People v. Flowers CA1/4 ( 2022 )


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  • Filed 12/16/22 P. v. Flowers CA1/4
    NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or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
    FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT
    DIVISION FOUR
    THE PEOPLE,
    Plaintiff and Respondent,
    A163739
    v.
    MICHAEL DENNIS FLOWERS,                                               (Humboldt County
    Super. Ct. No. CR2001175B)
    Defendant and Appellant.
    Defendant Michael Dennis Flowers appeals the judgment convicting
    him of rape, sexual penetration and acquiring a prostitute, and sentencing
    him to a total term of 160 years to life in prison. He contends, among other
    things, that the trial court violated his right to a public trial, unlawfully
    restricted his right to cross-examine the complaining witness, abused its
    discretion in admitting evidence of his prior sexual offenses, improperly
    instructed the jury on the use of propensity evidence, and erred in concluding
    the prosecution had no duty to subpoena the complaining witness’s cell
    phone. He also contends two 5-year terms imposed under Penal Code section
    667, subdivision (a), must be stricken and the matter must be remanded for
    resentencing because he was not properly advised of the penal consequences
    of his admission to the three-strike sentence enhancement allegations. We
    agree that the two 5-year prison terms must be stricken, but affirm the
    judgment in all other respects.
    1
    Background
    Defendant was charged by amended information with forcible rape
    (Pen. Code,1 § 261, subd. (a)(2)), sexual penetration by foreign object (§ 289,
    subd. (a)(1)(A)), and acquiring a prostitute (§ 266e). With respect to the first
    two counts, the information alleged that defendant had suffered a prior sex
    offense that resulted in a prior prison term (§ 667.6, subd. (a)); was a habitual
    sex offender (§ 667.71); and had previously committed a serious or violent
    felony while on state parole (§ 1203.085, subd. (b)). Regarding the final count,
    the information charged that defendant committed the offense while on
    parole following a term of imprisonment imposed for having committed an
    earlier serious or violent felony (§ 1203.085, subd. (a)). As to all three counts,
    the information alleged that defendant had suffered a prior conviction within
    the meaning of section 1203, subdivision (e)(5), and had suffered three prior
    serious or violent felony convictions within the meaning of section 667,
    subdivision (b).
    At trial, Jane Doe testified that in February 2020 she was living with
    George Feack at his home.2 On February 21, 2020, Jane Doe was inside
    Feack’s home when she overheard a phone conversation between Feack and
    defendant in which they discussed her prostituting herself. When she
    indicated that she was not a prostitute, Feack told her to shut up and
    continued his conversation with defendant.
    Later that day, she went for a drive with Feack and ended up at
    defendant’s home. She asked Feack what they were doing there and told him
    that she “ ‘[didn’t] want to do this,” but Feack reassured her that the visit had
    1   All statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise noted.
    2At trial, Jane Doe testified that she was being kept in Feack’s trailer
    against her will. Witnesses called by the defense challenged her testimony.
    2
    nothing to do with the earlier phone call and that defendant just wanted to
    have dinner with them. Once inside, the three talked for a while and then
    Feack asked her if she wanted to take a shower while she was there because
    the water did not work at his home. While she was showering, defendant
    came into the bathroom and gave her some clean clothes to wear. When she
    returned to the main room, she saw that Feack was gone and that the couch
    had been pulled open to a bed.
    Jane Doe told defendant that she was not “a hooker or a prostitute or
    anything like that.” Defendant did not care and told her to get on the bed.
    She complied because she felt “scared” and “defeated,” and she thought it was
    “a losing battle” at that point. She “already knew what he wanted to happen,
    so [she] knew what was [going to] happen.” Once Jane Doe was on the bed,
    defendant raped her and placed his hand into her vagina and anus. She did
    not consent to any of these sexual acts, and she repeatedly told defendant
    “No.” Afterward, defendant gave her $40 and told her to give the money to
    Feack as the remainder of his payment for her. He told her that he had given
    Feack $60 before Feack had left as partial payment. Defendant then drove
    her back to Feack’s home. Before she got out of defendant’s truck, he asked
    her to send him pictures of her. After Feack also reminded her about sending
    the pictures, she sent the pictures to defendant. The next morning, she
    received an unwanted “good morning” text message from defendant. At
    Feack’s direction, she responded with “good morning.”
