Rodriguez v. Superior Court

199 Cal. App. 3d 1453, 245 Cal. Rptr. 617, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 309
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 5, 1988
DocketF008873
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 199 Cal. App. 3d 1453 (Rodriguez v. Superior Court) 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
Rodriguez v. Superior Court, 199 Cal. App. 3d 1453, 245 Cal. Rptr. 617, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 309 (Cal. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

Opinion

HAMLIN, J.

The Case

Petitioners Pablo Rodriguez and Ofelia Rodriguez 1 seek a writ of prohibition and/or mandate (1) restraining respondent Superior Court of Tulare County from taking any further action in the pending criminal case against them (proceeding No. 24724), and (2) commanding respondent superior court to vacate its order denying petitioners’ motion to suppress evidence pursuant to Penal Code section 1538.5 2 in the same superior court action and to enter a new order granting petitioners’ motion. This court issued an *1458 order to show cause directing respondent superior court to show cause why a peremptory writ should not issue.

Petitioners contend that respondent superior court erred in denying their motion to suppress evidence, alleging (1) the affidavit in support of the search warrant under which the evidence supporting charges against petitioners had been seized failed to establish the necessary probable cause for issuance of the warrant and (2) the magistrate’s authorization of nighttime service did not rest upon any showing of good cause. For reasons to be stated, we conclude that suppression of evidence is not required. We will therefore deny the petition for writ of prohibition and/or mandate.

The Underlying Action

Petitioners, along with Alfredo Rodriguez, were charged with multiple violations of the Health and Safety Code: possession of heroin for purpose of sale in violation of section 11351, possession of cocaine for sale in violation of the same section, and maintaining a place for selling or using drugs in violation of section 11366.

On March 19, 1987, Ofelia filed a motion to suppress evidence challenging the showing of probable cause in support of the warrant. About three weeks later, she also filed a written notice of joinder in a similar motion that had been filed on April 3 by codefendant Alfredo. On April 17, Pablo orally joined in codefendant Alfredo’s motion. However, neither Ofelia’s counsel nor Pablo’s counsel appeared at the May 8 hearing on Alfredo’s motion. The court denied Alfredo’s motion, which had challenged not only the underlying probable cause for issuance of the warrant but the endorsement for nighttime service and the actual nighttime execution of the warrant. In the minute order for that hearing, the court limited its ruling to Alfredo’s motion only, further stating: “Motions by the co-defendants [Ofelia and Alfredo] were ordered off calendar because of absence of counsel.” 3

Discovering their motions to suppress had not been heard by the trial court, and upon the court’s denial of their motion for a continuance of the June 29 trial date, counsel for Ofelia, acting for both Ofelia and Pablo, refiled a motion to suppress evidence on June 26. By this motion, petitioners challenged both the sufficiency of the demonstrated probable cause and the showing of good cause for the nighttime endorsement and execution of the warrant. On the day set for commencement of jury trial, the trial court heard the motion to suppress, including testimony from the affiant officer, *1459 and denied the motion. On that same day, petitioners sought extraordinary relief from this court. Petitioners’ trial was stayed pending resolution of this petition.

The petition and response present the following questions: I. Does the time limitation in section 1510 bar petitioners from seeking pretrial review of the trial court’s denial of their motion to suppress evidence?

II. Did petitioner Ofelia have a legitimate expectation of privacy in the premises searched?

III. Does the affidavit offered in support of the warrant demonstrate probable cause to sustain issuance of the warrant? If not, did the officers executing the warrant objectively in good faith rely on the warrant?

IV. Was there a sufficient showing of the need for nighttime service of the search warrant? If not, does the magistrate’s erroneous authorization of nighttime service compel exclusion of the evidence?

Discussion

I.

Section 1510 Time Limitation

The People contend that petitioners are precluded from seeking pretrial review of the trial court’s denial of their motion to suppress evidence since petitioners failed to file their motion within 60 days of their arraignment on February 17, 1987, as required by section 1510. That section provides in pertinent part, “The denial of a motion made pursuant to Section 995 or 1538.5 may be reviewed prior to trial only if the motion was made by the defendant in the trial court not later than ... 60 days following defendant’s arraignment on the information or indictment if a felony, unless within these time limits the defendant was unaware of the issue or had no opportunity to raise the issue.”

The People point out that the motion on which the trial court ruled was filed June 26, well beyond 60 days from the date of petitioners’ arraignment. Petitioners do not attempt to avoid the bar of section 1510 by claiming lack of knowledge of the issue or lack of opportunity to raise the issue; rather, they contend their motions were timely in that their joint motion of June 26 was merely a renewal of their earlier joinder in Alfredo’s motion or, in Ofelia’s case, a renewal of her motion filed on March 19.

*1460 Petitioners’ point is well taken. As the court pointed out in Smith v. Superior Court (1978) 76 Cal.App.3d 731, 734 [143 Cal.Rptr. 109], “A motion is an application to the court for an order. (Code Civ. Proc., § 1003.) The applicant must, in some way, communicate to the court what order is desired and upon what grounds. [Citations.]” At the time of the defendants’ arraignment in Smith, one of two defendants indicated, “ ‘For the record, I would like to reserve a 995 and 1538.5.’ ” The court responded, “ ‘It will be reserved for you,’ ” and codefendant’s counsel stated, “ ‘That will be noticed also on behalf of Mr. Smith.’ ” {Ibid.) The court held this was not enough to tell the court the defendants had actually moved to suppress evidence, what evidence they might seek to suppress, or the grounds on which they intended to seek suppression of the evidence. Finding the petitioners were not entitled to pretrial review, the court in Smith dismissed their petition.

However, in Ghent v. Superior Court (1979) 90 Cal.App.3d 944, 950-952 [153 Cal.Rptr. 720], the court refused to dismiss, for failure to comply with section 1510, a petition seeking pretrial review of the trial court’s denial of a section 995 motion. There, the court noted that the defendant was charged with homicide and was entitled to a transcript of the preliminary hearing, presumably within 10 days after the hearing. The court then concluded that the delay in furnishing the defendant’s attorney a copy of the transcript triggered the statutory exception excusing compliance with section 1510 when the defendant has not had an opportunity to raise the issue. Ghent

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
199 Cal. App. 3d 1453, 245 Cal. Rptr. 617, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rodriguez-v-superior-court-calctapp-1988.