Cal. CCP § 708.260

(a) In an action brought pursuant to this article, the judgment debtor may claim that all or any portion of the property or debt is exempt from enforcement of a money judgment. The claim shall be made by application to the court on noticed motion, filed with the court and served on the judgment creditor not later than 30 days before the date set for trial. Service shall be made personally or by mail. The judgment debtor shall execute an affidavit in support of the application that includes all of the matters set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 703.520. No notice of opposition to the claim of exemption is required. If the judgment debtor has not been named as a party to the action, the judgment debtor may obtain an order under Section 389 that the judgment debtor be made a party. Except as provided in subdivision (b), failure of the judgment debtor to make a claim of exemption is a waiver of the exemption.

(b) Failure of the judgment debtor to make a claim of exemption in an action brought pursuant to this article is not a waiver of the exemption if both of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The judgment debtor has not been served with process in the action that contains a description of the property or debt reasonably adequate to permit it to be identified.

(2) The judgment debtor does not have actual notice of the pendency of the action and the identity of the property or the nature of the debt in issue.