Quoted from jar155:While you wait for the judge, they'll sit you down with a mediator. You can refuse mediation outright, but they'll make you at least try first. The judge is always your choice though. Judges in small claims are risky. It's basically Judge Judy once you go in there.
In California they don't just sit you down with an mediator. They stand in the hall before you go into court and ask if anybody would like to take you up on the option. Both parties must agree, and you're free to bounce from mediation at any point. The small claims process is not as unreliable as you are representing it to be.