California Court of Appeal Apr 21, 2015 No. E061582Unpublished
Filed 4/21/15 P. v. Gordon CA4/2
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.
IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION TWO
THE PEOPLE,
Plaintiff and Appellant, E061582
v. (Super.Ct.No. RIF1307688)
JAMES BUCHANANN GORDON, OPINION
Defendant and Respondent.
APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. Rafael A. Arreola, Judge.
(Retired judge of the San Diego Super. Ct., assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to art.
VI, § 6, of the Cal. Const.) Affirmed in part, reversed in part with directions.
Paul E. Zellerbach, District Attorney, Matt Reilly, Deputy District Attorney, for
Plaintiff and Appellant.
Leonard J. Klaif, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and
Respondent.
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FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
On August 29, 2013, an amended felony complaint charged defendant and
appellant James Buchanann Gordon with one count of second degree robbery, alleged to
have occurred on July 27, 2013, under Penal Code section 211.1 The information also
alleged a serious prior felony conviction for a bank robbery that was alleged to have
occurred on October 7, 2002, under section 667, subdivision (a). Furthermore, the
information alleged a prior strike conviction arising from the same 2002 bank robbery
conviction under sections 667, subdivisions (c), and (e)(1), and 1170.12, subdivision
(c)(1).
On April 17, 2014, a jury found defendant guilty of the second degree robbery.
Defendant then admitted the alleged serious prior felony conviction and the alleged prior
strike conviction.
On May 21, 2014, the court imposed the midterm of three years for the robbery
conviction, doubled due to the prior strike conviction, for a total prison term of six years.
The court ordered the prior serious felony conviction stricken.
On May 28, 2014, the People filed a memorandum asking the trial court to impose
the five-year additional term for the prior serious felony conviction. The court denied the
motion.
On appeal, the People contend, and defendant concedes, that the trial court erred in
striking the prior serious felony conviction. We agree with the parties. The parties,
1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.
2
however, disagree as to the remedy. The People contend we should order the trial court
to impose the statutorily mandated five-year sentence enhancement for the prior serious
felony conviction. Defendant contends the case should be remanded for the trial court to
reconsider its sentencing choices prior to imposing the mandated five-year sentence. For
the reasons set forth below, we agree with the People and order the trial court to impose
the five-year enhancement.
DISCUSSION
A. THE TRIAL COURT IMPROPERLY STRUCK DEFENDANT’S PRIOR
SERIOUS FELONY CONVICTION
The People contend that the trial court improperly struck defendant’s prior serious
felony conviction. Defendant concedes.
A judge “may, either of his or her own motion or upon the application of the
prosecuting attorney, and in furtherance of justice, order an action to be dismissed.”
(§ 1385, subd. (a).) This section, however, “does not authorize a judge to strike any prior
conviction of a serious felony for purposes of enhancement of a sentence under Section
667.” (§ 1385, subd. (b).)
A robbery constitutes a serious felony under section 1192.7, subdivision (c)(19).
“In compliance with subdivision (b) of Section 1385, any person convicted of a serious
felony who previously has been convicted of a serious felony . . . shall receive, in
addition to the sentence imposed by the court for the present offense, a five-year
enhancement for each such prior conviction on charges brought and tried separately. The
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terms of the present offense and each enhancement shall run consecutively.” (§ 667,
subd. (a)(1).)
Although section 667, subdivision (a)(2), provides that this “subdivision shall not
be applied when the punishment imposed under other provisions of law would result in a
longer term of imprisonment,” the serious felony enhancement applies in a “Three
Strikes” sentence. (See People v. Cartwright (1995) 39 Cal.App.4th 1123, 1138-1139
[“We conclude the Legislature intended a defendant’s sentence under the three strikes
law should include a doubled term or life term, as appropriate under section 667,
subdivision (e), plus an enhancement under section 667, subdivision (a) for each prior
serious felony conviction”].)
Based on the above, it is clear that a trial court must impose the five-year
enhancement under section 667, subdivision (a)(1), and must run it consecutively, even if
the same prior conviction is being used as a prior strike conviction. (People v. Purata
(1996) 42 Cal.App.4th 489, 497-498.)
In this case, the jury convicted defendant of second degree burglary, a serious
felony. The People alleged and defendant admitted that he had suffered a prior serious
felony conviction for bank robbery. Therefore, we agree with the People and defendant
that the trial court had no statutory discretion to strike defendant’s serious prior felony
conviction.
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B. THE TRIAL COURT MUST IMPOSE THE MANDATORY SENTENCE
ENHANCEMENT FOR THE SERIOUS PRIOR FELONY
Next, the People contend that we must order the trial court to impose the five-year
sentence enhancement under section 667, subdivision (a)(1). Defendant, however,
contends “that the entire sentence must be vacated and the matter be remanded to the trial
court for a new sentencing hearing” because the trial court is now authorized to grant
defendant’s previously denied Romero2 motion and impose the low term in order to avoid
or mitigate the consequences of the statutorily mandated sentence enhancement. We
disagree with defendant’s argument.
