This is a key. It's Calif. Judicial Council policy that counties have a "one-day, one-trial system" for jurors. Assuming your county releases prospective jurors at the end of their called day, if not summoned to a courtroom for voir dire (and that's rare to be called, esp. if you're summoned around the holidays), I think it's a fair roll of the dice to plan the MRs. However, knowing something about the jury system and the court's voir dire process in handling juror service, I wouldn't plan on getting an excuse by purchasing non-refundable tix to cause a conflict with the summons date after receving the summons nor presenting biases for service as a prospective juror which one didn't honestly have before. I think your chances are better with not being needed for a trial in the jury system than in trying to convince UA to excuse underearnings for 1K, given the harsh results we have seen in the various "soft-landing" threads.