People v. Gomez CA5

California Court of Appeal·Decided February 21, 2024·No. F086011·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 2/21/24 P. v. Gomez CA5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

THE PEOPLE, F086011 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. MCR052942) v.

ANTHONY GOMEZ, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

THE COURT* APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Madera County. James E. Oakley, Judge. (Retired Judge of the Madera County Super. Ct. assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to art. VI, § 6 of the Cal. Const.) Leonard J. Klaif, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Louis M. Vasquez and Jesica Y. Gonzalez, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo-

* Before Hill, P. J., Detjen, J. and Snauffer, J. INTRODUCTION In 2016, appellant and defendant Anthony Gomez (defendant) pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and admitted a gang enhancement for a negotiated disposition of 21 years in prison. During the plea hearing, defendant and his attorney stipulated to the prosecutor’s lengthy statement as to the factual basis for his pleas. In 2023, the trial court denied defendant’s Penal Code section 1172.61 petition for resentencing and found he failed to make a prima facie case for relief, based on defendant’s stipulation to the factual basis at the plea hearing. On appeal, defendant contends the trial court improperly relied on the transcript of the plea hearing and made impermissible factual findings to make the prima facie determination and deny his petition. Defendant asserts the matter must be remanded for an order to show cause and evidentiary hearing because the record of conviction did not show that defendant was convicted under a theory that is still valid after the amendments to sections 188 and 189. As explained, defendant’s stipulation to the factual basis at his plea hearing established that he pleaded guilty as a direct aider and abettor, the trial court properly denied the petition, and we affirm. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND On December 29, 2015, a complaint was filed in the Superior Court of Madera County charging defendant with count 1, murder of Michael Martinez on December 8, 2015 (§ 187, subd. (a)), with the special circumstance that he intentionally killed the victim while an active participant in a criminal street gang (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(22)); and

1 All further statutory citations are to the Penal Code. Defendant filed a preprinted form as his petition for resentencing that refers to former section 1170.95. The statute was substantively amended, effective on January 1, 2022, and renumbered as section 1172.6 without further change on June 30, 2022. (People v. Saibu (2022) 81 Cal.App.5th 709, 715, fn. 3.) As such, we refer to the subject statute by its current number throughout this opinion.

2 enhancements that a principal personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death or great bodily injury (§ 12022.53, subds. (c), (d), (e)(1)); and a principal personally used a firearm (§ 12022.53, subds. (b), (e)(1)). Plea Hearing On September 12, 2016, the trial court convened a hearing. The prosecutor, defense counsel and defendant were present. Defense counsel advised the court there was a resolution: the complaint would be amended, and defendant would plead guilty to the new charges of voluntary manslaughter with a gang enhancement, and active participation in a gang, for an aggregate term of 21 years, dismissal of the remaining charges, and waiver of his appellate rights. Defense counsel stated that as to the factual basis, “I have written a factual basis in the Change of Plea form.”2 The court asked the prosecutor if she reviewed the factual basis. The prosecutor stated the factual basis was sufficient for the gang charges, but it “may need to be more specific for the voluntary manslaughter.” Defense counsel replied: “[I]f the district attorney will state the factual basis as to the voluntary manslaughter, … I would stipulate to what the district attorney states to the record.” The prosecutor agreed. After the court advised defendant of his constitutional rights, defense counsel stated that he “just thought of something. I should put, as stated by the district attorney, on the Change of Plea form, I’d like to approach so I can write that factual basis on the Change of Plea form.” The court stated it was returning the plea form to defense counsel: “So the plea form is being returned to [defense counsel] for any appropriate corrections, additions, or deletions. I’ll ask that the defendant review that and then initial that, if he agrees to the

2 We address the plea form in detail below.

3 new changes made.” According to the reporter’s transcript, there was a pause in the proceedings. When the hearing resumed, the following exchange occurred:

“THE COURT: I’ve received the plea form back, and on page 5 of 7, there’s a statement with regard to—and this is the section 9b(1), subdivision (g), stating specific facts, quote ‘I aided a gang member who committed a voluntary manslaughter, a felony. I stipulate to the facts as stated by [the] DA as to Count 1.’ [¶] Is that your agreement, [defendant]?

“THE DEFENDANT: Yes, sir.

“[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: And the initials are above that statement.

“THE COURT: Thank you very much. [¶] And that is at page 5 of 7. I’ll hold that up for you to see, and you’ll see on the … right-hand column, the initials, the last set of initials on the page above a line, looks like it came off a copier—it shouldn’t be there—goes all the way across the page. Are those your initials, sir?

“THE COURT: Is it your intention to initial that statement I just recited to you?

“THE DEFENDANT: Yes.” (Italics added.) The court granted the prosecutor’s motion to amend the complaint to add count 2, voluntary manslaughter (§ 192, subd. (a)) with a gang enhancement (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)(C)), and count 3, active participation in a criminal street gang (§ 186.22, subd. (a)). The court then returned to the factual basis on page 5 of the plea form, and asked the parties if there was going to be “a further explication of facts in support of the plea.” The following exchange occurred:

“[PROSECUTOR]: The People would offer for stipulation that the theory of liability in this case is an aiding and abetting theory for Counts 2 and 3 both, and that the factual basis is as follows: That on December 8th, 2015, in the [C]ounty of Madera, [defendant] drove a vehicle in which a

4 Norteño gang member named Eddie Garza was in the vehicle as well. [Defendant] put the vehicle in position to allow Eddie Garza to get out of the vehicle and to shoot and kill Michael Martinez, and that when [defendant] acted, his actions did actually aid Mr. Garza to commit that crime, and when [defendant] acted, he acted with the specific intent to aid Mr. Garza in the commission of that crime.

“Furthermore, that Mr. Eddie Garza was an active participant and active member of the Norteño criminal street gang, and that [defendant] was not a Norteño gang member but was instead an active participant by aiding Mr. Eddie Garza.

“Also, that when [defendant] acted, he acted with the specific intent to help Mr. Garza, who was a Norteño gang member, to commit that crime, and that the conduct that Mr. Garza did actually benefited the Norteño criminal street gang.

“THE COURT: Thank you, [prosecutor].

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