People v. BecerraPeople v. Becerra
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I. INTRODUCTION
In 2016, in case No. SS160525A, defendant Sotero Genaro Becerra pleaded no contest to driving or taking a vehicle without the owner‘s consent (
In 2018, in case No. 17CR005972, defendant pleaded no contest to driving or taking a vehicle without the owner‘s consent (
On appeal, defendant does not raise any issue in the earlier case (No. SS160525A). In the later case (No. 17CR005972), defendant contends that the trial court should have awarded 164 days of custody credits.
For reasons that we will explain, we determine that defendant‘s claim is not reviewable on appeal because his claim falls within the scope of his appellate waiver in his written plea agreement, and he failed to obtain a certificate of probable cause to challenge the enforceability of the waiver. We will therefore dismiss the appeal.
II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
A. The Offenses in case No. 17CR0059722
On December 9, 2017, the police found a parked vehicle that had been reported stolen. Defendant walked directly toward the vehicle, but he fled upon observing an officer standing by the vehicle. Defendant ignored commands to stop but was eventually apprehended. Defendant admitted stealing and driving the vehicle.
On December 12, 2017, in case No. 17CR005972, defendant was charged by complaint with driving or taking a vehicle without the owner‘s consent with four specified prior convictions (
B. Written Waiver of Rights and Plea Agreement
On July 17, 2018, defendant initialed and signed a waiver of rights and plea agreement. Relevant here, defendant initialed paragraph No. 14, regarding the waiver of appellate rights, which stated: “(Appeal and Plea Withdrawal Waiver) I hereby waive and give up all rights regarding state and federal writs and appeals. This includes, but is not limited to, the right to appeal my conviction, the judgment, and any other orders previously issued by this court. I agree not to file any collateral attacks on my conviction or sentence at any time in the future. I further agree not to ask the Court to withdraw my plea for any reason after it is entered.” (Bold omitted.)
Defendant also signed provisions that stated the following: “I offer my plea of guilty or no contest freely and voluntarily and of my own accord. . . . [¶] I have read, or have had read to me, this form and have initialed each of the items that applies to my case. I have discussed each item with my attorney. By putting my initials next to the items in this form, I am indicating that I understand and agree with what is stated in each item that I have initialed. . . . I understand each of the rights outlined above and I give up each of them to enter my plea.”
Defendant‘s trial counsel signed a provision in the agreement stating, “I have reviewed this form with my client and have explained each of the items in the form, including the defendant‘s constitutional rights, to the defendant and have answered all of his or her questions concerning the form and the plea agreement. . . . [¶] I concur in the defendant‘s decision to waive the above rights and enter this plea, and believe the defendant is doing so knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily.”
Defendant appeared in court the same day that he executed the waiver of rights and plea agreement. The trial court confirmed that defendant had signed, initialed, and understood the form. The court specifically asked defendant: “[D]o you also waive and give up your rights to appeal as indicated by your initials on paragraph 14?” Defendant responded, “Yes.”
The trial court also signed defendant‘s written waiver and plea agreement, finding that defendant “expressly, knowingly, understandingly, and intelligently waives [his] constitutional and statutory rights; the defendant‘s plea, admissions, and waiver of rights are freely and voluntarily made; the defendant understands the nature of the charges and the consequences of the plea and admissions; and that there is a factual basis for the same. The Court accepts the defendant‘s plea and admissions . . . .”
In the earlier case, No. SS160525A, the trial court found defendant in violation of his mandatory supervision.
C. Sentencing Hearing
A sentencing hearing was held in both cases on February 28, 2018. The trial court, the parties, and the probation department discussed defendant‘s sentence and the calculation of custody credits. Defendant objected to the court‘s calculation of custody credits in the later case.
In the later case, the trial court sentenced defendant to five years, which consisted of two years in jail and three years on mandatory supervision (see
Defendant filed a notice of appeal regarding both cases, but he did not obtain a certificate of probable cause.
III. DISCUSSION
A. The Parties’ Contentions
Defendant contends that the trial court should have awarded 164 days of custody credits in the later case instead of the 72 days that the court granted. He also argues that his claim concerning custody credits does not fall within the scope of his appellate waiver. He further contends that, even if his appellate claim is within the scope of the appellate waiver, the waiver was not knowingly and intelligently made, and a certificate of probable cause is not required to challenge the enforceability of the waiver.