    Jane Doe did not immediately report the assault to the police because
    she did not want to be embarrassed about what happened. Later, however,
    she told another male friend about it, who then reported it to the police.
    When she first spoke with the police, she lied and denied that the assault had
    3
    occurred. Later the same day, after prompting by her friend, she returned to
    the police station and gave her account of the assault.
    On cross-examination, Jane Doe acknowledged that she had engaged in
    consensual sexual relations with Feack both before and after defendant’s
    assault. She also admitted that she used heroin and had at times been
    addicted. Finally, she acknowledged that it was possible that defendant gave
    Feack $40 and her $60, but that either way she was told to give Feack the
    second payment when she returned to Feack’s home.
    Police detectives testified regarding their interviews with Jane Doe,
    defendant, Feack, and other witnesses.
    The prosecution also introduced evidence that defendant had been
    convicted in the early 1990s of three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a
    minor arising from his molestation of three of his four stepdaughters (Doe M.,
    Doe V., and Doe C.) who were all ages 10 or under at the time of the abuse.
    Over defendant’s objection, each stepdaughter testified to the molestation
    that occurred during the time defendant lived with them.
    Defendant did not testify on his own behalf. He did call multiple
    witnesses to support his defense that the assault was part of a consensual
    encounter between himself and Jane Doe, who he asserted was a prostitute.
    Sadie E., who had been a good friend of Feack for over 40 years, testified that
    Jane Doe told her prior to the assault that she was interested in becoming a
    prostitute and that she had exchanged sex for money previously. Feack
    testified that Jane Doe had told him about having sex with another
    unidentified man for money. He further claimed that Jane Doe had wanted
    him to drive her to defendant’s trailer so she could prostitute herself. He
    claimed that defendant gave him $40 for gas for driving Jane Doe to
    defendant’s home.
    4
    The jury found defendant guilty of all three charges. In a bifurcated
    proceeding, defendant admitted all of the enhancement allegations.
    Defendant was sentenced to prison for an aggregate term of 160 years
    to life and timely filed a notice of appeal.
    Discussion
    1. The court did not violate defendant’s right to a public trial.
    Defendant’s trial, which occurred during the covid pandemic, was live
    streamed via YouTube. Over defendant’s objection, during the testimony of
    Jane Doe and the three victims of defendant’s prior sexual offenses, the video
    portion of the broadcast was adjusted so that only the judge was visible. On
    appeal, defendant contends his convictions must be reversed because the
    court violated his right to a public trial by broadcasting only the audio
    testimony of these witnesses. We disagree.
    A criminal defendant has a right to a public trial that is guaranteed by
    the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and
    by article 1, section 15 of the California Constitution. (Waller v. Georgia
    (1984) 
    467 U.S. 39
    , 46; People v. Woodward (1992) 
    4 Cal.4th 376
    , 382.)
    “ ‘ “ ‘The requirement of a public trial is for the benefit of the accused; that
    the public may see he is fairly dealt with and not unjustly condemned, and
    that the presence of interested spectators may keep his triers keenly alive to
    a sense of their responsibility and to the importance of their functions.’ ” ’ ”
    (Waller, supra, at p. 46.) “In addition to ensuring that judge and prosecutor
    carry out their duties responsibly, a public trial encourages witnesses to come
    forward and discourages perjury.” (Ibid.) The right to a public trial creates a
    “presumption of openness” that “ ‘may be overcome only by an overriding
    interest based on findings that closure is essential to preserve higher values
    and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.’ ” (Id. at p. 45.) When such a
    5
    “‘higher value” is advanced, it must be “ ‘articulated along with findings
    specific enough that a reviewing court can determine whether the closure
    order was properly entered.’ ” (Ibid.)
