People v. Randall CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 21, 2020
DocketD076619
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Randall CA4/1 (People v. Randall CA4/1) 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. Randall CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Filed 10/21/20 P. v. Randall CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D076619

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v. (Super. Ct. No. JCF30391)

DIJON RANDALL,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Imperial County, Poli Flores, Jr., Judge. Affirmed. Shay Dinata-Hanson, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Steve Oetting and Paige B. Hazar, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. In 2013, Dijon Randall was convicted of violating Penal Code section 4573.6, which prohibits possession of controlled substances (in his case, marijuana) in prison. Randall contends this is no longer a felony under Health and Safety Code section 11362.1, subdivision (a),1 which was enacted pursuant to the passage of Proposition 64 and which decriminalizes possession of small amounts of cannabis. (Prop. 64, § 4.4, approved Nov. 8, 2016, eff. Nov. 9, 2016; amended by Stats. 2017, ch. 27, § 129.) In 2019, Randall petitioned the trial court for recall or dismissal of his 2013 conviction. (Health & Saf. Code, § 11361.8, subd. (a).) The trial court concluded Penal Code section 4573.6, subdivision (a) remains a felony following the passage of Proposition 64 and denied Randall’s petition. On appeal, Randall challenges the trial court’s dismissal of his petition and asserts an additional contention regarding the trial court’s failure to consider his ability pay various fines and fees when it imposed sentence in connection with his no-contest plea in 2013, in violation of People v. Dueñas (2019) 30 Cal.App.5th 1157 (Dueñas). We conclude the trial court properly denied Randall’s section 11361.8 petition and his Dueñas claim is not cognizable on this appeal from the denial of his petition. We therefore affirm the court’s order. FACTS In February 2012 during visiting hours at Calipatria State Prison, correctional officers observed Randall reach into his visitor’s waist area, remove an item, and place it in his waist area. In a subsequent search, correctional officers retrieved a bindle containing 25 grams of marijuana. An indictment charged Randall with two felony charges: bringing drugs into a prison (Penal Code, § 4573, count 1) and possession of illegal substances (marijuana) in a prison facility (id., § 4573.6, count 2). The indictment also alleged one serious or violent felony prior as to counts 1 and 2

1 Unless otherwise indicated, statutory references are to the Health and Safety Code. 2 (id., §§ 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d), 667, subds. (b)-(i)) and further alleged that Randall committed the offenses while confined in state prison (id., § 1170.1, subd. (c)). In June 2013, Randall pled no contest to one count of violating Penal Code section 4573.6 with the following agreement: “Probation denied[.] Lower term [of] 24 months doubled for total of 48 months[.] Consecutive[.] Balance dismissed[.] Mr. Randall waives right to presentence interview[.]” Randall stipulated that the factual basis for the charge “exists in [the] grand jury transcript.” In August 2013, the trial court sentenced Randall to state prison for the lower term of two years plus an additional two years for the prior conviction, for a total prison term of four years to run consecutive to his current sentence. In 2016, California voters decriminalized the possession of less than

28.5 grams (approximately one ounce) of marijuana, or cannabis.2 (Prop. 64; § 11362.1, subd. (a); see People v. Perry (2019) 32 Cal.App.5th 885, 888 (Perry), People v. Raybon (2019) 36 Cal.App.5th 111, 114, review granted Aug. 21, 2019, S256978 (Raybon).) In June 2019, Randall filed a petition in propria persona requesting his “felony sentence of [four] years be recalled and resentenced . . . .” In July, Randall—through counsel—petitioned the trial court for a recall of sentence and dismissal of his Penal Code section 4573.6 conviction pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 11361.8, subdivision (b), on the ground that Health and Safety Code section 11362.1 provides that possession by an individual

2 In 2017, the Legislature replaced references to “marijuana” in the Health and Safety Code with the term “cannabis.” (See, e.g., Stats. 2017, ch. 27, § 121, eff. June 27, 2017.) For consistency, we primarily use the amended terminology of “cannabis” throughout the remainder of this opinion.

3 21 years of age and older of not more than 28.5 grams of cannabis is not a felony. Randall encouraged the court to follow Raybon, which concluded that, after Proposition 64, possession of small amounts of cannabis in prison is no longer a felony. The district attorney opposed Randall’s petition, contending that Penal Code section 4573.6 remained a felony. The district attorney encouraged the trial court to follow Perry, which concluded Proposition 64 did not decriminalize possession of cannabis in prison. Randall filed a reply brief, encouraging the trial court to follow People v. Fenton (1993) 20 Cal.App.4th 965 (Fenton) and People v. Harris (2006) 145 Cal.App.4th 1456 (Harris), on which Raybon relied. (See Raybon, supra, 36 Cal.App.5th at pp. 117-119, review granted.) After hearing oral argument, the trial court denied Randall’s petition, concluding it would “adopt the rationale and the holding of” Perry, which it found to be “dispositive.” On appeal, Randall contends that the passage of Proposition 64 entitles him to relief from his Penal Code section 4573.6 conviction. He urges this court to adopt the reasoning of Raybon, which he contends is “more persuasive” than Perry. He also contends the trial court failed to consider his ability to pay various fines and fees when it imposed sentence in connection with his no-contest plea in 2013, in violation of Dueñas. DISCUSSION I. Proposition 64 The principal question before this court is whether, as a result of Proposition 64, it is permissible to possess small quantities of cannabis in prison. The Courts of Appeal have reached contrary conclusions on this issue. We outline the conflicting appellate decisions below and adopt the reasoning of cases holding it remains illegal to possess small amounts of

4 cannabis in prison. We therefore conclude the trial court correctly denied Randall’s petition to recall or dismiss his sentence pursuant to section 11361.8. A. Governing Legal Principles Randall was convicted of violating Penal Code section 4573.6, which provides: “Any person who knowingly has in his or her possession in any state prison . . . any controlled substances, the possession of which is prohibited by Division 10 (commencing with Section 11000) of the Health and Safety Code . . . or paraphernalia intended to be used for unlawfully injecting or consuming controlled substances, without being authorized to so possess the same by the rules of the Department of Corrections . . . is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of

Section 1170 for two, three, or four years.” (Pen. Code, § 4573.6, subd. (a).)3 Proposition 64 decriminalized the possession of small quantities of cannabis for persons 21 years of age or older. (See Perry, supra, 32 Cal.App.5th at pp. 889-890.) Among other things, it added Health and Safety Code section 11362.1, which provides in part: “Subject to Section[] . . .

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Related

People v. Barlow
103 Cal. App. 3d 351 (California Court of Appeal, 1980)
People v. Harris
52 Cal. Rptr. 3d 577 (California Court of Appeal, 2006)
People v. Fenton
20 Cal. App. 4th 965 (California Court of Appeal, 1993)
People v. Dueñas
242 Cal. Rptr. 3d 268 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)
People v. Perry
244 Cal. Rptr. 3d 281 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)
People v. Raybon
248 Cal. Rptr. 3d 611 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)
People v. Kopp
250 Cal. Rptr. 3d 852 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Randall CA4/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-randall-ca41-calctapp-2020.