Active Trial judge
Superior Court of California, County of Alameda
California · Alameda
Overview
Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.
Background
No nonjudicial career history is documented in this source.
Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project public biographical data. Demographic and political labels are incomplete, source-attributed, and are not used to infer judicial behavior. “Via appointer” describes CourtListener’s attribution method, not verified personal party membership.
Before you appear
Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.
Statewide and courtwide guidance is labeled by scope and is not evidence of a personal preference. Division, judge-specific, or case-specific orders may control.
Presentation rules
Alameda Local Rule 3.35 supplies standing pretrial orders for all civil jury trials and, except for jury instructions and verdict forms, all civil court trials, unless the assigned judge modifies them.
the following standing orders will apply to: (1) All civil jury trials
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
Counsel must prepare an exhibit index and exchange the indices and exhibit copies at least three court days before the pretrial conference, or three court days before trial if no conference is scheduled; an undisclosed exhibit may be excluded.
These indices and copies of the exhibits must be exchanged by counsel
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
Parties proposing an audio or video presentation must meet and confer and should stipulate when possible; objections to the presentation or transcript must be raised by motion in limine.
The parties must meet and confer concerning the proposed use of any video or audio presentation
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
If the court orders electronic copies of proposed juror questionnaires, jury instructions, or verdict forms, counsel must provide them in the format ordered in addition to the required printed versions.
Electronic copies must be in the format ordered by the court.
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
A party offering an electronic sound or sound-and-video recording must provide the court and opposing parties a transcript and provide opposing parties a duplicate of the recording.
the party must provide to the court and to opposing parties a transcript of the electronic recording and provide opposing parties with a duplicate of the electronic recording
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
California courts should permit remote participation in covered civil proceedings, subject to the statute, local rules, and controlling orders.
courts should permit parties to appear remotely at conferences, hearings, and proceedings in civil cases consistent with Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
Covered civil parties and witnesses may appear remotely, and the court may conduct proceedings in whole or in part using remote technology.
that party or witness may appear remotely and the court may conduct conferences, hearings, and proceedings, in whole or in part, through the use of remote technology
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
Court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast except as Rule 1.150 permits.
Except as provided in this rule, court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast.
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
In expedited jury trials, parties may use slides, electronic presentations, projections, exhibit notebooks, and other methods approved at the pretrial conference.
the parties may present summaries and may use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, individual notebooks of exhibits for submission to the jurors, or other innovative methods of presentation approved at the pretrial conference
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
Voluntary expedited jury trial submissions must identify party agreements concerning electronic presentations and other proposed presentation methods.
Any agreements of the parties to use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, notebooks of exhibits, or other methods of presenting information to the jury
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
An exhibit must be admitted by the judge before it may be used in the case.
The judge must to allow you to admit the exhibit as evidence in order for you to use it in your case.
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
Courtroom technology
Technology availability is separate from procedural permission and evidentiary admissibility.
Published opinion footprint
This does not mean the judge has no published opinions or no caseload. KYJ will only show opinion counts after transparent, source-linked CourtListener matching is available.
Sources
Identity source · HTML · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.alameda.courts.ca.gov/system/files/general/2026-judicial-directory-and-assignments_eff-20260102-_ver-3_tcw.pdfIdentity source · HTML · retrieved July 29, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/13797/victoria-s-kolakowski/Courtroom-specific · PDF · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.alameda.courts.ca.gov/system/files/general/2026-judicial-directory-and-assignments_eff-20260102-_ver-3_tcw.pdfStatewide · HTML · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/two/rule2_1040Statewide · HTML · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_672Statewide · HTML · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=367.75.&lawCode=CCPStatewide · HTML · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/one/rule1_150Statewide · HTML · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1551Statewide · HTML · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1548Statewide · HTML · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/how-introduce-exhibits-trialCourtwide · PDF · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.alameda.courts.ca.gov/system/files/local-rules/03-title-3-20260701.pdfChange history
Identity imported from Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. 11 presentation-related claims migrated with source provenance.