    Here, prior to opening argument, the prosecutor requested that “each of
    the confidential victims during the course of the jury trial not be filmed
    during the course of their testimony and broadcast via YouTube.” The
    prosecutor acknowledged that “what they’re saying will be heard” but argued
    that “to have their physical appearance broadcast is clearly something that
    would violate their confidentiality interests.” The court did not initially place
    a ruling on the prosecutor’s request on the record. Prior to Jane Doe’s
    testimony, the court confirmed with the prosecutor that the request extended
    to both the prior victims and Jane Doe. At the first break in Jane Doe’s
    testimony, the court indicated that it needed “to put some matters on the
    record then, and specifically those are as to the bench conferences with the
    court.” The court explained that the trial was being livestreamed but that, at
    the prosecutor’s request, Jane Doe was not being shown on the video. The
    court allowed the parties to make a statement for the record and explained
    its ruling.
    The prosecutor argued, “Clearly, Mr. Flowers is being provided his
    confrontation rights. He is present here represented by counsel. The witness
    is testifying within the usual course. Jane Doe is a victim of rape and she
    does have statutorily recognized confidentiality rights . . . . The impact on a
    rape victim of having his or her testimony live streamed, just the verbal
    aspect is significant in itself. To also have live stream via YouTube of his or
    her physical presentation is a direct violation of their confidentiality rights.
    [¶] . . . I recognize that we’re dealing with very unusual circumstances and
    the court does have a need to address the public aspect of a trial. I think that
    6
    is clearly being met via the YouTube live streaming of the oral testimony
    being provided. However, under unusual circumstances, which certainly
    wouldn’t have anyone absent a significant weighing of various factors in the
    particular request, there wouldn’t be any sort of recording or live streaming
    or photography, anything of that nature, in particular of a rape victim. [¶] So
    the People made the request that the Jane Does in this matter, both those for
    the adjudicated offenses and for the ones that are presently being addressed
    via this trial, not be subjected to the live streaming of their female
    appearance during the course of the trial.”
    Defense counsel acknowledged that Jane Doe is an alleged rape victim
    but argued that “there’s a presumption that the courts in this country are
    open. I think it’s a core value of our judicial system. It only seems appropriate
    that all aspects of the trial be available to the public. It just so happens we’re
    under unusual circumstances. And, yes, there’s a certain level of
    intrusiveness. But as I indicated at bench, I think that is a small part of a
    larger equation.”
    The court responded that it was going to continue to maintain the
    camera angle so that Doe and the prior victims could not be seen. The court
    explained, “I’ll start here. That the courtroom is presumed to be open. It is a
    public courtroom, and the court needs to honor any transparency that’s
    appeared to the public in viewing the proceedings, and so that’s what we’re
    doing. We’re . . . in somewhat unusual circumstances permitting the viewing
    of the proceedings to the public. And we’re continuing to maintain that
    because we have an open mic and we also have viewing of the courtroom. It’s
    a limited viewing of the courtroom, and unfortunately right now it’s just me
    pretty much. But my intent also would be to balance that with the impact
    upon the victim. The victim in this particular matter is statutorily entitled to
    7
    confidentiality. That’s why we refer to the victim as Jane Doe. And as far as
    that -- the necessity of placing her visage before the public by way of a live
    streaming, I don’t have any request for any kind of filming or otherwise that
    would be requiring a Rule 1.150 kind of filing or request. I don’t have
    anything like that. We are live to the public, and I think the means by which
    the court has positioned the camera continues to, with that in mind, maintain
    the confidentiality of the victims who have requested their statutory right to
    confidentiality.”
    Initially, defendant contends that his public trial rights were violated
    during Jane Doe’s testimony because “the court unilaterally and without
    notice to the defense controlled and directed the camera and live feed to itself
    so that when Jane Doe began her testimony the public could not view her but
    only hear her testimony.” The record refutes his claim. As set forth above, the
    court, prosecutor and defense counsel all acknowledged that the prosecutor’s
    request regarding the live stream was discussed off the record prior to Jane
    Doe’s testimony. That the matter was put “on the record” after Jane Doe
    started her testimony does not establish that the decision was made
    unilaterally and without notice to defendant.
