BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1352| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: AB 1352 Author: Eggman (D) Amended: 5/19/15 in Senate Vote: 21 SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE: 5-2, 7/14/15 AYES: Hancock, Glazer, Leno, Liu, Monning NOES: Anderson, Stone SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-2, 8/27/15 AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza NOES: Bates, Nielsen ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 42-33, 5/4/15 - See last page for vote SUBJECT: Deferred entry of judgment: withdrawal of plea SOURCE: American Civil Liberties Union of California Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund National Council of La Raza DIGEST: This bill allows any person who has successfully completed a deferred entry of judgment (DEJ) treatment program to obtain dismissal of the plea upon which DEJ was granted, on the basis that the guilty or no-contest plea underlying DEJ may result in a denial of employment benefit, license or certificate, or have adverse immigration consequences, in conflict with the statement in the governing statute that the plea shall not result in "denial of any employment, benefit, license, or certificate." ANALYSIS: AB 1352 Page 2 Existing law: 1) Provides that a defendant may qualify for DEJ of specified non-violent drug possession offenses if the following apply to the defendant: a) The defendant has no prior controlled substance convictions; b) The offense charged did not of violence or threatened violence; c) There is no evidence of a drug violation other than a violation of the specified deferrable drug offenses; d) The defendant's probation or parole has never been revoked without thereafter being completed; e) The defendant's record does not indicate that he or she has participated in drug diversion or DEJ within five years prior to the alleged commission of the charged offense; f) The defendant has no prior felony conviction within five years prior to the alleged commission of the charged offense. (Pen. Code § 1000, subd. (a).) 1) States that a prosecutor has a duty to determine whether a defendant is eligible for DEJ. The prosecuting attorney shall file with the court a declaration in writing or state for the record the grounds upon which the determination is based, and shall make this information available to the defendant and his or her attorney. This procedure is intended to allow the court to set the hearing for DEJ at the arraignment. (Pen. Code § 1000, subd. (b).) 2) Requires that all DEJ referrals for DEJ shall be made only to programs that have been certified by the county drug program administrator, or to programs that provide services at no cost to the participant and have been deemed by the court and the county drug program administrator to be credible and effective. The defendant may request to be referred to a program in any county, as long as that program AB 1352 Page 3 meets the specified criteria. (Pen. Code § 1000, subd. (c).) 3) Requires the court to hold a hearing and, after consideration of any information relevant to its decision, to determine if the defendant consents to further proceedings and if the defendant should be granted DEJ. If the court does not find that the defendant would benefit by DEJ, or if the defendant does not consent to participate, the proceedings shall continue as in any other case. DEJ shall be granted for no less than 18 months, but no longer than three years. Progress reports shall be filed by the probation department as directed by the court. (Pen. Code § 1000.2.) 4) Requires, if the defendant has performed satisfactorily in the DEJ program, the criminal charge or charges shall be dismissed. If the defendant does not perform satisfactorily, the court shall find the defendant guilty pursuant to his or her plea, enter judgment and set a sentencing hearing. (Pen. Code § 1000.3.) 5) States that upon successful completion of DEJ, the arrest that led to the defendant's plea shall be deemed to have never occurred. The defendant may state that he or she was not arrested or granted DEJ for the offense, except as specified for employment as a peace officer. A record pertaining to an arrest resulting in successful completion of a DEJ program shall not, without the defendant's consent, be used in any way that could result in the denial of any employment, benefit, license, or certificate. (Pen. Code § 1000.4, subd. (a).) 6) Authorizes counties to establish and conduct a preguilty plea drug court program wherein criminal proceedings are suspended without a plea of guilty for designated defendants. The presiding judge, the district attorney and the public defender must agree to establish a preguilty plea diversion program. If the defendant is not performing satisfactorily in the program, the court may reinstate criminal proceedings. If the defendant has performed satisfactorily during the period of the preguilty plea program, at the end of that period, the criminal charge or charges shall be dismissed. (Pen. Code § 1000.5.) AB 1352 Page 4 7) Provides that where a defendant has fulfilled the terms of probation, or been discharged from probation, the defendant shall, if he or she is not then serving a sentence for any offense, on probation for any offense, or charged with any offense, be granted the following relief: The court shall dismiss the conviction or allow the defendant to withdraw his or her guilty plea. The court shall then dismiss the accusations against the defendant. Where the person has successfully completed probation, but he or she did not fulfill all terms of probation throughout the probationary term, the court may grant the relief in the interests of justice. (Pen. Code § 1203.4, subd. (a).) 