People v. Arroyas

118 Cal. Rptr. 2d 380, 96 Cal. App. 4th 1439, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2654, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 3204, 2002 Cal. App. LEXIS 3160
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 22, 2002
DocketB147995
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 118 Cal. Rptr. 2d 380 (People v. Arroyas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Arroyas, 118 Cal. Rptr. 2d 380, 96 Cal. App. 4th 1439, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2654, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 3204, 2002 Cal. App. LEXIS 3160 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

Opinion

BOREN, P. J.

After the trial court overruled appellant’s demurrer for failure to state a public offense, appellant pled guilty to vandalism, a felony, *1441 pursuant to Penal Code section 186.22, subdivision (d), 1 and admitted the street gang enhancement allegation under section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1). Appellant was placed on formal probation for three years, with the condition he serve 180 days in the county jail. The trial court also ordered appellant to pay $200 in restitution.

On appeal, appellant contends that the trial court erred in overruling his demurrer for failure to state a public offense because (1) a misdemeanor cannot be charged as a felony when it is alleged pursuant to section 186.22, a gang enhancement penalty provision, and (2) the prosecution improperly used subdivision (d) to make vandalism with less than $400 damage a felony, enabling the prosecution to attach the special sentencing enhancement allegation, section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1).

We affirm the trial court’s ruling denying appellant’s demurrer, because the crime of vandalism with less than $400 in damage is a public offense, regardless of the effect of section 186.22, subdivision (d). With respect to section 186.22, subdivisions (b)(1) and (d), we find that a misdemeanor may become a felony, for sentencing purposes, when committed in violation of section 186.22, subdivision (d), but that subdivision (b)(1) does not apply to such misdemeanors.

Facts

Whittier Police Officers James Price and Curt Levsen saw appellant on July 15, 2000, writing on a real estate sign in front of 7227 Comstock Avenue. As Officer Levsen approached him, appellant threw a green pen. The officer detained appellant for questioning. Appellant was advised of and waived his constitutional rights and told the officers that he was a member of the Whittier Barrio Locos, a criminal street gang, and that his moniker was Chewy. He also admitted to writing graffiti in six or seven other locations that day. The officers observed graffiti on the real estate sign and saw the letters WVLS written in green ink. Officers later observed similar green graffiti markings in various nearby locations, including markings on a white door at 7657 Comstock Avenue, with a partially written V, an L and the word “Chewy” written in green ink, and green graffiti markings on a telephone box, a garage door, and a fence.

Officer Price was familiar with the Whittier Barrio Locos gang’s criminal activity and recognized appellant as a Whittier Barrio Loco gang member. The area in which the officers observed the green graffiti markings is within the gang territory of Whittier Barrio Locos and gang members often write WVLS or WVL when referring to their gang.

*1442 Procedural Context

After a preliminary hearing, an information initially charged appellant with “Vandalism over $400 Damage, in violation of Penal Code Section 594 (a), a Felony.” 2 The information further alleged that the offense was committed for the benefit of, and in association with, a criminal street gang, in violation of section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1), and that appellant had incurred a prior “strike” conviction. (§ 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d) & § 667, subds. (b)-(i).) Appellant pled not guilty and denied the special allegations. The information was subsequently amended to charge appellant with the crime of vandalism in violation of section “594(a)(1), a Felony, pursuant to PC Sec. 186.22(d) . . . .” The reference to “$400 damage” was deleted. No other allegations in the complaint were amended.

Appellant demurred to the amended complaint for failure to state a public offense and filed a motion to set aside the information. (§ 1004, subds. 4, 5, § 995.) The trial court overruled the demurrer and denied the motion. Appellant withdrew his original plea of not guilty and pled guilty to vandalism. He admitted the street gang enhancement allegation. The trial court placed appellant on formal probation for three years with a condition that he serve 180 days in county jail. The court also ordered appellant to pay $200 in restitution. Appellant appeals from the judgment (order granting probation) on the grounds that the trial court erred in denying his demurrer and, based on that denial, he pled guilty.

Discussion

Appellant contends that the trial court prejudicially erred in overruling the demurrer because the crime of vandalism with less than $400 in damage is not a felony as alleged in the information. Specifically, appellant argues that a misdemeanor, such as vandalism with less than $5,000 in damage, cannot be charged as a felony simply because it is alleged pursuant to section 186.22, subdivision (d). According to appellant, an individual must be charged and convicted of a substantive crime prior to the court’s applying section 186.22, a gang enhancement penalty provision. Appellant also argues that the prosecution improperly used subdivision (d) to make vandalism a felony, enabling the prosecution to attach the special sentencing enhancement allegation, section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1)—an improper procedure that will produce “unjust and unintended consequences” in the future.

*1443 In the trial court, appellant demurred for failure to state a public offense. Appellant argued that the crime of vandalism in violation of section 594, subdivision (a)(1), with less than $400 in damage, is a straight misdemeanor offense and section 186.22 subdivision (d), does not convert a misdemeanor into a felony. Further, appellant also argued that section 186.22 only applies to wobbler offenses, 3 not straight misdemeanors, and therefore was inapplicable to vandalism with less than $400 in damage. 4 The demurrer’s overarching contention, however, was that section 186.22 is unclear and ambiguous, which leads to several possible interpretations of the statute. The trial court overruled the demurrer stating it was an improper vehicle for challenging the ambiguity of the statute.

I. The crime of vandalism with less than $400 in damage is a public offense, regardless of the effect of section 186.22, subdivision (d).

The crime of vandalism with less than $400 in damage is a public offense, regardless of the effect section 186.22, subdivision (d), has on charging the offense as a misdemeanor or felony. Section 594, subdivision (a)(1), states that every person who maliciously defaces, with graffiti or other inscribed material, any real or personal property not his or her own, in cases other than those specified by state law, is guilty of vandalism. In 2000, vandalism was subject to either misdemeanor or felony punishment if the amount of defacement, damage, or destruction was $5,000 or more (§ 594, former subd. (b)(2)) but was strictly subject to misdemeanor punishment if the defacement, damage or destruction was less than $5,000. (§ 594, former subd. (b)(3), (4)(A).) As a misdemeanor, vandalism received greater punishment if the damage was over $400. (§ 594, former subd. (b)(3) [up to one year in county jail].) If the damage was under $400, the punishment was lighter.

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Bluebook (online)
118 Cal. Rptr. 2d 380, 96 Cal. App. 4th 1439, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2654, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 3204, 2002 Cal. App. LEXIS 3160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-arroyas-calctapp-2002.