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Sorry that you got a ticket - that sucks.
I don't know about the bay area - but I would go to court. In Virginia, it mostly depends on the judge, if the police officer shows up, and if you can talk to the prosecuting attorney before-hand. You can sometimes get a reduced fine by just showing up and pleading guilty - no explanation - just I'm guilty, and I'm sorry I did it. This is especially true if it's a first offense. If it is, by all means go to court and plead something, guilty or innocent. Sometimes you can get the ticket removed if you ask the judge if you can attend a traffic school instead of the fine/points. When you go to court, see if you can talk to the prosecuting attorney first and maybe 'make a deal' before-hand.
As 'germ' pointed out, you can also ask for an extension - say you have something for work that day or whatever. By doing that you increase the chance that the officer will not show. Here, you need to request that in person - you can't call and say you can't make it - you have to go there in person to request it. Everywhere is different - gotta do something to make it interesting I guess!
Good luck!
-Joe
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