Category Archives: Abstracts and Minutes

Abstracts and Minutes, Elements of crime, Sentencing

Case: 000257

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

A jury found the defendant guilty of one count of murder, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. The trial court sentenced him on each count of conviction and did not stay the sentence on any count. The court improperly sentenced him on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm when he had only committed a single violation of that crime. The court erred when it sentenced him for being both a felon in possession of a firearm and a felon in possession of ammunition. We vacate defendant’s conviction on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and stay his sentence for being a felon in possession of ammunition. The abstract of judgment incorrectly marks trhe determinate term on count 2 as “M” for middle term rather than “H” to reflect the high term that was actually imposed, and must be corrected.

First Holding:

Possession of a firearm by a felon is a continuing offense. In the case of continuing offenses, only one violation occurs even though the proscribed conduct may extend over an indefinite period. The crime of possession of a firearm by a felon continues for as long as the possession of the firearm continues and is not completed until the possession has ceased. Therefore, where there is no evidence that the defendant relinquished his possession of a firearm, or that his possession was interrupted for a time, he can be convicted of only one count of that offense. The defendant possessed the same firearm on both dates charged in the information. The People did not present any evidence to show that the defendant ceased his possession of that firearm at any time between the murder and the arrest. We therefore vacate defendant’s conviction on count 4.

Authority:

People v. Mason (2014) 232 Cal.App.4th 355, 365, 366-367

Wright v. Superior Court (1997) 15 Cal.4th 521, 525, fn. 1

People v. Warren (1940) 16 Cal.2d 103, 112

Second Holding:

Section 654 provides that an act or omission that is punishable in different ways by different provisions of law may be punished under either of such provisions, but in no case shall the act or omission be punished under more than one provision. The statute bars multiple punishment for separate offenses arising out of a single occurrence when all of the offenses were incident to one objective. It prohibits punishment for both unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition when the only ammunition at issue was either found inside or fired from the firearm.

Authority:

People v. Cowan (2010) 50 Cal.4th 401, 498

People v. Broadbent (2020) 47 Cal.App.5th 917, 922–923

People v. Sok (2010) 181 Cal.App.4th 88, 100

People v. Lopez (2004) 119 Cal.App.4th 132, 138

Third Holding:

Where multiple punishments have been improperly imposed, the proper procedure is for the reviewing court to modify the sentence to stay imposition of the lesser term. Here, the trial court should have stayed the punishment on count 3, the lesser term. We will therefore modify the judgment to stay the sentence on that count.

Authority:

People v. Spirlin (2000) 81 Cal.App.4th 119, 131

People v. Broadbent (2020) 47 Cal.App.5th 917, 922–923

People v. Sok (2010) 181 Cal.App.4th 88, 100

People v. Lopez (2004) 119 Cal.App.4th 132, 138

Fourth Holding:

The abstract of judgment for the determinate term on count 2 be modified to reflect that the defendant was sentenced to the high term (“H”), rather than the mid-term (“M”).

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 187

Abstracts and Minutes

Case: 000249

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

Various clerical errors in the minute order memorializing the defendant’s sentence and on the abstract of judgment need to be corrected. In counts 3 through 9, defendant was found guilty of sexual battery within the meaning of section 243.4(a). The abstract of judgment for the determinate sentence correctly identified the applicable statute as section 243.4(a) for counts 3 and 4, but it incorrectly identified the applicable statute as section 243.5(a) for counts 5 through 9. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court imposed a minimum restitution fine of $300 and a suspended parole revocation fine of $300. However, the relevant minute order and the abstract of judgment list each of these fines as $4,500. We find both fines were $300.

First Holding:

Courts may correct clerical errors at any time, and appellate courts have jurisdiction to order corrections of clerical errors contained in an abstract of judgment. The abstract of judgment will be corrected to reflect the correct statute.

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185

Second Holding:

When there is a discrepancy between an oral pronouncement of judgment and an abstract of judgment, the oral pronouncement controls. A court of appeal can order trial courts to amend a minute order and abstract of judgment to accurately reflect the trial courts oral pronouncement.