The Attorney General contends that defendant‘s appeal is barred because he waived his right to appeal, and he did not obtain a certificate of probable cause to enable him to challenge on appeal the enforceability of the waiver. The Attorney General also argues that the trial court did not err in its calculation of defendant‘s custody credits.
We determine that defendant‘s waiver of his appellate rights and his failure to obtain a certificate of probable cause are dispositive, and therefore we consider those issues first and do not reach the custody credits issue. We begin our analysis with general legal principles regarding the requirement of a certificate of probable cause and regarding appellate waivers.
B. Certificate of Probable Cause
C. Appellate Waivers
Appellate waivers contained within plea agreements are generally enforceable. “Just as a defendant may affirmatively waive constitutional rights to a jury trial, to confront and cross-examine witnesses, to the privilege against self-incrimination, and to counsel as a consequence of a negotiated plea agreement, so also may a defendant waive the right to appeal as part of the agreement.” (Panizzon, supra, 13 Cal.4th at p. 80.) ” ‘Plea negotiations and agreements are an accepted and “integral component of the criminal justice system and essential to the expeditious and fair administration of our courts.” [Citations.] Plea agreements benefit that system by promoting speed, economy, and the finality of judgments.’ [Citations.]” (K.R. v. Superior Court (2017) 3 Cal.5th 295, 303.) “Defendants . . . benefit from plea agreements by gaining concessions from the People. [Citation.] The benefits of a plea agreement would be eliminated if courts disallowed the waiver of the right of appeal to which the parties have agreed. [Citation.]” (People v. Vargas (1993) 13 Cal.App.4th 1653, 1658 (Vargas).)
D. Challenges to an Appellate Waiver and Whether a Certificate of Probable Cause Is Needed
Courts have addressed whether an appellate waiver encompasses claims of future error. “[A] waiver that is nonspecific, e.g., ‘I waive my appeal rights’ or ‘I waive my right to appeal any ruling in this case,’ ” is considered a general waiver. (Panizzon, supra, 13 Cal.4th at p. 85, fn. 11.) “A broad or general waiver of appeal rights ordinarily includes error occurring before but not after the waiver because the defendant could not knowingly and intelligently waive the right to appeal any unforeseen or unknown future error. [Citation.]” (People v. Mumm (2002) 98 Cal.App.4th 812, 815, italics added.)
For example, in Vargas, supra, 13 Cal.App.4th 1653, the defendant‘s general waiver stated: ” ‘I waive my appeal rights.’ ” (Id. at p. 1662.) The defendant “was not
Similarly, in People v. Kennedy (2012) 209 Cal.App.4th 385 (Kennedy), this court observed that the defendant had only “signed a general waiver of his right to appeal.” (Id. at p. 391.) Relying on Vargas, this court concluded that the defendant was therefore “not barred from challenging an alleged misapplication of conduct credits on appeal where . . . the plea agreement and waiver of appellate rights made no mention of conduct credits.” (Kennedy, supra, at p. 391.)
In both Vargas and Kennedy, in which it was determined that a general appellate waiver did not bar the defendants’ appellate challenges to custody credits, the issue of whether the defendants needed a certificate of probable cause to pursue their appeals was not addressed.
Subsequent to Vargas and Kennedy, the appellate court in People v. Espinoza (2018) 22 Cal.App.5th 794 (Espinoza) held that “when a defendant waives the right to appeal as part of a plea agreement, and the waiver‘s terms encompass the issue the defendant wishes to raise, the defendant must obtain a certificate of probable cause to avoid dismissal of the appeal. With a certificate of probable cause in hand, the defendant may argue that the waiver is not enforceable as to the issue raised, whether because the waiver was not knowing and intelligent or for some other reason.” (Espinoza, supra, at p. 803, italics added; see People v. Buttram (2003) 30 Cal.4th 773, 793 (conc. opn. of Baxter, J.) (Buttram) [an “attempt to appeal the enforceability of the appellate waiver itself (for example, on grounds that it was not knowing, voluntary, and intelligent, or had
In Espinoza, the defendant‘s written plea form included the following waiver: ” ‘Even though I will be convicted in this case as a result of my plea, I have the right to appeal the judgment and rulings of the court (e.g.:
The appellate court dismissed the appeal based on the defendant‘s failure to obtain a certificate of probable cause. (Espinoza, supra, 22 Cal.App.5th at p. 797.) The court observed that the defendant “broadly waived her ‘right to appeal the judgment and rulings of the court,’ ” and that, “[b]y its express terms, the waiver include[d] her right to appeal the imposition of probation terms.” (Id. at p. 801.)
