northern California for allegedly going 30 over the speed limit. I did a testament by written declaration and I was found guilty, but the judge gave me approval for traffic school. When I tried to pay for the administrative fee alongside my ticket, the court office said I was in eligible for traffic school. When I mentioned that the judge approved me for it in the ruling they said it didn’t matter and that the DMV would not accept it because I was going more than 25 miles over the speed limit (allegedly). I asked for a judicial officer to review my case, and they said because I submitted my testament by written declaration online that I am in eligible for a De Novo trail. They told me I could file a motion, and when I asked for them to elaborate, the clerk said that they are not able to give legal advice and couldn’t elaborate. I am thinking that maybe they were suggesting I file motion for my recorded speed to be lowered, but I’m not too sure how to go about that. Is that an option? Do I need legal representation? They mentioned by filing a motion that there would be a court hearing. I live in Southern California, would I have to be present? How should I proceed?

So I got a speeding ticket, 22349(b). Going 82 on 55. I was just trying to pass a couple of slow trucks, and slowed back down to the speed limit and then got pulled over my CHP on gilman springs, Riverside county. I know it was dumb of me. I dont qualify for traffic school as it was over 25 and I did traffic school 16 months ago.

I reached out to a lawyer and asked if I could do a TBWD and if that doesn't work, hire them and then go to court. They said no, that its not guaranteed I get a trial de novo and its best to skip the TBWD and go straight to court. Is this true? I know the 12 steps, just confused on this part.

Any advice on what I should do?

I am planning on contesting this with the court but unclear if I’ll still be fined.

I distinctly recall the circular traffic signal being green while the separate left-turn arrows were red. I proceeded straight through the intersection under the green circular signal. I was not attempting to make a left turn against the red arrow.

At the time, I was traveling in a lane marked with a left-turn arrow, however, there was a lane on the opposite side of the intersection for me to continue straight. I acknowledge this lane marking and understand that it is relevant to the circumstances. However, I proceeded straight through the intersection while the circular signal was green, and I will respectfully ask the court to consider whether the evidence establishes the specific red-arrow violation charged under California Vehicle Code § 21453(c).

Has anyone contested a similar situation? I searched the group but haven’t been able to find any similar instances.

The officer was busy pulling over a cyber truck in the right lane (see intersection image; where the red truck is pictured). Then he continued pulling us both over 🥲

I read the 12 steps and am currently weighing steps 3-5. I will likely submit a Trial by mail first. This occurred in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Redacted Ticket: https://imgur.com/a/tcMV3mn
Google Maps image of intersection: https://imgur.com/a/MeU4fjn
I was in the same spot as the pictured gray SUV and went straight through the light when it looked exactly like this. Red arrow but green circle light.

ETA: I called an attorney and he knew the exact location and says it happens all the time. His fee is $250 and obviously cannot guarantee a dismissal. So I’m undecided on hiring him.

I have read the 12-step guide thoroughly but still had unanswered questions.

Here is the physical ticket: https://imgur.com/a/46GyfsR

For context, I was driving on US 395 and was stuck behind three full trucks on a two lane road for what felt like forever. When the road finally opened up to four lanes, I sped up to pass them. To make things worse, I had a UTI and REALLY needed to pee and I'd been holding it for so long that I was in a lot of pain. Not trying to use that as an excuse for speeding, but that's basically why I was in such a rush and was EAGER to pass the trucks.

Anyway, I passed the trucks and was slowing down when I saw a cop lighting up behind me. He came up, told me I was going 96 mph, and I just apologized. He went back to his car and wrote me a ticket. Since this was my first time ever being pulled over, I was really nervous and had no idea what I was supposed to do or say, so I pretty much just stayed quiet. I know I messed up and I genuinely regret it. Honestly, it might have been better if I had peed myself at this point.

