The People v. Lewis

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 15, 2013
DocketE055569
StatusPublished

This text of The People v. Lewis (The People v. Lewis) 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
The People v. Lewis, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 4/26/13 Certified for partial publication as modified 5/15/13 (mod. and pub. order attached)

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, E055569

v. (Super.Ct.No. FVI900076)

MICHAEL LEWIS, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Eric M. Nakata,

Judge. Affirmed as modified; remanded for resentencing.

Jean Ballantine, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and

Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney

General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Steven T. Oetting, Tami

Falkenstein Hennick, and Ifeolu E. Hassan, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and

Respondent.

1 INTRODUCTION

This is an appeal from the sentence imposed on remand for resentencing following

our opinion in People v. Lewis (Aug. 23, 2011, E051058) (nonpub. opn.) (Lewis I).

During the pendency of this appeal, the California Supreme Court issued its

opinion in People v. Jones (2012) 54 Cal.4th 350 (Jones). Pursuant to that opinion, we

conclude that Penal Code section 6541 bars imposition of unstayed sentences on both

count 1 and count 4, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and for receiving

stolen property, consisting solely of the same firearm.

Also during the pendency of this appeal, the electorate amended the three strikes

law by passing Proposition 36, the Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012, effective

November 7, 2012. Defendant contends that the amendment to sections 667 and

1170.12, which would reduce his sentence from 25 years to life to a far lesser determinate

term, applies to him under the doctrine of In re Estrada (1965) 63 Cal.2d 740 (Estrada),

i.e., that an amendatory statute which reduces punishment applies in all cases not yet final

on appeal, unless there is a clear indication that the enacting body did not so intend. As

we discuss below, we agree.

1 All statutory citations refer to the Penal Code unless another code is specified.

2 BACKGROUND

In Lewis I, we reversed the conviction on count 3, possession of ammunition by a

convicted felon (§ 12316, subd. (b)(1)), and remanded for further proceedings on count 3

and for resentencing on counts 1 and 4. In count 1, defendant was convicted of being a

convicted felon in possession of a firearm (former § 12021, subd. (a)); in count 4,

defendant was convicted of receiving or possessing stolen property (§ 496, subd. (a)).

(Lewis I, supra, E051058 [at p. 2].) The trial court had sentenced defendant, under the

three strikes law (§§ 667, subd. (c)(6), 1170.12, subd. (a)(6)), to consecutive terms of

25 years to life on counts 1 and 4, believing that it had no discretion to do otherwise. We

held that the court did have the discretion to impose either concurrent or consecutive

terms. (Lewis I, supra, E051058 [at pp. 22-23].)

Our remand order directed the district attorney to determine, within 30 days after

the opinion became final, whether to retry defendant on that count. The remand order

further stated, “If the district attorney elects not to retry defendant on count 3, the court

shall dismiss count 3 and hold a new sentencing hearing within 30 days following the

district attorney‟s election, to determine whether to impose consecutive or concurrent

sentences on counts 1 and 4.” (Lewis I, supra, E051058 [at p. 26].)

The district attorney elected not to retry defendant, and the court dismissed

count 3. At the resentencing hearing, the court again imposed consecutive sentences

of 25 years to life on counts 1 and 4.

Defendant filed a timely notice of appeal.

3 DISCUSSION

1.

SECTION 654 BARS IMPOSITION OF SENTENCE ON BOTH COUNT 1 AND

COUNT 4

Section 654, subdivision (a), provides in relevant part that “[a]n act or omission

that is punishable in different ways by different provisions of law shall be punished under

the provision that provides for the longest potential term of imprisonment, but in no case

shall the act or omission be punished under more than one provision.” At its simplest,

“section 654 proscribes double punishment for multiple violations of the Penal Code

based on the „same act or omission.‟” (People v. Siko (1988) 45 Cal.3d 820, 822.)

In this case, the same firearm was the subject of both count 1 and count 4—that is,

defendant was convicted of illegally possessing the firearm both because of his status as a

convicted felon and because he knew that the firearm was stolen. In Lewis I, supra,

E051058, we rejected defendant‟s claim that section 654 bars imposition of sentence on

both count 1 and count 4. We based our opinion primarily on In re Hayes (1969) 70

Cal.2d 604. (Lewis I, supra, [at pp. 19-21].) We noted that a similar issue was then

under review in Jones, supra, 54 Cal.4th 350, review granted Mar. 24, 2010, S179552.

(Lewis I, supra, [at p. 21, fn. 11].)

On June 21, 2012, after the parties had filed their briefs in this case, the Supreme

Court issued its opinion in Jones, supra, 54 Cal.4th 350. Jones involved a convicted

felon who was found with a loaded firearm concealed in the door panel of the car he was

4 driving. The firearm was not registered to him. (Id. at p. 352.) The court held that the

defendant could be punished only once for the three crimes of which he was convicted

based on the single physical act of possessing a single firearm: possession of a firearm

by a felon, carrying a readily accessible concealed and unregistered firearm, and carrying

an unregistered loaded firearm in public. (Id. at pp. 352, 360.) The court confirmed that

“[s]ection 654 prohibits multiple punishment for a single physical act that violates

different provisions of law.” (Jones, at p. 358.) It overruled In re Hayes, supra, 70

Cal.2d 604, and held that “a single possession or carrying of a single firearm on a single

occasion may be punished only once under section 654.” (Jones, at pp. 357-358, 360.)

We directed the parties to submit supplemental briefing as to the effect, if any, of

Jones, supra, 54 Cal.4th 350, on this case. The parties agree that Jones and section 654

preclude imposition of sentence on both count 1 and count 4, and we concur. We will

remand the cause for resentencing, with directions to stay the sentence imposed on either

count 1 or count 4.2

2 Our determination that defendant‟s sentence must be modified to stay the sentence imposed on count 1 or count 4 obviates the need to address the contention raised in defendant‟s opening brief, i.e., that despite our holding in Lewis I, the trial court continued to believe that it had no discretion to impose concurrent rather than consecutive terms on counts 1 and 4. It similarly renders defendant‟s petition for writ of habeas corpus (In re Lewis, E056109) moot. We will address the petition by separate order.

5 2.

DEFENDANT MUST BE SENTENCED UNDER SECTION 667(e)(2)(C)

1. Proposition 36

While this appeal was pending, voters passed Proposition 36, the Three Strikes

Reform Act of 2012 (hereafter the Reform Act or the act). The Reform Act became

effective on November 7, 2012. (§§ 667, subd. (e)(2)(C), 1170.12, subd. (c)(2)(C),

1170.126.)3 We granted defendant‟s request for supplemental briefing on the effect of

the Reform Act.

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Related

People v. Jones
278 P.3d 821 (California Supreme Court, 2012)
People v. Brown
278 P.3d 1182 (California Supreme Court, 2012)
People v. Siko
755 P.2d 294 (California Supreme Court, 1988)
In Re Estrada
408 P.2d 948 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Lance W.
694 P.2d 744 (California Supreme Court, 1985)
People v. Nasalga
910 P.2d 1380 (California Supreme Court, 1996)
People v. Floyd
72 P.3d 820 (California Supreme Court, 2003)
In re Hayes
451 P.2d 430 (California Supreme Court, 1969)
People v. Yearwood
213 Cal. App. 4th 161 (California Court of Appeal, 2013)

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The People v. Lewis, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-people-v-lewis-calctapp-2013.