Authority:

People v. Burke (2023) 89 Cal.App.5th 237, 244 [abstract of judgment]

People v. Morales (2014) 224 Cal.App.4th 1587, 1594 [minute order]

People v. Clark (2021) 67 Cal.App.5th 248, 260-261

Abstracts and Minutes, Fines and fees

Case: 000236

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The abstracts of judgment for all of the defendants reflect assessments that were not orally pronounced (in fact, the trial court had found that the defendants did not have the ability to pay the fees) and must be stricken. The People agree. We agree with the parties and will order those assessments stricken from the abstract of judgment.

Holding:

It is well settled that an abstract of judgment is not the judgment of conviction; it does not control if different from the trial court’s oral judgment and may not add to or modify the judgment it purports to digest or summarize. When an abstract of judgment does not reflect the actual sentence imposed in the trial judge’s verbal pronouncement, the court has the inherent power to correct such clerical error on appeal, whether on our own motion or upon application of the parties.

Authority:

People v. Jones (2012) 54 Cal.4th 1, 89

Abstracts and Minutes

Case: 000234

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The abstract of judgment must be corrected to reflect that one of the counts was to be served concurrently rather than consecutively as the abstract currently show.

Holding:

The abstract of judgment must be corrected to reflect that one of the counts was to be served concurrently rather than consecutively as the abstract currently show.

[GARY NOTE: The opinion listed no authority for its order directing the correction of the abstract of judgment, likely because the legal principle is well-established and seems obvious. Other opinions have cited authority for the proposition that the appellate court itself has the power to correct the abstract of judgment. For convenience, and because my point in presenting unpublished cases in the first place is to provide education on principles that might not be obvious to find in published opinions that deal with new and nuanced problems, I have set forth some authority the appellate court could have cited.]

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185

People v. Delgado (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1059, 1070

People v. Leon (2020) 8 Cal.5th 831, 855

In re Black (1967) 66 Cal.2d 881, 890

People v. Zackery (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 380, 385

People v. Farell (2002) 28 Cal.4th 381, 384, fn. 2

Abstracts and Minutes, Amelioration, Sentencing

Case: 000231

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The jury’s true finding in 2023 that the defendant suffered a prior serious felony and strike offense based on a past gang related conviction was error. We vacate the prior serious felony and strike conviction and remand for retrial and resentencing. Further, the abstract of judgment must be corrected because it reflects a conviction for first degree robbery when it should be second degree robbery.

First Holding:

In 2021, the Legislature amended the law prohibiting criminal gang activity law. In many respects, it changed the elements of a section 186.22 offense that the prosecution here did not prove. For a pre-AB 333 section 186.22 offense to qualify as a prior serious felony and strike offense, the prosecution was required to prove that the defendant’s past conduct met the post-AB 333 section 186.22 elements.

Authority:

PEN 186.22

AB 333

People v. Fletcher (2025) 18 Cal.5th 576, 582-583

Second Holding:

The abstract of judgment must be corrected.

[GARY NOTE: The opinion listed no authority for its order directing the correction of the abstract of judgment, likely because the legal principle is well-established and seems obvious. Other opinions have cited authority for the proposition that the appellate court itself has the power to correct the abstract of judgment. For convenience, and because my point in presenting unpublished cases in the first place is to provide education on principles that might not be obvious to find in published opinions that deal with new and nuanced problems, I have set forth some authority the appellate court could have cited]

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185

People v. Delgado (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1059, 1070

People v. Leon (2020) 8 Cal.5th 831, 855

In re Black (1967) 66 Cal.2d 881, 890

People v. Zackery (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 380, 385

People v. Farell (2002) 28 Cal.4th 381, 384, fn. 2

Abstracts and Minutes, Sentencing

Case: 000222

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

On appeal from resentencing under section 1172.75, the sole contention is that the trial court omitted updating his abstract of judgment with credit for time served as of the date he was resentenced. The case is remanded for the necessary credits correction and amendment of the abstract of judgment to reflect those credits.

