Santa Ana, California

Founded in 1869, Santa Ana is the county seat in Orange County, with all county government buildings, including the largest courthouse, the Central Justice Center, located on Civic Center Drive. Santa Ana's history is synonymous with Orange County's own history, and was virtually the only major town between Los Angeles and San Diego until after WWII. Today, Orange County’s second largest city (running almost neck-in-neck with Anaheim, which has around 15,000 more residents), Santa Ana is home to over 340,000 residents.

Santa Ana has Kentucky roots. William Spurgeon, a Kentuckian, acquired the land that became Santa Ana in 1869. The city was incorporated in 1886 and three years later became the county seat for the still sparsely populated and rural Orange County. In 1905 passenger rail travel was in place that connected Santa Ana and Los Angeles. But it was not until 30 years later, in 1935, that the first roadway opened that allowed direct automobile travel between the city and Los Angeles.

Lockheed Martin, the largest defense contractor in the word, has its original roots in Santa Ana. The Glenn L. Martin aviation company, founded in 1912, made its home in Santa Ana. Later the founder, Mr. Martin, sold his company to the Wright Company and created another company that eventually merged with the Lockheed Corporation. Today, Santa Ana is home to the world-famous South Coast Plaza shopping center, as well as being the civic hub of Orange County.

Although Orange County has five courthouses, the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana is the hub. All of the high-profile and major crime trials take place in this courthouse. The Orange County Law Library, the main offices of the Orange County District Attorney and the Orange County Public Defender flank the civic center plaza where the courthouse building stands. This courthouse has the largest caseload in the county and is oftentimes a starting point for criminal cases that are sent to branch courts for handling. The Central Justice Center also routinely handles those cases that emanate from Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park.

If you are arrested in one of the four cities served by the Central Justice Center, your case will be filed there. Criminal defense attorney William Weinberg often represents clients whose case is in the Central Justice Center. For almost 30 years, he has appeared in this court almost every month, if not every week, so he knows it well. The Central Justice Center, and the justice system itself, is often confusing to someone who is unfamiliar with the process. For Attorney Weinberg, navigating this process is what he does every day. He walks his clients through the process and takes care to put them at ease.

As a defense attorney, he approaches every case on a personal level. He wants to know who his client is and how they found themselves in his office. This allows him to develop a narrative to present to the court and the prosecution that puts a face on the defendant standing before them. Judges and prosecutors see an endless file of criminal defendants day in and day out. It is understandable that these defendants can blur into one label: criminals. Attorney Weinberg reminds the court that his client is a unique individual and by presenting his client’s own story, he disrupts the monotonous procession of defendants. This can have a big impact on the outcome of his client’s case. Ultimately, his goal is to get the best result he can for his client.

Whether you or someone you care about has been charged with a serious crime such as murder or rape or less serious charges, such as drug charges, Attorney Weinberg can help. No matter what crime you have been charged with, Mr. Weinberg has defended it before—probably many times over. You can contact him at his Irvine office for a free consultation about your matter at (949) 474-8008 or by emailing him at bill@williamweinberg.com.