People v. Ortiz

195 Cal. App. 2d 112, 15 Cal. Rptr. 398, 1961 Cal. App. LEXIS 1430
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 22, 1961
DocketCrim. 7639
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 195 Cal. App. 2d 112 (People v. Ortiz) 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. Ortiz, 195 Cal. App. 2d 112, 15 Cal. Rptr. 398, 1961 Cal. App. LEXIS 1430 (Cal. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

HERNDON, J.

In a trial before the court without a jury, appellant was convicted and sentenced to state prison for a sale of heroin in violation of section 11501 of the Health and Safety Code. At the conclusion of the trial, he admitted a prior conviction of a violation of section 11500 of the Health and Safety Code.

Appellant does not question the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the judgment. His only contentions are that he was deprived of his constitutional rights to be represented by coun *114 sel and to have witnesses produced in his behalf and that he was thereby denied due process of law.

It appears from the record that prior to appellant’s arraignment, the public defender was regularly appointed to represent him. On November 18,1960, he appeared before the court with the public defender as his counsel and was duly arraigned. He appeared with his said counsel on November 23, 1960, and entered a plea of not guilty. The ease was set for trial on January 16, 1961, in department 112 of the court. On January 16,1961, appellant appeared in the designated department with the deputy public defender as his counsel. In the record on appeal as originally filed, the proceedings on this date were reflected only by a minute order which, among other things, recited that the public defender was relieved as appellant’s counsel and that he was substituted in propria persona.

In view of appellant’s complaint that the record on appeal was incomplete and did not show the circumstances under which the public defender was relieved as his counsel, this court, on its own motion, ordered that a supplemental reporter’s transcript containing the proceedings in the ease on January 16, 1963, in department 112 be prepared, certified and transmitted to this court.

The record as thus augmented clearly and conclusively shows that the trial court relieved the public defender and substituted appellant in propria persona at his insistence. When asked why he did not wish to have the public defender represent him, he said, “Well, I feel he is quite busy and hasn’t got enough time to take care of my case.” He gave no other reason.

When appellant then indicated that he would move to have private counsel appointed, the court advised him that he had given no sufficient reason for discharging the public defender and that the court would not appoint another attorney to represent him at taxpayers’ expense. Appellant stated that if another attorney were not appointed, he wished to represent himself.

The trial court took great pains to inform appellant of the seriousness of the charge with which he was confronted and the dangers with which declination of counsel was fraught. The trial judge strenuously urged upon appellant the court’s feeling that it would be advisable for him to avail himself of the services of his appointed counsel who was then and there ready, willing and able to represent him. The court concluded by saying, “I would suggest that you keep the Public De *115 fender, but that is all I can do, is to suggest it. I can’t require you to do so. What do you want to do?” Appellant refused to withdraw his reiterated request that the public defender be relieved and stated that he preferred to represent himself. The court then made its order accordingly.

Thereafter, the court inquired of appellant whether or not he desired a continuance of the trial for the purpose of preparing his case. When he answered in the affirmative, he was asked how much time he would need. He answered , ‘ a couple of weeks.” The court thereupon ordered the trial continued to January 31,1961.

On January 31,1961, appellant appeared in propria persona and waived a jury trial, whereupon the case was transferred to another department of the court. When the ease was called in the trial department, appellant addressed the court, stating in substance that because of a “misunderstanding” with the deputy public defender who had been appointed to represent him, he previously had moved to have a different attorney appointed, but that his motion had been denied. He said, “I don’t think I am capable of handling this case by myself. I would like to get a P.D. ’ ’ Upon being informed of the former proceedings in the matter, the trial court refused to make another appointment of counsel and ordered that the trial proceed.

In view of this record, appellant’s contention that he was deprived of his constitutional right to counsel is entirely without merit.

Our Supreme Court, in People v. Mattson, 51 Cal.2d 777, 788, 789 [336 P.2d 937], after referring to the constitutional and statutory provisions which guarantee the right to counsel, observed: “The foregoing sections accord the accused not only a right to counsel but also a right to represent himself if he so elects. Except in certain situations not here pertinent, the court cannot force a competent defendant to be represented by an attorney. (People v. Rose (1919), 42 Cal.App. 540, 553 [7] [183 P. 874]; see also Adams v. United States (1942), 317 U.S. 269, 279 [63 S.Ct. 236, 87 L.Ed. 268, 143 A.L.R. 435].)”

In the recent decision of In re Turrieta, 54 Cal.2d 816, 821 [8 Cal.Rptr. 737, 356 P.2d 681], it was stated: “It must also be conceded that generally where a defendant has intelligently waived counsel the burden is on him to take some affirmative action to reinstate his right thereto. In such instances a motion for the assistance of counsel would be di *116 reeted to the sound discretion of the trial court. Thus in the ease of In re Connor, 16 Cal.2d 701 [108 P.2d 10], the defendant waived counsel at the beginning of trial proceedings and thereafter, during the prosecution’s case, demanded the appointment of counsel. The court properly denied the motion in the circumstances there prevailing. (See also People v. Mattson, 51 Cal.2d 777, 789 [336 P.2d 937].)”

It is well settled that where the attorney lor the accused is appointed by the court, the attorney selected by the court in the exercise of a sound legal discretion must be accepted by the accused in the absence of some compelling reason to the contrary. The accused is not entitled to a court-appointed attorney of his own choosing. (People v. Chessman, 52 Cal.2d 467, 491 [341 P.2d 679]; People v. Manchetti, 29 Cal.2d 452, 458 [175 P.2d 533]; People v. Williams, 174 Cal.App.2d 364, 377 [345 P.2d 47].)

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Bluebook (online)
195 Cal. App. 2d 112, 15 Cal. Rptr. 398, 1961 Cal. App. LEXIS 1430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ortiz-calctapp-1961.