8) Provides that a person who was convicted of a felony and served a felony jail sentence pursuant to Penal Code Section 1170, subdivision (h), may apply for dismissal of his her conviction or withdrawal of his or her plea in the underlying case, in the discretion of the court and in the interests of justice. (Pen. Code § 1203.41.) 9) Provides that the court may not dismiss the conviction of a person who served a felony jail sentence until one year after the petitioner's completion of the sentence, provided that the petitioner is not under community supervision or serving a sentence for a criminal offense. (Pen. Code § 1203.41.) 10)Specifies that a non-citizen may be deported if he or she has been convicted of a violation of any law or regulation of a state, the United States, or a foreign country relating to a controlled substance, other than possession for one's own use of 30 grams or less of marijuana. (8 U.S.C.S. § 1227, subd. (a)(2)(B)(i).) 11)Provides that a defendant's plea of guilty is valid only where it is knowingly and voluntary made. In order that a defendant's plea be knowing, the defendant must understand and explicitly waive his or her constitutional rights to a jury trial, confront witnesses and the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. The defendant may withdraw a plea that was not knowingly and voluntarily made. (Boykin v. Alabama (1969) 395 U.S. 238; In re Tahl (1969) 1 Cal.3rd 122, 130.) 12)Provides that in accepting a plea of guilty or no-contest, AB 1352 Page 5 the court must advise the defendant that if he or she is not a citizen, the plea may result in adverse immigration consequences. (Pen. Cod § 1016.5) 13)Provides that an attorney for a criminal defendant must advise a defendant of the consequences of a plea of guilty or no contest, including adverse immigration consequences. (Padilla v. Kentucky (2010) 130 S.Ct.1473) This bill: 1) Provides that in any case in which a defendant was DEJ, on or after January 1, 1997, after pleading guilty or nolo contendere to the charged offense, the defendant shall be permitted by the court to withdraw the plea of guilty or nolo contendere and enter a plea of not guilty if the defendant attests to both of the following: a) The charges were dismissed after the defendant performed satisfactorily during the DEJ period; and, b) The plea may result in the denial or loss to the defendant of any employment, benefit, license, or certificate, including, but not limited to, causing a noncitizen defendant to potentially be found inadmissible, deportable, or subject to any other kind of adverse immigration consequence. 2) Directs the Judicial Council to develop a form for use by persons seeking the relief authorized by this bill to attest to the information required for such relief. 3) Requires a defendant seeking relief under this bill to submit documentation, as specified, of dismissal of charges pursuant to successful completion of DEJ, in addition to attesting to information required for relief. 4) Requires the court to dismiss the complaint or information against the defendant if the defendant shows that he or she performed satisfactorily under DEJ and that the plea underlying DEJ may result in a denial of employment benefit, license or certificate, or have adverse immigration consequences. AB 1352 Page 6 5) States the following legislative findings and declarations: a) The statement in Penal Code Section 1000.4, that "successful completion of a DEJ program shall not, without the defendant's consent, be used in any way that could result in the denial of any employment, benefit, license, or certificate" constitutes misinformation about the actual consequences of the plea underlying DEJ. b) Specifically, in the case of some defendants, including all noncitizen defendants, the disposition of the case may cause adverse consequences, including adverse immigration consequences. c) Because of this misinformation and the potential harm of the plea, the defendant's prior plea is invalid. Background The expungement of a record is the removal of a conviction from a person's criminal record. (United States v. Hayden (9th Cir. 2001) 255 F.3d 768, 771.) In California, Penal Code Section 1203.4 is the statute typically referred to as the expungement statute. Defendants who have successfully completed probation may petition the court to set aside a guilty verdict or permit withdrawal of the guilty or nolo contendere plea and dismiss the complaint, accusation, or information. However, Penal Code Section 1203.4 does not actually provide expungement of the defendant's records. The prior conviction may still be used in a "subsequent prosecution of the defendant for any other offense," and if plead and proven, "shall have the same effect as if probation had not been granted or the accusation or information dismissed." (Pen. Code, § 1203.4, subd. (a).) Instead, there will be an entry made on the record that the case was dismissed. The records remain fully a public document. Further, a dismissal under Section 1203.4 does not constitute "expungement" as defined in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and therefore may be considered as a prior conviction when calculating a defendant's criminal history. (Hayden, supra, 255 F3d at p. 774.) In order to constitute an actual expungement, the withdrawal of the plea and dismissal of the case must not be allowed to be AB 1352 Page 7 used for any purpose. Because immigration is the purview of the federal government, state laws cannot mandate what the federal government can consider in immigration proceedings. However, the state can craft a statute that avoids or minimizes a person's exposure to adverse immigration consequences. One of the circumstances that may