Holding:

Absent a new sentence, the court left in place its 2023 amended abstract of judgment, with the same actual-days credit calculation as had been entered at defendant’s original 2015 sentencing. That calculation must be updated.

Authority:

People v. Buckhalter (2001) 26 Cal.4th 20, 23, 40

Abstracts and Minutes, Discretion, Duty of the court, Sentencing

Case: 000220

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The defendant must be resentenced in light of enhancement-related errors and that the minute order from the bench trial on the defendant’s prior convictions requires correction. Therefore, we remand for resentencing and direct the minute order to be corrected.

First Holding:

Several of the errors raised involve the trial court’s exercise of discretion and were forfeited by the defendant’s failure to object below. Nonetheless, we have doubts about whether the trial court in fact exercised its discretion in failing to impose certain enhancements and making other sentencing choices, especially given discrepancies between the court’s tentative sentences and its final sentences. There also appears to be at least one error resulting in an unauthorized sentence that the parties do not raise. Under these circumstances, we find it appropriate to remand for both defendants to be fully resentenced so that the court can ensure the sentences reflect its intent in accordance with the law.

Authority:

People v. McCullough (2013) 56 Cal.4th 589, 594

In re G.C. (2020) 8 Cal.5th 1119, 1130

Second Holding:

Weapon enhancements must be either imposed consecutively or stricken. Such an enhancement cannot be imposed concurrently.

Authority:

PEN 1385

PEN 12022

Third Holding:

Unless stricken, prior-serious-felony and prior-prison-term enhancements are added once to each count on which an indeterminate term is imposed and once for the combined counts on which an aggregate determinate term has been imposed.

Authority:

People v. Tua (2018) 18 Cal.App.5th 1136, 1141

People v. Minifie (2018) 22 Cal.App.5th 1256, 1260

Fourth Holding:

A sentencing court may not impose terms for both a prior-serious-felony enhancement and a prior-prison-term enhancement that are based on the same underlying conviction.

Authority:

People v. Scully (2021) 11 Cal.5th 542, 612

Fifth Holding:

If a prior-conviction enhancement or punishment for it is stricken in the interest of justice, the enhancement should not also be imposed and stayed under section 654.

Authority:

People v. Tang (2025) 109 Cal.App.5th 1003, 1008–1009

Sixth Holding:

The trial court should ensure that it sufficiently explains its discretionary sentencing choices on the record.

Authority:

Rules of Court, rule 4.406

Seventh Holding:

There were several errors in the minute order that must be corrected.

[Gary note: The court did not cite any authority for its directive that the abstract be corrected, but the law is very clear that it has that authority. I have cited some cases that the court could have relied on.]

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185

People v. Delgado (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1059, 1070

People v. Leon (2020) 8 Cal.5th 831, 855

In re Black (1967) 66 Cal.2d 881, 890

People v. Zackery (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 380, 385

People v. Farell (2002) 28 Cal.4th 381, 384, fn. 2

Abstracts and Minutes

Case: 000215

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The abstract of judgment erroneously included the court operations fee and the criminal conviction fee that the trial court waived. The abstract of judgment should be modified to reflect that those fees were waived by the court.

Holding:

[Gary note: the court included no citation of authority, but the law is clear that an incorrect abstract of judgment must be corrected to reflect the actual judgment.  I have provided as authority some cases the court could have relied on.]

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185

People v. Delgado (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1059, 1070

People v. Leon (2020) 8 Cal.5th 831, 855

In re Black (1967) 66 Cal.2d 881, 890

People v. Zackery (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 380, 385

People v. Farell (2002) 28 Cal.4th 381, 384, fn. 2

Abstracts and Minutes

Case: 000212

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The trial court is directed to prepare a corrected abstract of judgment to reflect that the defendant received two consecutive five-year enhancements for prior serious felony convictions under section 667(a)(1), rather than one 10-year enhancement. The trial court is further directed to forward a copy of the corrected abstract of judgment to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Holding:

The abstract of judgment erroneously reflects that the defendant received one 10-year enhancement under section 667(a)(1) for a prior serious felony conviction. We accordingly direct the trial court to prepare a corrected abstract reflecting that the trial court imposed two consecutive five-year serious felony enhancements.

