California Learn
Community property, divided EQUALLY — the only equal-mandate state here
California divides the community estate EQUALLY — not equitably — unless the spouses agree otherwise in writing or stipulate in open court. Property fights are usually characterization fights: community versus separate versus quasi-community, with the date of separation (a complete and final break, shown by expressed intent plus consistent conduct) as the accrual cutoff.
The honesty note
Title form, transmutation writings, reimbursement claims, and fiduciary-duty issues can all move an item between categories — exactly the calls that deserve counsel.
Authority locked — retrieved from the hash-pinned corpus
Do it with the tools
Legal information, not legal advice. Statements about county practice defer to your superior court's local rules (CRC rule 5.4 territory) and the official self-help center — where this platform has no verified county data, it says so instead of guessing.