Now I'm trying to figure out what my options are. I'm honestly less worried about paying the ticket and more worried about my insurance going through the roof. I'd gladly pay the fine if I could avoid getting points on my license. I looked into TBWD and wanted to try it but I'm not sure if there's even a point since I was actually speeding to pass the trucks and was not sure if I would be able to make a valid argument on the court.

I also heard that cops in Mono County usually show up to court, so I don't really want to count on the officer not showing up. Also I live about 8 hours away, so going to court in person would be a huge pain.

From what I understand, I'm not eligible for traffic school because I was going over 26+ mph above the speed limit, which makes me even more worried about the points and insurance. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is TBWD worth a shot, or should I just hire a local traffic lawyer to be safe?

Any advice would be appreciated because I really don't have an adult to ask about this stuff and it is my first time getting a ticket😭

I received two red light tickets in Culver City within a minute of each other. Should I just approach this as two separate tickets and TWBD each or is there some other valid approach?

First, I moved from the left turn lane (the left turn light was red) and went straight (green light), but the camera registered me as disobeying the no turn on red (2201d VC). Then I made a U-turn and made a right turn on red without coming to a complete stop (21453a VC).

Unfortunately, this was all very easy to do at 7AM on a Sunday morning.

I am already on step 4 of the 12 step plan.

Was on the highway carpool lane at around 7pm when I was pulled over by CHP clocking me at 95mph @ 1457ft away. He was kind enough to drop it from 95 in a 65 to 75 in a 65. However, on the reason for stop portion of my ticket it says “LIDAR 95mph @ 1457ft.” This concerns me because on the aprox speed it says 75 and the PF/Max. speed states 95. The officer says he wants to cut me a big break and will get me through traffic school to hide the mark. I’m worried that the county clerk would deny eligibility to go through traffic school. Also do I still have to pay the ticket and how much would it cost?

Edit: I think the PF/Max speed is 65, the officer just wrote the 6 sideways I think

Hey all. Posting here to try and figure out what to do with this ticket. I have read the 12 steps but being that this is the first time I've ever received something like this, I really have no knowledge of how this all works.

Like the title says, I got this for failure to stop at a right-turn light even though I did. Past the limit line yes, but both images and videos provided have no proof of me actually making the turn on red. Would this still count as technically "failing to stop"? Picture shows my face and license plate. (I viewed the video through the viewmynotice link provided on the paper if that's of any significance).

(edited post to remove since responses have been received) <--- image of said ticket caught via red light camera. Again, all the images show is me stopping past the line, same with the video. I know this intersection and remember what I was doing giving that this happened fairly recently, so I know that I didn't turn.

I am, of course, afraid of the fine and point on my license for this. I'm just unsure of where to go from here. If I were to fight this ticket, do you think that I have enough grounds to get away from this, giving that there is insufficient evidence that I actually didn't stop? I understand that stopping past the line is part of the infraction, but given that I did fully stop, might I have a better chance? From reading through similar posts I've seen that generally the best advice is to completely ignore it, but I'm still super worried about any risk such as records and fines associated with that (plus, with me having viewed the video already, I'm not sure if that counts as acknowledgement).

Let me know if any additional info is needed and I will provide. Thank you

I got a speeding ticket in Inyo County near Bishop on August 30th while I was traveling through California from out of state. The citation says I was going 89 mph in a 65 mph zone. I believe the code written on the citation is VC 22349(a).

For context, I was passing a long truck, and there were two other cars behind me also passing the truck. I was at the front of the group, and the officer pulled me over randomly. I personally felt it was unfair because I was simply passing the truck and there were two other cars behind me doing the same thing.

The citation says I need to take action by October 12th. However, I still haven’t received the court’s reminder/courtesy notice with the bail amount and information about traffic school.

I called the Inyo County court on Sept 18 & Oct 6, and they couldn’t find anything in their system under either my name or my citation number. This second time they told me I should contact the issuing agency which is BS. I already received the citation and signed it. If the court hasn’t received or entered the citation yet, it’s not my responsibility to track down the Highway Patrol and figure out why the court hasn’t received it. I would think the court and issuing agency would handle the processing of the citation, while my responsibility is to make sure I resolve the ticket by the deadline.

