What is the prison time for an unpaid fine in California? the fine being about 1000 dollars?

Answer:
You will probably do a maximum of weeks in county jail, depending on the county where you were fined (In Los Angeles County, it's more like 2 days.) BTW, prison is only for convicted felons.

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Probably NOt prison, but a bit of county jail time or community service. Have you tried calling them to work out a payment plan or make new arrangements? Try that before you have a heart attack or go underground!