Why Did Bail Forfeiture Occur

[snappy22]

My question involves traffic court in the State of: California

(Sorry for the title, it was meant to say Urgent help needed.)

Backstory here. (but not necessary to read)

I received a courtesy notice for an initial action for a fare evasion infraction. I mailed the slip back (on the 23rd of Dec) requesting a court trial, and also wrote a check out to the courts for the bail amount, stating in the memo the citation number and NOT GUILTY.

I check online and see this [screenshot of the LA superior court site].

What does bail forfeiture mean? Why is my case closed? I requested a court trial, and I am planning to go to the court tomorrow.

These are my interpretations, please help me understand what this means.

• Does it mean I cannot post bail now and I must show up to court? (I'm assuming that my check has arrived late and wasn't processed in time.)
• What does case closed mean? Case closed as in I must show up to court?
• Or does this mean that I forfeited my case by posting bail?

I'm very confused, and I was ready to head to the court tomorrow on 12/30.


Edit: The reason why I posted the check aswell, is because there's a FAQ that comes with the courtesy notice and it states:
How do I contest my ticket?
You must pay the full bail in person at the clerks office or by mail with the words "not guilty" written on the check/MO in order to obtain a trial date.

I think I followed the instructions although somewhat ambiguous. Do I even have a chance of getting a trial date now?

[HonkingAntelope]

This looks like a screwup on the clerk's part and they thought you were just paying the ticket like typical dumb pigeons do.

TBD may or may not be the option for fare evasion cases, but the clerk should have scheduled an appearance for you. Go down to the court and show the clerk the copy of the canceled check and ask to reopen your case. If the clerk can't do it, have them schedule an appearance in front of the judge for you so you can ask for your case to be reopened.

[Gromit]

Same thing happened to me on a speeding ticket. I sent the check in marked "Not Guilty", asked for Trial by Written Declaration and didnt hear anything for a couple months. They cashed the check and I notice on the LA County Court website it says "Case Closed". So...will writing a letter with all my documents included get this reopened. Or do I need to go down to the court ?

Thanks