Courts not answering the phones today?

That's because today is a State Court holiday:



PJ Gilbert's monthly DJ column discusses today's holiday thusly:

Today is a court holiday in celebration of the birth of Cesar Chavez, the great champion of farm worker rights. Today is also April Fools' Day, but this unfortunate coincidence of the sublime and the ridiculous occurring on the same day is of no significance. I would have preferred we celebrate Chavez's birth on his actual birthday, Sunday, March 31. But then we would not have a court holiday this year. I leave it to others to decide whether or not the trade-off is worth it. But I endorse the principle that birthdays need not be celebrated on the same date as one's actual birthday. No disagreement from those whose birthdays occur on Christmas, New Year's or Super Bowl day.

(FYI, the next court holiday -- state & federal -- will be Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.)