The defendant argued that “her waiver was not knowing and intelligent, relying on decisions holding that a waiver of the right to appeal does not necessarily ‘bar the appeal of sentencing errors occurring subsequent to the plea.’ [Citation.]” (Espinoza, supra, 22 Cal.App.5th at p. 801.) The appellate court acknowledged that, “as a general principle, defendants cannot knowingly and intelligently waive the right to appeal an issue that was not contemplated at the time of the waiver.” (Ibid.) The court explained, however, that the defendant‘s claim that her waiver should not be construed to extend to a challenge of the probation condition because that aspect of the waiver was not knowing and intelligent, “still challenges ‘the validity of the waiver . . . and, thus, the plea itself.’ [Citation.]” (Id. at p. 802.) “Where a defendant broadly waives the right to appeal as part of a plea, he or she must obtain a certificate of probable cause to appeal on any
Based on our review of the relevant authorities, a certificate of probable cause is not required for the issue of whether the defendant‘s appellate claim falls within the scope of an appellate waiver. If the defendant‘s claim is not within the scope of an appellate waiver, the waiver does not preclude an appellate court from considering the defendant‘s underlying claim.
On the other hand, if the defendant‘s appellate claim falls within the scope of an appellate waiver that is part of a plea agreement, the defendant “must obtain a certificate of probable cause to appeal on any ground covered by the waiver, regardless of whether the claim arose before or after the entry of the plea. Absent such a certificate, the appellate court lacks authority . . . to consider the claim because it is in substance a challenge to the validity of the appellate waiver, and therefore to the validity of the plea.” (Espinoza, supra, 22 Cal.App.5th at p. 797.)
E. Defendant‘s Appellate Waiver Encompasses His Custody Credits Claim
We first consider whether defendant‘s claim of trial court error concerning custody credits is within the scope of his appellate waiver. As we have just explained, defendant was not required to obtain a certificate of probable cause in order for this court to address whether his appellate waiver encompasses his claim of custody credit error.
Defendant‘s appellate waiver was part of his written plea agreement. “A negotiated plea agreement is a form of contract, and it is interpreted according to general contract principles. [Citations.]” (People v. Shelton (2006) 37 Cal.4th 759, 767 (Shelton).) Likewise, “[b]ecause waivers of appellate rights are ordinarily found in the context of a plea bargain, the scope of the waiver is approached like a question of contract interpretation—to what did the parties expressly or by reasonable implication agree? [Citations.]” (In re Uriah R. (1999) 70 Cal.App.4th 1152, 1157.)
In this case, defendant‘s appellate waiver expressly encompasses an appeal from the “judgment” or any collateral attack on the “sentence.” Specifically, the waiver states that defendant waives “all rights regarding state and federal writs and appeals. This includes, but is not limited to, the right to appeal [his] conviction, the judgment, and any other orders previously issued by this court.” (Italics added.) Defendant also agreed ”not to file any collateral attacks on [his] conviction or sentence at any time in the future.” (Italics added.)
“In a criminal case, judgment is rendered when the trial court orally pronounces sentence. (
Here, defendant‘s appellate claim concerning the trial court‘s purported error in calculating custody credits falls within the scope of his appellate waiver. A trial court must calculate custody credits as part of the court‘s imposition of sentence and oral
Defendant contends that the appellate waiver does not expressly mention custody credits, and therefore his custody credits claim is not within the scope of the waiver.
We are not persuaded by defendant‘s contention. Although defendant‘s appellate waiver does not contain the phrase “custody credits,” the appellate waiver does expressly encompass “all rights regarding state and federal writs and appeals,” including “but . . . not limited to, the right to appeal . . . the judgment” and “any collateral attacks on [the] conviction or sentence at any time in the future.” By expressly covering “all . . . appeals” and “any collateral attacks” by defendant, including appeals and collateral attacks with respect to the “judgment” and “sentence,” the parties clearly intended a broad waiver covering any and all claims that defendant might try to later assert regarding his sentence or the judgment. We observe that defendant does not offer a persuasive argument for a different interpretation of the term “judgment” or “sentence” in the context of his written waiver.