    Defendant also argues that while the court “recognized a ‘presumption’
    of openness,” the court’s comments demonstrate its “ignorance” of the
    principles that support that presumption. In support of his argument,
    defendant relies on the following colloquy between the court and defense
    counsel: “[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: . . . First and foremost, Ms. Doe is an
    alleged rape victim. I’ll make that clear for the record. . . .[¶] [THE COURT]:
    And just so that’s clear, we’re not referencing her in front of the jury as a
    victim or a rape victim. So making that clear. [The prosecutor] is doing that
    only before the court for the purpose of this argument. [¶] But, yes, go ahead.
    8
    [¶] [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Sure. At the same time, we’re live streaming, so
    it’s significant for Mr. Flowers. [¶] [THE COURT]: They’re not the jury.
    [¶] [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: That’s true.” Contrary to defendant’s suggestion,
    the court’s comment that the viewers are “not the jury” does not demonstrate
    a misunderstanding of the import of defendant’s public trial right. The court
    was merely noting that referring to Jane Doe as a victim before anyone
    watching the livestream was not the same as referring to her as a victim in
    front of the jury.
    Finally, defendant argues that the court erred in concluding that the
    witnesses’ confidentiality rights outweighed his right to a public trial. In
    United States v. Allen (9th Cir. 2022) 
    34 F.4th 789
    , 797, the court explained
    that the test for “determining whether a particular closure order violates a
    defendant’s public trial right changes depending on whether the courtroom
    closure is total or partial. A total closure of the courtroom means that ‘all
    persons other than witnesses, court personnel, the parties and their lawyers
    are excluded for the duration of the hearing’ [citation]. A partial closure
    means the court has excluded only a limited number of persons from the
    courtroom, either for the duration of the proceeding or for a limited period of
    time (such as during one witness’s testimony). [Citation]. [¶] Before ordering
    a total closure, the court must determine that there is ‘an overriding interest
    based on findings that closure is essential to preserve higher values.’
    [Citation.] If there was only a partial closure, there must be a substantial
    interest, rather than an overriding interest, for the closure.”
    In United States v. Allen, supra, 34 F.4th at page 797, the court held
    that the trial court’s decision to preclude the public from attending the trial
    as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and to allow only audio access of the
    trial resulted in the total closure of the defendant’s trial. The court explained
    9
    that “[f]or purposes of the public trial right, an audio stream is not
    substantially different than a public transcript,” which has consistently been
    found insufficient to protect a defendant’s public trial right. (Id. at p. 796,
    citing Waller v. Georgia, supra, 467 U.S. at p. 43 [holding that a defendant’s
    public trial right was violated even though the district court released a
    transcript of the closed proceedings to the public].) We disagree that there is
    no significant difference between livestreamed oral testimony and a
    transcript. “[T]ranscripts of testimonial evidence” fail to “fully reflect what
    was communicated by the testifying witness” because they “cannot capture
    the sweaty brow, the shifty eye, the quavering voice.” (In re Schoenfield (2d
    Cir. 1979) 
    608 F.2d 930
    , 935.) Livestreaming oral testimony, however, allows
    the listener to hear the witness’s voice, any pauses or sobs and to evaluate
    the volume and confidence with which she testifies. Thus, we question
    whether it is accurate to characterize the courtroom as closed when all
    testimony was contemporaneously livestreamed to the public. 3 In any event,
    3  The Attorney General’s argument that the closure was only partial
    since it applied only to the testimony of certain witnesses mischaracterizes
    the distinction. Whether a closure is total or partial turns on whether some or
    all of the public is excluded from the courtroom. (People v. Esquibel (2008)
    
    166 Cal.App.4th 539
    , 552 [“[T]here are two types of exclusions: a total closure
    where all spectators are directed to leave the courtroom and a partial closure
    where some, but not all, spectators are asked to leave.”].) In each of the cases
    cited as examples of partial closures only some members of the public were
    excluded. (See People v. Woodward, 
    supra,
     4 Cal.4th at p. 381 [exclusion of
    “additional spectators” but not preexisting spectators]; People v. Bui (2010)
    
    183 Cal.App.4th 675
    , 679 [exclusion of “three spectators, including two family
    members”]; People v. Esquibel, supra, at p. 552 [exclusion of two spectators].)
