Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

"legal"?

Whether it is or not, you had better appear in court on the day of your hearing, or an arrest warrant will be issued., based upon the citation turned into court by that officer. You can at that court hearing discuss with the judge what you think should be done about the 'notice' you did or didn't get. Keep in mind, and the judge may remind you, that an arresting officer has the discretion to issue a citation [arrest document] and notice of court date as a courtesy to you to avoid taking you into custody on the spot, or take you into custody/jail if you refuse to accept the citation. This may be an uncommon technical situation, but it is not likely to get you out of this ticket, since you did receive 'notice' of the charge and court date.