What happens at court. Misdemeanors are charges that may lead at most to a county jail sentence.
Some misdemeanors are punishable by only a fine.
Felonies may lead to state prison. If you have an attorney, you do not have to go to court - your attorney can appear for you. Arraignment is when the judge tells you what charges have been filed against you and the deputy district attorney hands over the police reports in your case. Typically the case is continued for a pretrial - conference. This is when the judge, distict attorney and your attorney meet and discuss the facts of the case.