    In this case, if livestreaming audio is deemed the closure of the courtroom,
    the closure would be considered total as all members of the public were
    excluded.
    10
    even if so considered, the order was narrowly tailored and essential to protect
    the witnesses’ overriding privacy interests.
    Jane Doe and the prior victims have certain rights under the Victims’
    Bill of Rights Act of 2008. (Cal. Const., art. I, § 28, subd. (a)(3) [enumerated
    rights are “personally held and enforceable” by victims].) Victims of crimes
    are “[t]o be treated with fairness and respect for his or her privacy and
    dignity, and to be free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse, throughout
    the criminal . . . justice process” and “[t]o be reasonably protected from the
    defendant and persons acting on behalf of the defendant.” (Cal. Const., art. I,
    § 28, subd. (b)(1) & (2).) Ordinarily the assertion of these witnesses’
    “confidentiality rights” would not shield the witnesses from testifying in open
    court. (See, e.g., People v. Baldwin (2006) 
    142 Cal.App.4th 1416
    , 1421 [closing
    courtroom during testimony of 14-year-old molestation victim based only on
    prosecutor’s assertion of victim’s discomfort violated defendant's Sixth
    Amendment right to public trial.) The circumstances in which this ruling
    were made, however, are far from ordinary.
    Defendant’s trial was held in March 2021. At that time, the trial court
    remained under orders restricting in-person access by members of the public
    to trial proceedings and permitting the use of available technology to conduct
    remote judicial proceedings. (See ;
    ;
    ;
     [all links as of Dec. 16, 2022].)4 The decision to livestream
    defendant’s trial on YouTube was a reasonable means of protecting
    defendant’s right to a public trial under these circumstances. Livestreaming,
    however, undeniably expands the potential audience, permanence, and
    reproducibility of the testimony, and limits the judge’s ability to manage the
    courtroom. As the trial court observed, there are rules that govern when
    cameras may be used in a courtroom. (See Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.150;
    People v. Dixon (2007) 
    148 Cal.App.4th 414
    , 440 [“Although the public has a
    legitimate interest in these cases, its interest can be protected without the
    additional intrusion of a camera in a proceeding that invokes mostly sensitive
    information, including . . . testimony from adult and minor victims of sex
    crimes.”].) The court has no such control over a livestream. The court
    expressly noted that it “knows that there have been instances of recording —
    an unauthorized recording of YouTube videos of court proceeding[s].”5
    Defendant contends the court erred by failing to conduct a hearing at
    which the witnesses could personally express their privacy concerns
    regarding the livestream. He argues that the witnesses “never asserted that
    they could not physically or mentally testify” if their appearance was
    broadcast on YouTube or that they would refuse to testify if the court denied
    4Effective June 23, 2021, the Humboldt County Superior Court
    reopened for public trials and ended its practice of broadcasting trials on
    YouTube.
    5 The court’s comment was made in connection with its ruling closing
    the livestream during the pretrial hearing on the admissibility of the prior
    victims’ testimony under Evidence Code section 1108. The court and parties
    agreed that the testimony should not be live streamed because it might taint
    the jury pool should the evidence ultimately be excluded. The potential
    unauthorized recording of trials livestreamed on YouTube is thus relevant to
    the privacy concerns being balanced by the court.
    12
    the prosecutor’s request. There is, however, no requirement the trial court
    hold an evidentiary hearing before closing proceedings. (People v. Baldwin,
    supra, 142 Cal.App.4th at p. 1422.) Nor is there a requirement that the court
    make findings that the witness would be unable or unwilling to testify absent
    the restriction. Rather, the court must identify the compelling interest that
    would likely be prejudiced if the proceedings were open without restriction,
    and articulate the reasons for its ruling sufficient to permit appellate review.
    The protection of victims of sex crimes “from further trauma and
    embarrassment” is a compelling interest deserving of protection. (Baldwin,
    supra, at p. 1421, citing Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court (1982) 
    457 U.S. 596
    , 607.) The court found that interest was likely to be prejudiced as a
    result of the court’s inability to control certain aspects of the livestream. No
    further evidence was necessary for the court to evaluate the competing
    interests at stake. In the circumstances of this case, the court did not err in
    failing to hold a separate evidentiary hearing.
