People v. Oregon CA2/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 11, 2016
DocketB266631
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Oregon CA2/2 (People v. Oregon CA2/2) 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. Oregon CA2/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed 5/11/16 P. v. Oregon CA2/2 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE, B266631

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. VA134653) v.

PETE DAVID OREGON,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Yvonne T. Sanchez, Judge. Reversed in part and affirmed in part with directions.

Elizabeth K. Horowitz, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Assistant Attorney General, Mary Sanchez and Andrew S. Pruitt, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. INTRODUCTION Defendant and appellant Pete David Oregon (defendant) challenges the denial of his Proposition 47 petition to reduce his felony burglary conviction to misdemeanor shoplifting. Proposition 47, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted Penal Code section 459.5, which redefined certain second degree commercial burglaries as “shoplifting” if the value of the property taken or intended to be taken did not exceed $950.1 Proposition 47 also enacted section 1170.18, which provides in subdivisions (a) and (f) that a person convicted of a felony, who would have been guilty of a misdemeanor under enumerated provisions, including section 459.5, may apply to the trial court that entered the judgment of conviction to have the felony conviction designated a misdemeanor, and if currently serving a sentence for the felony, to be resentenced. Defendant contends that he met his initial burden to show that the value of property involved was less than $950, and that the trial court improperly considered the facts underlying a count dismissed pursuant to a plea agreement, in order to find that the People had overcome defendant’s showing. Defendant also contends that the facts of the dismissed count were insufficient to overcome defendant’s showing. Respondent contends that, as a matter of law, defendant’s burglary conviction does not qualify for reduction under Proposition 47. Alternatively, respondent argues that reversal would require remand for the trial court to assess whether defendant posed an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety, or to allow the People to withdraw from the plea agreement in order to prosecute defendant on all charges. We find merit in defendant’s contentions and reject respondent’s contentions. We thus reverse the order denying the petition. BACKGROUND In 2014, defendant was charged with the following felonies: count 1, possession of a controlled substance, in violation of Health and Safety Code section 11377, subdivision (a); count 2, second degree commercial burglary, in violation of section 459;

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

2 and count 3, theft of access card account information, in violation of section 484e, subdivision (d).2 The complaint alleged in count 2 that on or about December 17, 2013, defendant entered a commercial building occupied by a Marshall’s store with the intent to commit larceny and any felony. Thereafter defendant entered into a plea agreement, under which he pled no contest to counts 1 and 2, and count 3 was dismissed. The trial court placed defendant on formal probation for three years on stated terms and conditions, including three years in county jail. In 2015, defendant filed an application pursuant to Proposition 47 for reduction of his convictions to misdemeanors (Proposition 47 petition). The first of two hearings on the petition was held May 19, 2015, at the same time as a probation violation hearing. The prosecutor conceded that defendant was “definitely eligible” to have count 1 reduced to a misdemeanor, but objected to granting relief as to count 2. As to count 1 the trial court agreed, found defendant eligible and suitable for relief under Proposition 47, and reduced that offense to a misdemeanor. With regard to count 2, the trial court heard the argument of counsel and reviewed the probation report, noting that defendant had admitted buying $137.94 worth of merchandise at Marshall’s with a stolen gift card.3 According to the probation report, defendant was arrested for a traffic violation on the same day as the Marshall’s incident. The deputy sheriff searched defendant and found 2.81 grams of methamphetamine and nine gift or debit cards which did not belong to defendant. The prosecutor explained to the court that the dismissed count 3 was based upon defendant’s possession of the nine

2 Section 484e, subdivision (d), provides: “Every person who acquires or retains possession of access card account information with respect to an access card validly issued to another person, without the cardholder’s or issuer’s consent, with the intent to use it fraudulently, is guilty of grand theft.”

3 Ordinarily, a probation report is not considered reliable evidence of eligibility for recall of sentence, and may be excluded. (See People v. Burnes (2015) 242 Cal.App.4th 1452, 1457-1459.) However, the trial court considered it without objection. In addition, the parties argued the facts taken from the report, and on appeal both parties rely on the same facts. We thus assume that both sides at least tacitly agreed to consider the probation report.

3 stolen cards which, according to the police report, included several “regular cash debit cards” with limits of over $5,000. The prosecutor argued that defendant entered the store with all the stolen cards, and although he chose to make a smaller purchase, the potential loss to the store was more than $950. Unconvinced that count 2 qualified for a Proposition 47 reduction to a misdemeanor, the court continued the case to the following month for further hearing, and ordered a supplemental probation report. At the second hearing, no additional evidence was presented by either party. The trial court heard the argument of counsel, read and considered the case file, including the supplemental probation report. Defense counsel represented that the value of the merchandise defendant had purchased with a stolen card was $154.45. The prosecution did not disagree with that amount, but argued that defendant entered the Marshall’s store in possession of all nine cards relating to count 3, and that the cards had a total value of over $10,000, from which the court could infer that defendant’s intent when he entered the store was to steal more than $950 in merchandise. Defense counsel objected to consideration of the facts underlying count 3, but the trial court agreed with the prosecution and found that the amount in issue as to count 2 exceeded $950, making it ineligible for reduction to a misdemeanor. The court denied the petition and reinstated probation on the same terms and conditions. Defendant filed a timely notice of appeal from the order denying the petition. DISCUSSION I. Theft by false pretenses and larceny Proposition 47 added the new crime of shoplifting, defined as “entering a commercial establishment with intent to commit larceny while that establishment is open during regular business hours, where the value of the property that is taken or intended to be taken does not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars ($950).” (§ 459.5, subd.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Oregon CA2/2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-oregon-ca22-calctapp-2016.