People v. Bustos CA4/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 2, 2023
DocketE078658
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Bustos CA4/2 (People v. Bustos CA4/2) 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. Bustos CA4/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Filed 11/2/23 P. v. Bustos CA4/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, E078658

v. (Super.Ct.No. FSB1501194)

HERIBERTO BUSTOS, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Gregory S. Tavill,

Judge. Affirmed.

Alejandro Garcia for Defendant and Appellant.

Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney

General, Charles C. Ragland, Assistant Attorney General, Robin Urbanski and A.

Natasha Cortina, Deputy Attorney Generals, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

1 Defendant and appellant Heriberto Bustos appeals from the trial court’s order

denying his motion to withdraw his plea and vacate his conviction under Penal Code1

section 1473.7. For the reasons set forth post, we affirm the trial court’s order.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On September 10, 2015, an information charged defendant with assault with a

deadly weapon under section 245, subdivision (a)(1) (count 1), a felony under section

1192.7, subdivision (c).

On August 25, 2016, defendant pled guilty to assault with force likely to cause

great bodily injury under section 245, subdivision (a)(4), in exchange for the dismissal of

the charged strike prior and credit for time served. The court sentenced defendant to the

low term of two years and released him to parole.

As a result of defendant’s assault conviction, on October 13, 2020, deportation

proceedings were initiated against defendant. On October 26, 2021, defendant filed a

motion to vacate his guilty plea under section 1473.7. On February 8, 2022, after

briefing and a hearing on the motion, the court issued a written order denying defendant’s

petition.

On March 8, 2022, defendant filed a timely notice of appeal. Defendant also filed

a motion for issuance of a certificate of probable cause. On March 10, 2022, the court

granted defendant’s motion and issued a certificate of probable cause.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise specified.

2 B. FACTUAL HISTORY

Around 11:25 p.m. on March 29, 2015, the victim’s dogs started to bark in his

front yard. When the victim went outside, he found defendant, who was intoxicated,

swatting and kicking a rosebush growing on the victim’s side of the fence. When the

victim asked defendant if he was “okay,” defendant told the victim that defendant wanted

to give the victim a rose growing on another bush in the front yard. Defendant also

started to curse at the victim. When the victim told defendant to go home, defendant

challenged the victim to fight; the victim ignored defendant. Defendant then took a beer

bottle that he was holding and slammed it on the fence rail. Defendant then threw the

bottle at the victim as he was walking back into his home. The bottle struck the victim’s

jawline and lacerated it. The victim told defendant that the victim would call the police;

defendant ran across the street back into his own home.

When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they saw a visible trail of blood from the victim’s

yard to the inside of his home. Paramedics bandaged the victim’s jaw. The victim stated

that his wife would take him to the hospital.

DISCUSSION

A. THE TRIAL COURT PROPERLY DENIED DEFENDANT’S MOTION

TO VACATE HIS CONVICTIONS UNDER SECTION 1473.7

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to vacate his

conviction and withdraw his plea.

3 1. LEGAL BACKGROUND AND STANDARD OF REVIEW

“Penal Code section 1473.7 allows noncitizens who have served their sentences to

vacate a conviction if they can establish by a preponderance of the evidence that their

conviction is ‘legally invalid due to prejudicial error damaging [their] ability to

meaningfully understand, defend against, or knowingly accept the actual or potential

adverse immigration consequences of a conviction or sentence.’ [Citations.] To establish

prejudicial error, a defendant must demonstrate a ‘reasonable probability that the

defendant would have rejected the plea if the defendant had correctly understood its

actual or potential immigration consequences’ [citation] and must corroborate any

assertions with ‘ “ ‘objective evidence’ ” ’ [citation]. We note that a motion to vacate a

conviction, in contrast to a direct appellate challenge to the plea itself, is generally filed,

as here, after “the individual filing the motion is no longer in criminal custody.’ ”

(People v. Espinoza (2023) 14 Cal.5th 311, 316 (Espinoza).)

In Espinoza, supra, 14 Cal.5th 311, the California Supreme Court stated that in

order “[t]o prevail under section 1473.7, a defendant must demonstrate that his conviction

is ‘legally invalid due to prejudicial error damaging [his or her] ability to meaningfully

understand, defend against, or knowingly accept the actual or potential adverse

immigration consequences of a conviction or sentence.’ [Citation] The defendant must

first show that he did not meaningfully understand the immigration consequences of his

plea. Next, the defendant must show that his misunderstanding constituted prejudicial

error. “ ‘[P]rejudical error . . . means demonstrating a reasonable probability that the

4 defendant would have rejected the plea if the defendant had correctly understood its

actual or potential immigration consequences.’ ” (Id. at p. 319.)

On appeal, “[w]e apply independent review to evaluate whether a defendant has

demonstrated a reasonable probability that he would have rejected the plea offer had he

understood its immigration consequences. [Citation.] ‘ “[U]nder independent review, an

appellate court exercises its independent judgment to determine whether the facts satisfy

the rule of law.” ’ [Citation] When courts engage in independent review, they must give

deference to the trial court’s factual determinations if they are based on ‘ “ ‘the credibility

of witnesses the [superior court] heard and observed.’ ” ’ [Citation] But when the trial

court’s findings ‘derive entirely from written declarations and other documents,’ the trial

court and the reviewing court ‘ “are in the same position,” ’ and no deference is owed.”

(Espinoza, supra, 14 Cal.5th at pp. 319-320.)

2. THERE WAS NO PREJUDICIAL ERROR

To succeed in a section 1473.7 motion, defendant must first show that he did not

meaningfully understand the immigration consequences of his plea.

In this case, on October 26, 2021, defendant filed a notice of motion to

withdraw/vacate his plea under section 1473.7. In his points and authorities in support of

his motion, defendant claimed “I don’t remember my attorney asking me anything about

my immigration status here in the United States. He never asked me if I had a green card

or if I was legal in the United States.” Although defendant acknowledged being fluent in

English, and that he and his attorney, Randall Isaeff (Isaeff) conversed in English,

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Related

Padilla v. Kentucky
559 U.S. 356 (Supreme Court, 2010)
People v. Martinez
304 P.3d 529 (California Supreme Court, 2013)
People v. Camacho
244 Cal. Rptr. 3d 398 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)
People v. Mejia
248 Cal. Rptr. 3d 819 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)

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People v. Bustos CA4/2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bustos-ca42-calctapp-2023.