    The increased intrusion into the witnesses’ privacy occasioned by the
    livestreaming of their testimony was an overriding interest that made limited
    closure essential. This is undoubtedly true with respect to defendant’s prior
    victims. Because defendant was convicted of the prior offenses, any concern
    regarding their truthfulness was negligible but their interest in protecting
    their privacy was significant. While the balance may be somewhat closer with
    regard to Jane Doe, we nonetheless agree that her interest in protecting her
    privacy was sufficient to overcome defendant’s interest in a fully public trial.
    Contrary to defendant’s argument, the closure was narrowly tailored.
    Although the oral livestream had its limitations, it was undoubtedly
    preferable to a transcript because, as discussed above, it offers listeners
    significant means of evaluating the credibility of the witnesses. (See Lappin
    13
    v. State (2021) 
    171 N.E.3d 702
    , 707 [limiting livestream of trial proceedings
    during voir dire to audio only in order to protect the privacy interests of the
    venire panel was reasonable accommodation in light of global pandemic].)
    Defendant faults the court for failing to consider sua sponte other
    alternatives, including the use of closed-circuit video to broadcast the
    witnesses’ testimony in an unused courtroom. Because this alternative was
    not raised, it is not possible on this record to determine the feasibility of this
    suggestion. Given the circumstances, the court implemented a reasonable
    and narrowly tailored alternative to the traditional public trial.
    Accordingly, the trial court did not violate defendant’s right to a public
    trial.
    2. The court did not prejudicially limit defendant’s cross-examination of
    Jane Doe.
    “A criminal defendant’s constitutional right to confront witnesses is
    violated when the court prohibits the defendant from conducting otherwise
    appropriate cross-examination designed to show a prototypical kind of bias on
    the witness’s part, and thereby provide the jury with facts from which it could
    appropriately draw inferences regarding the witness’s reliability.” (People v.
    Sanchez (2016) 
    63 Cal.4th 411
    , 450.) This includes cross-examination
    regarding whether and to what extent the witness “expected or hoped” to
    benefit from his or her testimony. (Id. at p. 451.)
    Here, prior to trial, defendant filed a motion to confirm that Jane Doe
    would be subject to cross-examination regarding an incident that occurred in
    September 2020 during which she was detained by the police based on a
    report that she had been shoplifting and that during that incident the police
    seized methamphetamine and heroin from her purse. Defendant sought to
    cross-examine her regarding, among other things, “[t]he existence or
    nonexistence of a bias, interest, or other motive.” (Evid. Code, § 780,
    14
    subd. (f).) The motion explained, “The People advised that no charges were
    filed, but the de facto arrest at Ray’s Food is still within the one-year time
    period in which charges could be brought. Defense counsel is entitled to
    ascertain whether any member of the prosecutorial team made any promises,
    assurances, or inducements to Ms. Doe (however described) regarding
    whether or not she was effectively given a ‘pass.’ ” In arguing the motion,
    defense counsel emphasized, “I’m not pointing fingers at anybody here or
    saying I know what happened. Frankly, it didn’t happen. The prosecution
    didn’t happen. And I think a jury should have the ability to know about that
    in order to infer whether or not there’s an attempt to sanitize Ms. Doe and,
    therefore, have her credibility more impacted before . . . Mr. Flowers come[s]
    before a jury.” The court ruled that Jane Doe could be cross-examined
    regarding the theft incident and her related possession of heroin. The court,
    however, prohibited defense counsel from asking Jane Doe whether she was
    ever prosecuted for those possible crimes. The court explained, “I’m not going
    to allow some kind of foray into speculation about the People’s motivation in
    charging or not charging this particular incident. . . . [¶] I would assume that
    if there’s some consideration given for not prosecuting her on that, [the
    prosecution would] comply with [its] discovery obligation and let [the defense]
    know. And that’s not the case here, so we’re not going to go into it for some
    kind of exploration of the People -- the People providing her some undue
    consideration or consideration whatsoever for her testimony.”