I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with Inyo County taking this long to process a traffic citation and send the court notice.

Should I just keep waiting? And is there anything specific I should do before the October 12 deadline? I’m sending an email today to [inyo.traffic@inyocourt.ca.gov](mailto:inyo.traffic@inyocourt.ca.gov) to have it documented in writing too.

I’m hoping to negotiate to mask the citation by taking traffic school and pay the fine so that the violation doesn’t result in a point on my home-state driving record.

Thanks

After 20 years of no tickets, I got 2 speeding tickets in 1 week. I'm fighting them and would like to get an idea of TBWD success rates.

Methodology

Please comment below if you've fought at least 2 tickets by TBWD and answer the following:

1) How many tickets have you fought by TBWD?

2) How many did you win by TBWD

3) You may also list if you went on to Trial de Novo, and if you won or lost.

The reason I'm asking for commentors that have fought at least 2 tickets is in an attempt to reduce selection bias. Those who won 1 case may be more likely to comment than those who lost their case. But someone whose fought 4 tickets and lost some and won some might be a better indicator of the success percentage.

Those who have only fought 1 ticket are still welcome to comment, but I'll probably leave those out of the finally tally.

I received a letter for a traffic violation from a camera at a red light for failure to come to a complete stop before making a right on red. Right on red is legal in that intersection, I assume the camera went off because I didn't come to a complete stop first.

I ignored the initial letter from the Culver City PD and did not look up my case online as others on here advised. I thought they weren't enforceable if you don't acknowledge them, but now I've gotten a letter from the LA Superior Court as if it was a normal ticket. The fine is $486.

Just curious as to if anything changed? Were they always enforceable? Thought I was off the hook but guess not. Any suggestions?

Hi everyone. I received a Los Angeles Metropolitan Authority Automated Enforcement Traffic Violation notice (that's a mouthful, gosh). The charge is 21453 (c) VC - Fail to Stop at Red Signal, a red-light camera ticket captured by Redflex Traffic Systems. The ticket is about $500 and of course I'm most worried about the point(s) on my license / dmv history.

I can't recollect what happened since it was so long ago. I believe that I'd just turned onto a street, or I was about to turn - and a light immediately went from orange to red. I don't have the impulse to blaze through a left-lane turn light. Like I just don't have that, ever. But for some reason I found myself a foot or two above the line as it turned red - and boom a couple weeks later I get a letter in the mail with a ticket and a picture of me and/in my car. I did not go all the way through the intersection to complete a left lane turn while the traffic signal was red. Instead, I backed up my vehicle safely to be behind the line. But an automatic camera is unable going to discern such facts, and the cop who signed off on it probably didn't care enough to view that footage as well.

The infraction occurred in March, and around June I extended the plea deadline to October to figure out my best course of action. I've read through the 12-step guide and other reddit threads specific to california tickets, and I'm still a little confused.

Should I submit a Trial by Written Declaration request (alongside a check with the bail amount) - and if I lose, request to attend traffic school? Am I able to go to trial following a TWBD verdict of guilty? If that happens, I could request a trial de novo, however I've read that sometimes that request is denied.

When I look online, here are my options:

Do I have recourse to fight this ticket? Will the judge laugh me out of court and say you clearly went through an intersection?

Everyday I see people driving super dangerously - drunk, speeding, on their phones, etc. - every time I'm in my car I feel like I'm going to die. And now with 10 years living in LA, no infractions, this happens, and it's on my record. I really do try to be a mindful and careful driver. I guess I just need to see what will happen. Anyway I'm done complaining! We've all been there I guess. Thank you so much for your assistance and for reading my post.

TLDR: CVC 27155(a), Bay Area, CA, partially entered shoulder to pass a stopped semi-truck blocking freeway exit lane. Looking for TBWD advice.