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185-187

Abstracts and Minutes, Fines and fees, Sentencing

Case: 000208

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The trial court resentenced defendant the defendant pursuant to Penal Code section 1172.75. The court failed to award credit for the time the defendant served in custody. The court imposed repealed fees. The resentencing minute order should be clarified to reflect the proper order in which the defendant must serve the terms comprising his sentence. The matter is remanded to the trial court with directions to recalculate defendant’s custody credits and to prepare a corrected abstract of judgment and minute order as indicated in this opinion and forward a certified copy of the corrected abstract and minute order to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

First Holding:

Were a defendant has served any portion of his sentence under a commitment based upon a judgment which judgment is subsequently declared invalid or which is modified during the term of imprisonment, such time shall be credited upon any subsequent sentence he may receive upon a new commitment for the same criminal act or acts. This means a court resentencing a defendant must credit the defendant with all actual days he had spent in custody, whether in jail or prison, up to that time. The updated total of credits must then be added to the abstract of judgment.

Authority:

PC 2900.1

PC 2900.5

People v. Buckhalter (2001) 26 Cal.4th 20, 37

People v. Phoenix (2014) 231 Cal.App.4th 1119, 1125, 1129-1130

Couzens et al., Sentencing California Crimes (The Rutter Group Aug. 2025 update) secs. 15:15, 15:20, 15:24, 26:6

Second Holding:

The trial court was not authorized to impose fees under former Government Code section 29550.2. (Former Gov. Code, sec. 29550.2.) The Legislature repealed that statute effective July 1, 2021. (Stats. 2020, ch. 92, sec. 25.) Even if Government Code section 29550.2 were still in effect, the Legislature has declared such fees unenforceable and uncollectible and any portion of a judgment imposing those costs shall be vacated. (Gov. Code, sec. 6111(a).) Accordingly, we vacate the main jail booking fee and the main jail classification fee imposed by the trial court.

Authority:

GOV 6111(a)

Third Holding:

Whenever a person is committed to prison on a life sentence which is ordered to run consecutive to any determinate term of imprisonment, the determinate term of imprisonment shall be served first. The minute order for the resentencing hearing states that the determinate is to be served consecutive to the indeterminate sentence. The minute order must be corrected.

[Gary note: The court did not cite any authority for its order to correct the minute order. But there is much authority allowing a court to correct errors in abstracts of judgments and minute orders. I have set forth a few below.]

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185

People v. Delgado (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1059, 1070

People v. Leon (2020) 8 Cal.5th 831, 855

In re Black (1967) 66 Cal.2d 881, 890

People v. Zackery (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 380, 385

People v. Farell (2002) 28 Cal.4th 381, 384, fn. 2

Abstracts and Minutes

Case: 000195

Posted on by Gary McCurdy

Error and/or relief

The abstract of judgment must be corrected to reflect that the defendant has not been convicted of a serious or violent felony.

Holding:

As counsel notes, the abstract of judgment incorrectly reflects that the defendant was convicted of a serious or violent felony. No such conviction appears in the record. The trial court shall prepare a corrected abstract of judgment not indicating the defendant was convicted of a serious or violent felony.

[Gary note: The court included no citation of authority, but the law is clear that an incorrect abstract of judgment must be corrected to reflect the actual judgment. I have included some cases the court could have cited.]

Authority:

People v. Mitchell (2001) 26 Cal.4th 181, 185

People v. Zackery (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 380, 385

People v. Scott (2012) 203 Cal.App.4th 1303, 1324

People v. Caudillo (1980) 101 Cal.App.3d 122, 126