Legal Question in Family Law in California

you request spousal support when you file for divorce.

You can amend your petition or response to request spousal support if you left it out, up until you have a final judgment. Even then, in some limited circumstances and depending on the exact language of your judgment you might be able to request support later on a motion to modify the judgment, but that is pretty unusual.

If you were already divorced, and the court terminated its jurisdiction to award spousal support you may be out of luck. Depending on the judgment and other issues, you may or may not be able to set aside the divorce judgment.