People v. EberhardtPeople v. Eberhardt
OPINION
SONENSHINE, J.
On February 28, 1985, we filed our earlier opinion in this matter. The California Supreme Court granted a petition for hearing on May 2, 1985, and on June 26, 1986, retransferred the matter to us for reconsideration in light of People v. Fritz (1985) 40 Cal.3d 227 [219 Cal. Rptr. 460, 707 P.2d 833].1
The People ask us to consider whether a trial court may suspend imposition
Defendants Joe Garland Eberhardt, Christine Marie Hill and Richard Arganda Loya were charged with several felonies and firearm enhancement allegations.3 Each was also alleged to have been previously convicted of one or more felonies resulting in a term of imprisonment.4 At arraignment in superior court each defendant pleaded guilty as charged, admitted all the firearm enhancement and prior felony allegations and was sentenced.
Eberhardt was sentenced to seven years in prison: three years (the mid term) on count I with two additional years for the firearm use enhancement (
The court sentenced Hill as follows: three years (the mid term) on count I with an additional year for a firearm enhancement (
Finally, Loya was sentenced as follows: three years (the midterm) on count II with an additional year for a firearm enhancement (
I
It is true the trial court did not order probation reports for any of the defendants. The People argue probation reports were mandated by
(1) We need not, and indeed cannot, resolve this dispute. Assuming the trial court erred when it failed to order probation reports, the People nonetheless have no remedy by way of appeal. “`The Legislature has determined that except under certain limited circumstances the People shall have no right of appeal in criminal cases.’ [Citation.] Those circumstances are enumerated
We find nothing in
Valenti‘s reference to an appeal from an order is not without significance. (2) Even if some later act of the trial court is appealable, this does not permit the People to reach back and request review of a prior nonappealable order. (See People v. Glaser (1965) 238 Cal. App.2d 819, 821 [48 Cal. Rptr. 427].) The prosecution argues “pendant jurisdiction” permits review on this issue because the sentences are appealable. The argument is unconvincing and made without citation to authority. To so hold would destroy the statutory scheme embodied in
II
Whether the sentences are appealable presents a more complex question. The People assert an appeal properly lies pursuant to
(3) Where a court imposes sentence but stays its execution pursuant to section 654,11 an appeal lies from the stay as an “order made after judgment” under
The People argue, in essence, the sentences on the charges and enhancements must be viewed in the aggregate for the purpose of appealability. Because the court had already imposed sentences on the unstayed robbery charge and weapons enhancement, so the argument goes, the stays were “orders made after judgment” because there were sentences, and thus judgments, on the unstayed charge, or in the case of Eberhardt, charges and enhancement.
While creative, the argument does not withstand analysis. The People rely on Perez, Mendevil and Holly, but none of them supports the proposition a stay is an “order made after judgment” even where imposition of sentence has been suspended simply because sentence has been imposed previously on another count or other counts.12 In addition, the People‘s position would render appealability dependent upon chronological fortuities in the pronouncement of judgment. Should the court first suspend imposition of sentence on one or more counts and then impose an unstayed sentence on
The cases addressing appealability under
In summary, a stay is appealable after execution of sentence is suspended on the stayed count. But stays are not “order[s] made after judgment” where sentence is never imposed on the counts stayed. To hold otherwise would stretch the statutory language beyond its manifest meaning. (People v. Mendevil, supra, 81 Cal. App.3d 84, 87.) No appeal lies under
III
Appealability under
But “[t]he `degree of ... punishment imposed’ as used in
Among the vast array of cases interpreting
The Court of Appeal held the sentence was appealable under
It is much the same here, but for a reason different than the one upon which the People rely. They contend the enhancements were mandatory under
This specific question leads us to the error committed by the trial court in the present case. The court did not purport to strike the enhancements pursuant to
(4) This is an illegal sentence. People v. Cheffen (1969) 2 Cal. App.3d 638 [82 Cal. Rptr. 658] encapsulates the applicable law. “In the trial below ... the jury returned a guilty verdict as to each of the five counts charged. However, the trial judge pronounced judgment and sentence was imposed on defendant only for the two counts of kidnaping. As to the remaining three counts, two of robbery and one of burglary, defendant was not informed of the disposition of these counts or the punishment imposed therefor. [Citation.] Upon conviction it is the duty of the court to pass sentence on the defendant and impose the punishment prescribed. (
We agree and see no reason to distinguish this case because it involves enhancements rather than substantive crimes. In fact, to the extent the court here stayed imposition of sentence on counts charging crimes, that too was improper, as Cheffen indicates. In
We disagree with the court‘s conclusion in People v. Lopez (1983) 147 Cal. App.3d 162 [195 Cal. Rptr. 27], insofar as it holds, without citation of authority, a court may stay imposition of sentence on an enhancement as a sort of “necessarily included” power under section 1385. (Id., at p. 165; see also People v. Whigam (1984) 158 Cal. App.3d 1161, 1169 [205 Cal. Rptr. 227]; People v. Price (1984) 151 Cal. App.3d 803 [199 Cal. Rptr. 99].)16 (5a) People v. Calhoun (1983) 141 Cal. App.3d 117 [190 Cal. Rptr. 115] aptly points out striking an enhancement and staying an enhancement
The distinction is important. When a court utilizes its power under
(6) An order striking a prior is appealable under
We recognize “the Legislature has determined that the People shall have no right of appeal in criminal cases except under certain limited circumstances. [Citations.] The Legislature has struck a delicate balance between the competing considerations of preventing harassment of the accused and correcting possible error, and the courts should not destroy that equilibrium by stretching the statutory language beyond its manifest meaning. [Citation.]” (People v. Gaines, supra, 112 Cal. App.3d 508, 512.) At the same time, we cannot conclude the Legislature meant to deny the People an appeal here when a court has passed a sentence unauthorized by legislation.
“It is well established that when the trial court pronounces a sentence which is unauthorized by the Penal Code that sentence must be vacated and a proper sentence imposed whenever the mistake is appropriately brought to the attention of the trial court or the reviewing court.” (People v. Benton (1979) 100 Cal. App.3d 92, 102 [161 Cal. Rptr. 12].) For a sentencing error to be “appropriately brought to the attention of ... the reviewing court” of course, it must be appealable unless it is discovered during the defendant‘s
We need only briefly reiterate the sentencing error committed. The trial court did not have the power to “stay” imposition of sentence on the enhancements. (5b) In addition, although the People do not raise it, the court did not have the power under
The sentences are vacated and the cause is remanded to the trial court for resentencing consistent with the views expressed in this opinion.18
Trotter, P.J., and Crosby, J., concurred.