2023 California Code › Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC › DIVISION 1 - PROPERTY TAXATION › PART 9 - CORRECTIONS, CANCELLATIONS, AND REFUNDS › CHAPTER 5 - Refunds › ARTICLE 3 - Action by Public Agency › Section 5161.

5161. (a) Any action to recover taxes pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 5140) by any county, city and county, or municipal corporation shall be brought and tried in any county other than the plaintiff or the county in which the plaintiff is situated and other than the defendant or the county in which defendant is situated.
(b) No judge of the superior court in the plaintiff county or the county in which the plaintiff is situated or in the defendant county or the county in which the defendant is situated shall sit or act in any action brought pursuant to this section.
(1) Any party to or any attorney appearing in any such action may establish such disqualification by an oral or written motion without notice supported by affidavit that the judge before whom such action is pending or to whom it is assigned is disqualified by virtue of this section. Where the judge assigned to or who is scheduled to try the cause or hear the matter is known at least 10 days before the date set for trial or hearing, the motion shall be made at least five days before that date. If directed to the trial of a cause where there is a master calendar, the motion shall be made to the judge supervising the master calendar not later than the time the cause is assigned for trial. In no event shall any judge entertain such motion if it be made after the making of an opening statement by counsel for plaintiff, or if there be no such statement, then after swearing in the first witness or the giving of any evidence or after trial of the cause has otherwise commenced. If the motion is directed to a hearing (other than the trial of a cause), the motion must be made not later than the commencement of the hearing. In the case of trials or hearings not herein specifically provided for, the procedure herein specified shall be followed as nearly as may be.
(2) If such motion is duly presented and such affidavit is duly filed, thereupon and without any further act or proof, the judge supervising the master calendar, if any, shall assign some other judge to try the cause or hear the matter. In other cases, the trial of the cause or the hearing of the matter shall be assigned or transferred to another judge of the court in which the trial or matter is pending or, if there is no other judge of the court in which the trial or matter is pending, the chairman of the judicial council shall assign some other judge to try such cause or hear such matter as promptly as possible. Under no circumstances shall a party or attorney be permitted to make more than one such motion in any one action pursuant to this section; and in actions where there may be more than one plaintiff or similar party or more than one defendant or similar party appearing in the action, only one motion for each side may be made in any one action or special proceeding.
(3) Unless required for the convenience of the court or unless good cause is shown, a continuance of the trial or hearing shall not be granted by reason of the making of a motion under this section. If a continuance is granted, the cause or matter shall be continued from day to day or for other limited periods upon the trial or other calendar and shall be reassigned or transferred for trial or hearing as promptly as possible.
(Amended by Stats. 1976, Ch. 499.)