Ordinarily, a trial court reviews a defendant’s entire sentence on remand if part of
the sentence is declared unlawful. (People v. Kelly (1999) 72 Cal.App.4th 842, 844-847.)
In this case, however, none of the court’s reasons for denying defendant’s Romero
motion and selecting the middle term have changed since the sentencing hearing. The
only thing that has changed is that, since the court erroneously dismissed the section 667,
subdivision (a)(1) prior, it must impose the mandatory sentence on the prior accordingly.
When ruling on a defendant’s Romero motion, the “court in question must
consider whether, in light of the nature and circumstances of his present felonies and
prior serious and/or violent felony convictions, and the particulars of his background,
character, and prospects, the defendant may be deemed outside the scheme’s spirit, in
whole or in part, and hence should be treated as though he had not previously been
2 People v. Superior Court (Romero) (1996) 13 Cal.4th 497.
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convicted of one or more serious and/or violent felonies.” (People v. Williams (1988) 17
Cal.4th 148, 161.) “[I]n that balance, no weight whatsoever may be given to factors
extrinsic to the scheme, such as the mere desire to ease court congestion or, a fortiori,
bare antipathy to the consequences for any given defendant.” (Ibid.)
The “‘Three Strikes law does not offer a discretionary sentencing choice, as do
other sentencing laws, but establishes a sentencing requirement to be applied in every
case where the defendant has at least one qualifying strike, unless the sentencing court
“conclud[es] that an exception should be made . . . .””’ (People v. Carmony (2004) 33
Cal.4th 367, 376, citing People v. Strong (2001) 87 Cal.App.4th 328, 337-338.) “Thus,
the three strikes law not only establishes a sentencing norm, it carefully circumscribes the
trial court’s power to depart from this norm and requires the court to explicitly justify its
decision to do so. In doing so, the law creates a strong presumption that any sentence
that conforms to these sentencing norms is both rational and proper.” (Carmony, at p.
378.)
When prison is imposed under the determinate sentencing law, the trial court must
select one of three statutorily authorized terms for each count. Selection of the lower
term is justified if the sentencing judge deems it appropriate in his or her discretion after
considering circumstances in aggravation and mitigation. (§ 1170, subd. (b); Cal. Rules
of Court, rule 4.420.)
In this case, a jury convicted defendant of second degree burglary, a serious
felony. The People alleged and defendant admitted that he had suffered a prior serious
felony conviction for bank robbery. Hence, the trial court had no statutory discretion to
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strike defendant’s serious prior felony conviction. The court, therefore, must impose the
mandatory five-year sentence enhancement on remand, and impose the enhancement
consecutively.
Furthermore, at the initial sentencing hearing, the trial court determined that
defendant fell within the spirit of the Three Strikes law and denied his Romero motion.
The court weighed appropriate sentencing factors and determined that “neither the
mitigating factors nor the aggravating factors outweigh each other. So the term will be
set at the midterm.” None of the trial court’s reasons for denying defendant’s Romero
motion or imposing the middle term have changed since the sentencing hearing.
Therefore, although the trial court retains its sentencing discretion, the court cannot now
change its previous rulings by granting defendant’s Romero motion or imposing the low
term simply to allow defendant to avoid the consequences of the statutorily mandated
five-year enhancement. Changing its previous rulings simply to reduce defendant’s
sentence in light of the mandatory enhancement – when none of the circumstances that
led to the previous sentencing has changed – would certainly be an abuse of discretion.
“Where a person has been convicted of a serious felony in the current case, and it
has been alleged and proved the person suffered a prior serious felony conviction within
the meaning of section 667, subdivision (a)(1), the trial court must impose a consecutive
five-year term for each such prior conviction. The trial court has no discretion and the
sentence is mandatory. [Citation.]” (People v. Purata, supra, 42 Cal.App.4th at p. 498,
emphasis added.) Moreover, “sentences beyond the jurisdiction of the trial court, like
that imposed here, can be corrected any time when brought to the court’s attention either
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by the People’s appeal . . . (See People v. Chagolla (1983) 144 Cal.App.3d 422, 434.)”
(Ibid.)
DISPOSITION
The trial court’s order striking defendant’s prior serious felony conviction is
reversed. On remand, the trial court is directed to impose the mandatory five-year
sentence enhancement under section 667, subdivision (a)(1). In all other respects, the
judgment is affirmed.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
MILLER J.
We concur:
KING Acting P. J.
CODRINGTON J.
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AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The trial court lacked statutory authority to strike a prior serious felony conviction enhancement under Penal Code section 667, subdivision (a)(1), and must impose the mandatory five-year consecutive term on remand.
Issues
Whether a trial court has discretion to strike a prior serious felony conviction enhancement under Penal Code section 1385.
Whether a trial court must be granted a new sentencing hearing to reconsider discretionary sentencing choices upon the imposition of a mandatory enhancement on remand.
Disposition. Affirmed in part, reversed in part with directions.
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“the trial court had no statutory discretion to strike defendant’s serious prior felony conviction.”
“the trial court is directed to impose the mandatory five-year sentence enhancement under section 667, subdivision (a)(1).”