People v. Flores

90 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 1, 152 Cal. Rptr. 896, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2272
CourtAppellate Division of the Superior Court of California
DecidedDecember 29, 1978
DocketCrim. A. No. 16214; Crim. A. No. 16664
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 90 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 1 (People v. Flores) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Superior Court of California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Flores, 90 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 1, 152 Cal. Rptr. 896, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2272 (Cal. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

Opinion

BIGELOW, J.

The opinion in these two appeals is consolidated as the questions raised are similar, although not exactly the same. Several principles of law are common to both cases.

The Flores Case

Defendant Flores was charged in count I with driving a motor vehicle upon a public highway while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, in violation of Vehicle Code section 23102, subdivision (a) and in count II with driving a motor vehicle on a highway without holding a valid driver’s license, in violation of Vehicle Code section 12500, subdivision (a).

Procedural Facts

On October 13, 1977, defendant Flores represented by counsel and not in custody, was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty. Trial was set for November 15, 1977.

On November 15, 1977, defendant and counsel appeared and announced ready for jury trial. The People stated that they were not ready [Supp. 6]*Supp. 6for trial on that date. The People moved for a continuance of the trial to November 22, 1977, stating as their reason for the motion that the arresting officer was absent from the State of California due to his being on two weeks duty with the Air National Guard in Virginia. The People stated that the arresting officer would be available to testify on November 22, 1977, and thereafter.

We note that since defendant Flores was not in custody at arraignment, Penal Code section 1382 subdivision 3 provides for a time limit for speedy trial of 45 days thereafter. The 45th day after October 13, 1977, (arraignment date) fell on Sunday, November 27, 1977, a court holiday. Therefore, the last day to bring defendant to trial within those time limits would have been November 28, 1977, (a Monday and not a court holiday). The People’s request for a continuance was to November 22, 1977, well within the 45-day limit.

The trial court took judicial notice that two weeks, being fourteen days, would have put the “date” beyond the last day of November 28, 1977. Fourteen days after the November 15, 1977, appearance and original trial date, would have expired on November 29, 1977, one day beyond the forty-five-day time limit.

The trial court, on November 15, 1977, denied the People’s motion for continuance to November 22, 1977, and over the People’s objection, dismissed the action under Penal Code section 1385. The reason stated in the minute order (docket sheet) is that the People were not then ready to proceed.

Penal Code Section 1382

The applicable wording of Penal Code section 1382 is as follows: “The court, unless good cause to the contrary is shown, must order the action to be dismissed in the following cases:

“1....................
“2....................
“3. Regardless of when the complaint is filed, when a defendant in a misdemeanor case in an inferior court is not brought to trial within . . . 45 days after his arraignment...” (italics added).

[Supp. 7]*Supp. 7It appears that the trial court confused the People’s motion for a continuance as being one for a two week or fourteen day continuance from November 15, 1977. The People did not inform the court when the arresting officer’s two week military tour of active duty had begun, except that on November 15, 1977, he was already out of state and on that tour of duty. The People, however, were very specific that he would be available to testify on November 22, 1977, and thereafter. Since the requested date of continuance was well within the 45-day time limit of Penal Code section 1382, the trial court was not mandated by that code section to dismiss the action, nor could it reasonably anticipate on November 15, 1977, a violation of that 45-day time limit.

Right to Speedy Trial

“It is fundamental that the general right to ‘a speedy and public trial’ guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution is encompassed within the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and is thus fully applicable to the states (Klopfer v. North Carolina (1967) 386 U.S. 213, 223 [18 L.Ed.2d 1, 8, 87 S.Ct. 988]). Article I, section 13 of the California Constitution contains similar language and the Legislature has reexpressed and amplified the guarantee by various statutory enactments including Penal Code section 1382.” (Townsend v. Superior Court (1975) 15 Cal.3d 774, 779 [126 Cal.Rptr. 251, 543 P.2d 619].)

In testing the reasonableness of the trial court’s action in dismissing this action, we must consider defendant’s right to a speedy trial under both the federal and the state Constitutions. “In any particular instance, a defendant is entitled to a speedy trial within the meaning of both the federal and state constitutional provisions.” (Sykes v. Superior Court (1973) 9 Cal.3d 83, fn. 9, p. 91 [106 Cal.Rptr. 786, 507 P.2d 90].) Included in that same footnote is language to the effect that even though trial may have commenced within the period prescribed by California law, a defendant could establish his entitlement to relief as having been denied a speedy trial under the federal Constitution.

The United States Supreme Court in Barker v. Wingo (1972) 407 U.S. 514, 530 [33 L.Ed.2d 101, 117, 92 S.Ct. 2182] set forth a four-element test for determining whether a delay in trial violated federal constitutional standards, as follows: “Length of delay, the reason for the delay, the defendant’s assertion of his right, and prejudice to the defendant.” The court required that these factors be considered together, none in itself [Supp. 8]*Supp. 8being “either a necessary or sufficient condition to the finding of a deprivation of the right of speedy trial.” (Id., at p. 533 [33 L.Ed.2d at p. 118].) In the case at bench, defendant did assert his right by objecting to the People’s request for a continuance. However, the delay requested was for one week from November 15, 1977, to November 22, 1977, the reason for the delay, namely that the witness was on temporary active duty with the Air National Guard out of state, was reasonable and no prejudice to the defendant was shown or established. We find that the requested continuance would not have denied defendant his right to a speedy trial under federal constitutional standards.

Our California Supreme Court found significant reasons why the balancing test of Barker v. Wingo, supra, employed in interpreting the federal constitutional provision is not applicable in interpreting our California constitutional provisions. “A material distinction is the absence of any statutory language which implements the federal constitutional guarantee while the state constitutional guarantee is so implemented, . . .” (italics added). (Sykes v. Superior Court (1973) 9 Cal.3d 83, 91 [106 Cal.Rptr. 786, 507 P.2d 90].) Penal Code section 1382 reexpresses and amplifies our California Constitution guarantee of the right to speedy trial (see Townsend v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
90 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 1, 152 Cal. Rptr. 896, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-flores-calappdeptsuper-1978.