People v. Garcia

230 Cal. App. 4th 763, 178 Cal. Rptr. 3d 883, 2014 Cal. App. LEXIS 932
California Court of Appeal·Decided October 16, 2014·No. No. C074279·Published·Cited by 28 cases

Opinion

Opinion

ROBIE, J.

Defendant Armando Joseph Garcia appeals from the trial court’s denial of his petition for resentencing under the Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012 (the Act).1 The court based the denial on its finding that defendant poses “an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety” if released. The bases for its finding were defendant’s “nonstop criminal history” that included violent felonies (two robberies), two escapes from confinement, an 18-year prison commitment, which he served, and upon his release, two arrests, one for brandishing a weapon, and the relatively recent timing of his current offense (receiving stolen property) in 2007.

Defendant contends on appeal the Act is unconstitutionally vague because the term “unreasonable risk of danger to public safety” is not adequately defined. We disagree.

As we explain, the term “unreasonable risk of danger to public safety” is clear because it can be objectively ascertained by reference to the [766]*766examples of evidence the trial court may consider in making this determination. These examples are: “(1) The petitioner’s criminal conviction history, including the type of crimes committed, the extent of injury to victims, the length of prior prison commitments, and the remoteness of the crimes; [][] (2) The petitioner’s disciplinary record and record of rehabilitation while incarcerated; and [f] (3) Any other evidence the court, within its discretion, determines to be relevant in deciding whether a new sentence would result in an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety.” (§ 1170.126, subd. (g).)

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Defendant’s current offense for which he has been incarcerated under the three strikes law was receiving stolen property. It was committed in December 2007. He and his wife acted as lookouts while another person burglarized a home. When police tried to handcuff him, defendant attempted to pull free, requiring two officers to restrain him with pepper spray. Defendant had a stolen camera on him. Police found a stolen rifle in the orchard across the street from the burglarized home. Defendant was charged with first degree residential burglary, grand theft of a firearm, receiving stolen property, and some misdemeanors. He pled guilty to receiving stolen property and admitted prior strikes for a stipulated sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Defendant’s criminal history began about 30 years before, with felony receiving stolen property in 1980, for which he was placed on probation. A year later, in 1981, he committed second degree burglary and was sentenced to prison for 16 months. In February 1982, the month he was released, he was arrested and a month later pled guilty to robbery (his first strike) and sentenced to four years in prison. In 1984, he was convicted of unlawful driving/taking a vehicle and sentenced to two years in prison. The same year, he was also convicted of escape. In 1985, he was convicted of grand theft and sentenced to three years in prison. In 1988, he was convicted of assault on a peace officer, battery on a peace officer, and thereafter, with another escape, all resulting in another four years eight months in prison. Defendant violated parole and was returned to prison in 1991. When released on parole, he was arrested again in June 1991 and when released again, within months committed a first degree burglary (his second strike), a robbery (his third strike), and vehicle theft in 1992, which resulted in a total prison term of 18 years. He was released from prison in February 2003. Within nine months, in November 2003, defendant was arrested again. In August 2004, he brandished a weapon and was placed on probation for two years, including serving 180 days in jail. In January 2005 and January 2007, he violated that probation and was reincarcerated. Defendant was paroled in April 2007 and committed his current offense eight months later.

[767]*767Defendant’s criminal history was preceded by his delinquency in 1979, for which he was committed to the California Youth Authority.

Defendant has been incarcerated for his current offense of receiving stolen property since December 2007. During this time, defendant has not been written up for prison misconduct. Once a validated member of a prison gang, defendant is now considered by prison officials to be a gang dropout. He has participated in Narcotics Anonymous, art therapy, anger management, education classes, and vocational training.

Defendant filed a petition for resentencing under the Act in February 2013. The People responded in writing that defendant was eligible for resentencing but that the court should not resentence him because he “poses a completely unreasonable risk of danger to public safety.” They also argued that if the court were “inclined” to resentence him, “the People instead would request that the original plea [be] withdrawn and the case ... set for trial on the original charges” because they would “no longer [be] getting the benefit of the bargain.” Defendant then filed a supplemental petition detailing his record of rehabilitation since his current incarceration.

At the hearing on defendant’s petition, the parties agreed that the burden of proof was with the People to prove by a preponderance of evidence that defendant posed an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety if released. The People relied on the evidence they had previously submitted to the court in their response to defendant’s petition for resentencing that included defendant’s “969(b) packet,” the preliminary examination transcript from the current offense, and the postsentencing report prepared by the probation department from the current offense. They “acknowledge^] that while in prison, [defendant] has actually been exemplary” but that “does not change that he is an unreasonable risk of danger to the community.” Defense counsel argued that defendant was now 51 years old and since being transferred to Mule Creek State Prison in December 2009, “he’s worked very diligently toward rehabilitation in those last about three and a half years.”

Before announcing its ruling, the court made some “general observations.” Its job was to “determine whether resentencing and obviously release would pose an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety. The problem is we’re essentially being asked as courts to predict future dangerousness.” “[Wje’ve developed a variety of tools that supposedly have made it easier to . . . predict future dangerousness, none of which is before the Court in this case,” such as the “Static 99” and a “variety of other . . . psychological evaluations.” It was not “lost on any of us” that “when a person has been sentenced to a life term and comes to court . . . with almost a last grasp at hope for . . . [768]*768having their life handed back to them after being sentenced to a life sentence,” “it’s an awesome responsibility on the parties” and on the court to make that determination.

After making those observations, the court “turn[ed] to what [it] ha[d] before [it].” It was “significant” that defendant had been discipline free for five years and that was one of the facts the court was “directed to consider.” But defendant had a “nonstop criminal history” that included violent felonies, specifically, defendant’s two robberies and two escapes from confinement.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

People v. Garcia, 230 Cal. App. 4th 763, 178 Cal. Rptr. 3d 883, 2014 Cal. App. LEXIS 932 (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

230 Cal. App. 4th 763 (People v. Garcia) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

People v. Grimes CA4/2
California Court of Appeal, 2021
People v. Superior Court (I.R.)
California Court of Appeal, 2019
People v. Superior Court of Kings Cnty.
251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 158 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)
People v. Ledesma
California Court of Appeal, 2017
People v. Ledesma
222 Cal. Rptr. 3d 534 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2017)
People v. Valencia
397 P.3d 936 (California Supreme Court, 2017)
People v. Buford
4 Cal. App. 5th 886 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
People v. Carrillo CA2/3
California Court of Appeal, 2016
People v. Garcia CA2/5
California Court of Appeal, 2016
People v. Givan CA5
California Court of Appeal, 2016
People v. Hall
247 Cal. App. 4th 1255 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
People v. Lopez CA2/5
California Court of Appeal, 2016
People v. Myers
California Court of Appeal, 2016
People v. Myers
200 Cal. Rptr. 3d 19 (California Court of Appeals, 3rd District, 2016)
People v. Jimenez CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2016
People v. Gary H.
244 Cal. App. 4th 1463 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
People v. Bates CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2015
People v. Guzman
California Court of Appeal, 2015
People v. Crockett
California Court of Appeal, 2015
People v. Rodriguez
California Court of Appeal, 2015