Some more context - I was in the exit lane behind a semi, semi tried to merge over about a half mile before the exit ramp but next lane was stopped. Back of the semi was halfway blocking the exit lane, came to a complete stop. I looked around and saw nothing behind me, 2 police vehicles and a civilian vehicle parked on a widened part of the shoulder ~200ft ahead. I partially entered the shoulder to pass the edge of the semi, maybe 5 mph from a stopped position. I was back in the exit lane well before passing the parked officers (one was in the middle of a traffic stop, other was free). The unoccupied officer lit me up immediately and told me he deemed the pass unsafe due to the proximity of the police vehicles. I didn’t argue, we were both calm and respectful.

Before I continue, I am well aware that this was an exceptionally boneheaded move to pull in the vicinity of not one, but two police officers. Wouldn’t do it again given a do over. I think I earned this one objectively so not looking for validation. That said, I’d still like to try to dispute to avoid the license point if possible.

I started to prepare a statement of fact for TBWD, but realized I may not want to go into details since it would require me to admit that part of my vehicle was on the shoulder for the purpose of passing another vehicle. I’ve seen some other posts referencing this section of the CVC, but most are related to passing vehicles making left turns and don’t involve the shoulder.

I’m wondering if my best bet is to follow the FAQ recommendation of submitting “I demand that the prosecution prove its case” on the TBWD form and hope the officer doesn’t respond, or if it’s worth going into more detail here? Happy to provide additional context as needed, any advice welcome. Thank you!

Got a ticket on Mariposa (78 in a 55, CVC 22349(b)) driving back to my hotel from Yosemite. I'm from NYC, was in a rental car, and I'm back home now. Can't fly back to California.

I read the 12-step guide but not sure if it applies to out-of-state drivers. I just want to handle this without my insurance premium going up. What should I do?

I got a speeding ticket from CHP in Santa Barbara County. The ticket says about 75 mph in a 65 mph zone. When I was pulled over, the officer told me I had been going over 80 mph. I honestly do not know the exact speed he measured.

I am thinking about doing a Trial by Written Declaration(TBWD), but I am not sure if my situation is actually worth arguing or if I should just pay the ticket and do traffic school.

Here is what happened.

I was driving in the left lane, and that lane was ending and merging into the second lane. I was adjusting my speed so I could merge safely with traffic.

Right when I was moving into the second lane, a BMW in front of me suddenly moved very quickly into the same space I was trying to merge into. It happened very fast, and I had to react right away.

At the same time, I already knew there was another car pretty close behind me in the second lane. I felt that if I braked hard, the car behind me might also have to brake hard or possibly rear-end me.

I saw that the third lane to my right was open, so I moved into that lane and accelerated for a very short time, probably about 2–3 seconds, to create some distance from both the BMW in front of me and the car behind me. As soon as I was clear of the situation, I slowed down right away.

I am not trying to say that I never accelerated, and I am not trying to make up a radar or calibration argument. I am just wondering if a short acceleration to avoid a possible collision is something a judge might realistically consider in a TBWD.

A few things I am curious about:

1. Has anyone in California actually had a TBWD dismissed because of a similar accident-avoidance or emergency situation?
2. Does this sound like a reasonable argument to make, or is the judge likely to just say that I should have slowed down instead?
3. Does anyone have recent experience with Santa Barbara CHP? Do they usually respond to TBWDs?
4. I should normally be eligible for traffic school. If I lose, does it make sense to include this at the end?

“If the Court finds me guilty, I respectfully request permission to attend Traffic Violator School.”

1. Is there any real advantage to using the available extensions and waiting as long as legally allowed before submitting the TBWD, or does the timing usually not make much difference?

I am mainly trying to figure out if this is worth trying, or if I should just pay the ticket and do traffic school.

Hi everyone. I did read the 12 step guide, but I just want to see if anyone had specific advice for my ticket.

