Cal. Harb. & Nav. Code § 496 — Actions Against Vessels

If the claim of the mariner, boatman, or other person filed with the clerk of the court, as provided in Section 495.9, is not contested within five days after notice of the filing thereof by the owner, master, agent, or consignee of the vessel against which the claim is filed, or by any creditor, it shall be deemed admitted; but if contested, the clerk shall indorse upon the affidavit thereof a statement that it is contested, and the grounds of the contest, and shall immediately thereafter order the matter to a single referee for his determination, or he may hear the proofs and determine the matter himself. The determination of the clerk or referee may be reviewed by a court in which the action is pending or a judge thereof immediately after such determination is made, and the judgment of the court or judge is final. On the review the court or judge may use the minutes of the evidence taken by the clerk or referee, or may take the evidence anew.