Legal Question in Traffic Law in California

The code section you were cited for was probably Vehicle Code 22450.

22450. (a) The driver of any vehicle approaching a stop sign at the

entrance to, or within, an intersection shall stop at a limit line,

if marked, otherwise before entering the crosswalk on the near side

of the intersection.

If there is no limit line or crosswalk, the driver shall stop at

the entrance to the intersecting roadway.

Essentially, you have to come to a complete stop at the limit line (if there is one) or at the intersection if it's not marked with a line like a crosswalk or stop line.

A "rolling stop" isn't a complete stop, so that's why you got cited... at least from his perspective he believes you didn't come to a complete stop. If you did stop as required, then crept forward before proceeding, then you may have a defense, but a full stop is required before the limit.

How do you fight? You can request a trial by declaration first. If the officer doesn't respond, you win. If you lose, you can still request a trial de novo (a court trial). There, you can cross-examine the officer and present a defense if you wish. Typical defenses may include photos and/or diagrams to try and show that the officer could not have been in a position to judge whether or not you stopped completely, etc. You may have additional defenses based on the facts. There are attorneys that specialize in traffic tickets if you're interested in hiring one.

You must come to a complete stop a stop sign. 22450 VC is the section you are looking. This ticket can best be fought by a traffic ticket attorney.