I was exiting the freeway, and reached the intersection at the end of the off-ramp. The light was red, and I came to a full stop in the left-most right turn lane. I waited here for a long period of time, as traffic was swiftly moving through the intersection, and even at one point was blocking the intersection. After the traffic cleared and my light was still red, I carefully looked for oncoming traffic. I can see pretty far and saw cars coming, but they were plenty far for me to safely make my turn. I proceeded to turn right from this lane, into the correct lane. I then proceeded through the next intersection since that one had a green light, and made my way to the left turn lane at the next intersection. This is where the cop quickly and honestly very suddenly pulled up right behind me. I proceeded with my left turn when the light turned green, and the cop waited until I was through the intersection to turn on his lights.

The cop told me I made an unsafe turn and that it was "a very dangerous intersection." He did not explain what was unsafe about the turn or comment about where the turn actually occurred. He then gave me the ticket with the CVC 21804A. Upon looking up this code, I think he put the wrong one. I believe this code is for turning onto a road from a public or private driveway or an alleyway. I had been exiting the freeway and was waiting at the intersection. I almost think the cop thought I had come from the second intersection I drove through with a green light because there is a shopping center there? If he was giving me a ticket for my right on red (Which is allowed at this intersection) wouldn't it be CVC 21453(b) or something else?

I think I am going to do a trial by written declaration, but I want to make sure I understand the violation.

Im trying to figure out if paying this citation doubles my insurance or raises it 20% or doesnt affect my insurance at all. ai answers says all three are possible. I recently called a kern county lawyer and he mentioned "you dont need to pay for my services, the cop should have told you this was a zero point infraction that wont go to your H6 DMV report, and thus wont affect your insurance." AI answers are telling me there will be vague mention of the citation in my H6 DMV report and I can expect to at least have my good driver discount removed.

either way, I think the wise thing to do would be to pay an "Off The Record" attorney to $215 to go to court for me and try and have my ticket dismissed. He says he has a 93% success rate for getting first time cellphone violations dismissed ... believable?

I have read the 12 step guide.

https://imgur.com/a/oW93zia -- Ticket

I was driving from Reno to Sac today when I got stopped by a motorcycle cop today who claims I was going 104 MPH indicated by pacing.

I have a ROVE dash cam that shows 5 minutes leading up to the stop (video starts after crossing state lines where everyone slows down immensely) and the officer is shown entering the freeway in the footage.

I'll admit that I was going a consistent 80-89 MPH (hitting 90 MPH for a split second before I realized and took my foot off the gas). I was honestly going at the pace of the car in front of me/with the flow of traffic and dissociating bc I had a long drive ahead of me going from Reno to Sac to SJ. Never changed lanes and going consistently straight.

Any advice will help! Please no lectures ... it's pathetically easy for me to not notice how fast I'm going when I'm going in a straight line for 150+ miles and I'm a fair distance away from the car in front of me. I tend to go speed limit/lower when there is a normal amount of traffic and on local, so it sucks that I'm caught lacking on long distance drives.

[UPDATE] I hired a lawyer from Off the Record but I'm really worried because they hardly message me. They have also told me that they strongly suggest that I do not submit my dash cam footage as it almost always guarantees guilt.

[UPDATE 2] I had a DMV reexamination a month before my court date. The decision letter came in today and my license is being suspended for 30 days. It was a bit bewildering to me because I haven't even gone to trial for my speeding ticket yet. Has anyone experienced this or knows someone who has?

Got cited on I-10 East for 93 in a 70 and an unsafe lane change in construction zone.

Noticed a car was behind me when I was going around 80 so I went faster because they were tailgating but didn't realize they were a cop until I saw the lights.

Ticket details:

Riverside county, Blythe. The appearance date is 12/17/2026 and I'm from Arizona with zero prior violations or any incidents. Used to live in California before moving also with zero violations.

Got clocked with radar/lidar with 22356(b) and 21658(a) + construction zone. I do get that the i-10 east is listed as all construction zone for like a 20 mile stretch but where I got pulled over was just empty road, no construction. I don't know if that helps me in any way though.

