Arrested for DUI in Chula Vista? The prosecutor handling your case works the South County courtrooms every day — your lawyer should know them just as well. Joshua Price has defended DUI cases across San Diego County since 2009, with an unparalleled record of DUI wins, DMV wins, and Not Guilty verdicts.
South Bay is the most distinctive place in the county to face a DUI charge. The I-5 and I-805 corridors carry some of the heaviest traffic in San Diego, the Chula Vista Police Department runs its own DUI enforcement on the city's surface streets, and the region's proximity to the border adds wrinkles no other part of the county has — from Border Patrol checkpoints that people confuse with DUI checkpoints, to clients whose immigration status makes the outcome of a criminal case matter twice as much.
Every one of those cases funnels into the South County Regional Center on Third Avenue in downtown Chula Vista. It is a courthouse with its own culture: the deputy district attorneys who staff the South County calendar handle the same categories of cases, in front of the same judges, week after week. Knowing how that particular courthouse treats a first offense, a borderline blood result, or a diversion application is not something a lawyer can improvise on arrival.
The stakes are the ordinary DUI stakes — record, license, insurance, employment — plus whatever your situation adds on top. That is not a case to hand to the cheapest option or a family friend who practices real-estate law.
Joshua Price has defended DUI cases across San Diego County since 2009, South Bay included, and teaches other attorneys how to defend them.
The question to ask any lawyer you're considering is simple: how much of your practice is actually DUI? The answer changes everything, because winning these cases means picking apart breath-machine maintenance logs, blood-draw chain of custody, and the DMV's parallel administrative process — skills a general criminal practice rarely builds. Josh's practice has been centered on DUI defense for 15+ years; he is a California DUI Lawyers Association attorney member and teaches these defense techniques at seminars statewide.
South County juries and South County judges also have their own tendencies, and the lawyers who appear at the Third Avenue courthouse regularly know them. That familiarity shows up in the practical moments — which motions get traction, when a suppression argument is worth the fight, what a realistic resolution looks like in that building.
"I started off hiring another firm, but I was not happy with them… Then I hired Joshua Price, not only did he get the evidence, but he really fought for me and was willing to take it all the way to trial. Not only did he get the DUI dismissed but there was no probation nor any classes! I would 100% recommend Joshua Price as your first choice for an attorney."
— Verified client review, December 2025
As a Chula Vista DUI attorney, Joshua Price handles all types of drunk driving situations. See his full DUI defense services for the complete picture; the topics most relevant to Chula Vista cases include:
A South Bay DUI case runs through a short list of institutions. Here they are — the Third Avenue courthouse, the police department whose report starts the case, and the agencies on either side of it.
Address: 500 Third Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Phone: (619) 746-6200
Website: San Diego Superior Court, South County Division
Note: The South County Regional Center is in downtown Chula Vista — DUI cases from across South County are heard here.
Questions? (858) 289-2624
Chula Vista Police Headquarters — Antony-22 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Address: 315 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Phone: (619) 691-5151 (non-emergency) · 911 (emergency)
Website: Chula Vista Police Department
Questions? (858) 289-2624
Address: 5902 Kearny Villa Road, San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: (858) 293-6000
Website: CHP San Diego Area Office
Questions? (858) 289-2624
How it works: the license side of your case belongs to DMV Driver Safety, on its own track and its own clock — the hearing office or remote-hearing details come with your notice.
Website: DMV Driver Safety
Deadline: You have only 10 days from arrest to request a DMV hearing — Josh handles DMV hearings
Questions? (858) 289-2624
At the South County Regional Center on Third Avenue, in downtown Chula Vista. That one courthouse takes DUI cases from the whole South Bay — Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, and down to the border communities.
Probably not. The permanent checkpoints on I-5 and I-15 north of the border are federal Border Patrol immigration checkpoints, which operate under completely different rules than police DUI checkpoints. Actual DUI checkpoints are temporary, run by local police, and must be publicly announced in advance — see our checkpoint tracker. Which kind of stop you went through changes the legal analysis of your case, so tell your lawyer exactly where it happened.
Faster than the court system will tell you. Your first criminal court date may be weeks out, but the DMV gives you only 10 days from arrest to request the hearing that protects your license — and that window closes silently. Get a lawyer reviewing the stop and the test results inside that window. Call (858) 289-2624 any time, day or night.
Sometimes. Judicial diversion lets a judge route a qualifying misdemeanor DUI into a supervised treatment program, with dismissal at the end. It's discretionary — the judge has to be persuaded — and how those requests are received varies from courtroom to courtroom. The diversion guide covers eligibility and what a strong application looks like.
The consultation is free and the phone is answered around the clock. Tell Josh what happened and where — surface street, freeway, or checkpoint — and he will map out your next 10 days, starting with the DMV.
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