Moreover, the parties’ waiver and plea agreement does not contain any language suggesting that the parties intended to carve out one or more aspects of the sentence, or one or more aspects of the judgment, from the appellate waiver. Significantly, the parties’ agreement, which is on a pre-printed form, offered an alternative and more “[l]imited [w]aiver,” but the parties expressly declined to make the more limited waiver a part of their agreement. The more limited waiver states: “(Limited Waiver for Non-
Defendant also contends that the calculation of custody credits does not involve a discretionary sentencing choice, that the failure to accurately award custody credits results in an unauthorized sentence that is subject to correction at any time, and that correction may be made on appeal even in the absence of an objection below, citing People v. Johnson (2007) 150 Cal.App.4th 1467, 1485, People v. Jack (1989) 213 Cal.App.3d 913, 916-917, and People v. Taylor (2004) 119 Cal.App.4th 628, 647.
We are not persuaded by defendant‘s argument. The relevant issue here is not whether the trial court‘s decision involved a discretionary sentencing choice, whether the sentence was unauthorized, or whether defendant raised the custody credits claim below. Rather, the relevant issue is whether defendant‘s custody credits claim on appeal is encompassed within his appellate waiver. Defendant fails to provide any legal authority to support the proposition that custody credit error is not waivable by agreement.
We therefore conclude that defendant‘s appellate claim concerning custody credits is barred because his claim falls within the scope of his appellate waiver. (See Panizzon,
F. Defendant‘s Failure to Obtain a Certificate of Probable Cause Precludes His Challenge to the Enforceability of the Appellate Waiver
Defendant contends that he “cannot have knowingly and intelligently agreed to waive his claim that the trial court erred [regarding custody credits] when he signed the [appellate] waiver, because the errant act had not yet occurred.”
As we have explained, defendant‘s appellate waiver encompasses his claim that the trial court erred in calculating custody credits. Defendant‘s further appellate contention that he did not knowingly and intelligently agree, at the time he entered into his appellate waiver, to waive a claim of future error concerning custody credits is a challenge to the enforceability of the appellate waiver. (Espinoza, supra, 22 Cal.App.5th at pp. 797, 802, 803; Buttram, supra, 30 Cal.4th at p. 793 (conc. opn. of Baxter, J.).) As the appellate waiver was contained within defendant‘s plea agreement, his contention concerning the enforceability of the appellate waiver constitutes an attack on the plea‘s validity. (Espinoza, supra, at pp. 797, 802, 803; Buttram, supra, at p. 793 (conc. opn. of Baxter, J.).) “[A]n attack on the validity of the plea . . . is not reviewable on appeal because defendant failed to seek and obtain a certificate of probable cause.” (Panizzon, supra, 13 Cal.4th at p. 89.)
G. Conclusion
We determine that defendant‘s appellate claim concerning custody credits is barred because his claim falls within the scope of his appellate waiver. Further, because defendant did not obtain a certificate of probable cause, he may not challenge the enforceability of the appellate waiver, including a challenge on the grounds that the waiver was not knowing and intelligent. We emphasize that, by obtaining a certificate of probable cause, “[a] defendant may argue that the waiver is not enforceable . . . , whether because the waiver was not knowing and intelligent or for some other reason. And if the
IV. DISPOSITION
The appeal is dismissed.
BAMATTRE-MANOUKIAN, ACTING P.J.
WE CONCUR:
MIHARA, J.
DANNER, J.
People v. Becerra
H045600
Superior Court Nos.: SS160525A, 17CR005972
Trial Judge: Hon. Andrew G. Liu
Attorney for Appellant: Sotero Genaro Becerra
William Hassler, under appointment by the Court of Appeal
Attorneys for Respondent: The People
Xavier Becerra, Attorney General
Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General
Jeffrey M. Laurence, Senior Assistant Attorney General
Seth K. Schalit, Supervising Deputy Attorney General
Berit Grace Fitzsimmons, Deputy Attorney General
People v. Becerra
H045600