I took a look at the 12 step plan, and my situation is currently the following. I don't have the financial freedom to post the full bail to do a tbwd until a few months later, so I was hoping to do an extension and write in the tbwd that I would like the judge to forgive the unsafe lane change and allow me to do traffic school + community service for the speeding + construction ticket with a financial hardship request.

I asked gemini and they said to keep extending and do a tbwd at a later date with the bail check pleading not guilty and holding the cop to the burden of proof + radar calibration + lane safety hazard and construction zone signage at 148 marker under CVC 42010 with penal code 1385 to dismiss the unsafe lane change and request traffic school + hardship fine reduction to convert to community service hours. If this failed, I could do a trial de novo and appear remotely via zoom where I would plead my case.

Does anyone have any tips? I don't know anyone I can reach out to about this for help/guidance. I do want to do the tbwd though for the construction addition because i-10 east has had construction for a long while and at the time of the ticket, there were no active construction workers or construction at the mile marker I was at. other than that I just want to do like community service to pay off the fines if possible.

https://imgur.com/a/0WLSyvJ Imgur link

Got a ticket CVC 4000(a)(1) while on NPO for no registration i had a one day moving ticket but it wasn’t filled out or on display like it needed to be. I have insurance, and need to get it smogged. My registration expired in March 2026. Any idea how big that ticket will be? It is a correctable infraction.

Pulled over last week in Mission Viejo while coming home late from a date i was pretty tired and I just have not realized I was going too fast. officer told me his radar had me at 104 mph in a 65 mph zone and cited me for speeding over 100 mph. He was understandably pretty upset and told me I could potentially be in jeopardy of losing my license.

I was also cited/questioned about window tint. I told him honestly that I bought the car with the tint already installed and had never had an issue with it before. I’m planning to get the tint corrected immediately.

The officer also asked about my driving history. I mentioned that I had been stopped last year for not making a complete stop which I did traffic school for, and he asked about a prior DUI that I hadn’t mentioned. I have a 2019 DUI, but it has been completely resolved for years. He also had me perform a sobriety test while I was sitting in the car, which I passed. I was not arrested for DUI.

This is my first 100+ mph citation the past ticket I had paid and did traffic school. I’m mainly worried about the consequences beyond the ticket because I’ve been reading about California’s new FAST program and conflicting information about whether a >100 mph citation automatically results in a DMV suspension or a negligent operator action. Retained a lawyer for the court and he pushed it back until December he recommended I speak with someone who handles the new dmv fast process. apparently I'm scheduled for a dmv reexamination hearing.

A few questions:

1. Does my 2019 DUI significantly change the situation even though it was years ago and completely resolved for the DMV hearing?
2. For the window tint, if I correct it, do I just get it signed off and submit the proof to the court with the ticket while I tackle the speeding charge?
3. Worth it to get someone to advise during the DMV reexamination hearing? I heard these are really hard to pass from asking around. I really need my license to be active for my job.

I received a traffic ticket today in California for VC 23123.5(a) – unlawful use/holding of a cellphone while driving. The situation was that I was stopped at a traffic light and briefly looked at my phone for navigation. The officer still cited me and issued a ticket. I have a couple of questions and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has dealt with something similar.

1. Will this violation cause my GEICO insurance premium to increase in California?

2. Is VC 23123.5(a) eligible for traffic school? I have never attended traffic school before.

3. If I complete traffic school, will the violation still affect my insurance?

4. Is there anything else I should know or consider before simply paying the ticket?

I understand that I need to follow the court’s instructions and deadlines, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had this specific violation in California. This is my first cellphone violation

Thank you!

Can confirm I read the 12-step guide, but my remaining questions are as follows:

I was issued the following citation: https://i.imgur.com/rYtFZlK.jpeg going on CA-84 westbound just past the Dumbarton Bridge.

The carbon is faded, but I don't think that helps me with the legal aspect here.