trigger deportation proceedings is a conviction related to controlled substances. (8 U.S.C.S. § 1227, subd. (a)(2)(B)(i).) This bill allows a person to withdraw a guilty or nolo contendere plea that exposed the person to adverse immigration consequences and requires the court thereafter to dismiss the case. The intended outcome is that the person would not have a "conviction" as interpreted under federal law to cause the person to be deported. However, this bill is silent as to whether, after the case is re-dismissed, the records are expunged or completely erased from a person's record. Therefore, it is unclear whether the dismissal created under this bill prevents the federal government from accessing those records for immigration purposes. In a DEJ program, a defendant enters a guilty plea, but entry of judgment on the plea is deferred pending successful completion of a program. If the defendant successfully completes DEJ, the arrest shall be deemed to never have occurred. The Legislature intended the benefits and protections of a successful completion of DEJ be given the broadest possible application. (B.W. v. Board of Med. Quality Assurance (1985) 169 Cal.App. 3d 219.) A defendant who completes DEJ and has his or her case dismissed cannot have the offense used against him or her to deny any employment benefit, license or certificate unless the defendant consents to the release of his or her record. (Pen. Code § 1000.3.) The purpose of dismissal upon successful completion of DEJ is to allow offenders to avoid the adverse consequences and stigma of a criminal conviction so that they can get or retain jobs and become or remain productive members of society. However, a dismissal after completion of a DEJ program for a drug offense may subject a non-citizen to immigration consequences such as deportation. (Paredes-Urrestarazu v. U.S. INS (9th Cir. 1994) 36 F3d. 801.) This bill requires a court to allow a defendant to withdraw his or her guilty or nolo contendere plea upon a showing that charges were dismissed after successful completion of DEJ AB 1352 Page 8 period, and that the plea may lead to a denial of a benefit, including adverse immigration consequences. A defendant's lack of knowledge of immigration consequences can constitute good cause to withdraw a guilty plea. (People v. Superior Court (Giron) (1974) 11 Cal. 3d 793.) This bill grants a court limited jurisdiction to accept the withdrawal of a guilty or nolo contendere plea by a person whose underlying case was dismissed after successful completion of DEJ. To qualify for this relief, the defendant must show that the plea may result in the denial or loss of any employment, benefit, license, or certificate, including adverse immigration consequences such as deportation. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:YesLocal: No According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, potentially significant increase in trial court costs (General Fund*) for new petitions to dismiss pleas of guilty and nolo contendere submitted for cases granted DEJ retroactive to January 1, 1997. *Trial Court Trust Fund SUPPORT: (Verified8/28/15) American Civil Liberties Union of California (co-source) Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (co-source) Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (co-source) National Council of La Raza (co-source) African Advocacy Network Asian Americans Advancing Justice Asian Law Alliance California Attorneys for Criminal Justice California Immigrant Policy Center California Partnership California Public Defenders Association California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation Californians for Safety and Justice Californians United for a Responsible Budget Central American Resource Center - Los Angeles Chinese for Affirmative Action Community United Against Violence AB 1352 Page 9 Congregations Building Community Del Sol Group; Dolores Street Community Services Faith in Action Kern County Friends Committee on Legislation of California Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Human Rights Watch Immigration Action Group; Institute for Justice Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area Legal Services for Prisoners with Children Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership Justice Not Jails MAAC Mujeres Unidas y Activas National Association of Social Workers - California Chapter National Day Laborer Organizing Network National Immigration Law Center Pangea Legal Services PICO California Placer People of Faith Presente.org Progressive Christians Uniting Red Mexicana de Lideres y Organizaciones Migrantes Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office Silicon Valley De-Bug Solutions for Immigrants William C. Velasquez Institute Vital Immigrant Defense Advocacy and Services OPPOSITION: (Verified8/28/15) California District Attorneys Association California State Board of Pharmacy California State Sheriffs' Association ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 42-33, 5/4/15 AYES: Alejo, Bloom, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lopez, Low, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Weber, Williams, Wood, AB 1352 Page 10 Atkins NOES: Achadjian, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bonilla, Brough, Chang, Chávez, Cooper, Dababneh, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Gatto, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Irwin, Jones, Kim, Lackey, Linder, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, Melendez, Obernolte, Olsen, Patterson, Steinorth, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk NO VOTE RECORDED: Campos, Dahle, Daly, Perea, Ridley-Thomas Prepared by:Jerome McGuire / PUB. S. / 8/31/15 18:48:03 **** END ****