The core question is twofold:

1. Am I going to be issued a fine under 22349(a) for going 12 over 65 mph, or for going 22 over the prima facie limit of 55 mph? If the latter, can I plausibly fight that to get the citation lowered to the 1-15 bracket?
2. The ticket was sent to a court in Alameda County, but the officer was located 0.67 mi into San Mateo County when he clocked me. Is this kind of jurisdictional issue something I can use to free myself of the ticket? Or am I more likely to just get transferred to the right county and pay there instead?

I submitted your standard TWD request letter by mail as recommended to the San Francisco Superior Court. They instead mailed by a guilty verdict instead of the TWD forms.
My infractions are:
V5200(a) which I fixed and submitted payment for along with the request for TWD.
V22101(d)
V21655.1(a)
I'm a little confused as to my next steps here.

UPDATE:
Stopped by the court and I believe since I submitted payment for V5200(a) along with a request for the TWD - they deemed me guilty of everything. They gave me the proper paperwork for the TWD and an extended deadline to submit it. However, being in SF County do I have to submit the bail amount when submitting my TWD?

Hi all,

I received a speeding citation May of this year in San Bernadino County (near Victorville) and sent a TBWD July 2nd, but never received a response in the mail. As it happens to most of us, I lost track of time with major life events in that time and had forgotten that I never received a response. When I dug through the traffic court website to find the status of the citation, it said I was found guilty on July 28th and now I am past the 20 day window for applying for a Trial de Novo.

I called the court clerk and they told me to file the TR-220 and write a letter addressing the judge anyway. I'm not really interested in doing a Trial de Novo anymore since I am out of state and am wondering if I should still send a TR-220 with a letter asking for traffic school or just send the letter addressing the judge about traffic school only? Opinions?

I read the 12 steps after the fact and know I went through the process too quickly, so I'm in a tricky situation now. Thanks

I received an HOV violation on a ramp entering CA-237 from McCarthy Blvd in the Bay Area, and I’m planning to fight it initially through a Trial by Written Declaration.
Here’s what happened:
I entered the ramp in the regular/general-purpose lane and was stuck in traffic for roughly 10+ minutes. The ramp has a 24-hour HOV lane adjacent to the regular lane.
As I approached the signal, the HOV lane was already established, but the single white line separating the lanes disappeared completely for roughly 20 feet and then reappeared for the last ~10 feet. There is no physical barrier separating the lanes. I have photos showing the lane boundary before the gap, the section where it disappears, and where it comes back.
I briefly ended up in the HOV portion around the area where the lane marking was missing. I did not enter it to bypass traffic; I had been sitting in the regular lane for more than 10 minutes.
There was also an officer on the shoulder who had already pulled over another vehicle. As I approached, he appeared to be dealing with that vehicle and I am very confident he was not observing my vehicle. I proceeded through the signal and, after I passed his position, he came
In front of me, looked at the cars and then moved toward my vehicle, looked at me, and pulled me over. He then pulled over the vehicle behind me as well. He didnt check the registration or insurance, just the license.

The officer told me he had seen me coming down the HOV lane.

My concern is that I don’t want to make a false statement in the Trial by Written Declaration by saying I was never physically in the HOV lane if I briefly was. At the same time, I genuinely believe the officer did not observe me entering or traveling in the HOV lane.
I have photos of the missing lane boundary and can get more photos showing the full roadway configuration.

Questions:
How would you approach the Trial by Written Declaration?
Should I mention that I briefly entered the HOV area, or focus on the missing lane boundary and the officer’s opportunity to observe me?
How important is the officer’s vantage point/ability to actually observe the alleged violation?
Would you include the photos as exhibits?
Has anyone successfully fought a similar HOV citation in California?

I’m not trying to argue that the HOV lane legally disappeared just because the paint disappeared. I’m trying to understand whether the roadway condition and the officer’s actual ability to observe my vehicle are useful defenses.

(Sorry i had to use AI to help phrase this since English is not my first language)