    Prior to commencing his cross-examination of Jane Doe, defense
    counsel sought to make a record of his objection. Counsel stated, “I was
    intending to inquire of her a very simple point-blank question without detail,
    which is whether she was ever prosecuted for that crime. And the court has
    indicated that it would preclude me from asking that question, and I just
    15
    want to lodge my objection on the record.” The court reiterated its ruling
    noting, “Well, obviously the question, the added question, would be for the
    purposes of inferring at least that Ms. Doe is receiving some sort of
    preferential treatment or otherwise by the People. I simply don’t have any
    evidence of that. [¶] And in balancing the inquiry under Evidence Code
    section 352, I do think that misapprehension given the fact that there’s no
    evidence and there’s no indication that she's receiving any other kind of
    dispensation for her testimony, obviously that would be discoverable. People
    would be duty bound, ethically bound, to disclose that if there was some sort
    of remuneration or dispensation given for her testimony. So they have not
    done that. [¶] And so I’m weighing the prejudicial value versus the probative
    effect of that particular question. I am permitting -- and there was an inquiry
    -- and I appreciate that -- an inquiry whether we would be -- defense would be
    allowed to go into the theft incident and the discovery of heroin, and I
    indicated that, yes, we -- that defense would be able to inquire into both of
    those areas. I think we’ve made a record of that already. . . . So I’m gonna
    leave it at that, and I’ll preclude the inquiry relative to any kind of
    prosecution for those offenses.”
    Despite the court’s ruling, the fact that Jane Doe was never prosecuted
    came out during the course of cross-examination. Doe testified that, in
    September 2020, she “came in contact” with the police because she was
    suspected of shoplifting. On cross-examination, when defense counsel
    attempted to question her about her “arrest,” Doe responded that she had
    “never been arrested. There was a citation.” When counsel sought to confirm
    that she received a citation for petty theft, Doe replied, “Yes. It was thrown
    out.” She then repeated, “It was thrown out.” She added, “I was never
    charged” and have “never been arrested in my life.” Defense counsel then
    16
    confirmed that when the police issued the citation, they found heroin and
    methamphetamine in her purse. When asked if she was prosecuted for that,
    Doe replied, “No, sir.”
    On appeal, defendant contends the trial court impermissibly restricted
    his cross-examination of Jane Doe by prohibiting “inquiry into Doe’s
    motivation to accuse and testify that [he] sexually assaulted her.” The
    Attorney General reasonably responds that any possible error in the court’s
    pretrial ruling “was harmless because the question was ultimately asked and
    answered anyway.” In his reply, defendant suggests the Attorney General is
    reading the court’s ruling too narrowly and that “the court’s ruling was much
    broader.” He argues that the court “prohibited inquiry of Doe as to the reason
    for the failure-to-charge and whether the failure to charge acted as an
    inducement to testify and affected the content of her testimony.” He
    continues, “The fact counsel specifically objected to not being able to ask a
    specific question does not constitute adoption of the court’s entire ruling
    which not only prohibited the question but cut-off inquiry as to how the
    failure to prosecute affected Doe’s decision to testify and her actual
    testimony.”
    For the most part, we agree with the Attorney General’s interpretation
    of the record. The record contains no indication that defense counsel
    expressed a desire to ask Jane Doe whether she subjectively believed the lack
    of prosecution was related to her testimony in this case. As set forth above, in
    arguing the in limine motion to the court, defense counsel focused on the fact
    that the case was referred by police to the prosecutor’s office, but the
    prosecution decided not to charge the case. The prosecutor explained that she
    was not the “reviewing deputy” on the shoplifting report and that the matter
    would have been reviewed and rejected by someone with “no independent
    17
    knowledge of Jane Doe’s involvement” in defendant’s case. The trial court
    correctly noted that the prosecution would have been required to disclose any
    promises made by the prosecution in relation to Jane Doe’s testimony. Absent
    a factual basis to believe some inducement had been made by the prosecutor,
    the court reasonably limited the scope of cross-examination under Evidence
    Code section 352.
    3. The court did not abuse its discretion in admitting testimony regarding
    defendant’s prior sex offenses.
    As noted above, evidence was introduced that defendant had three
    prior convictions for the continuous sexual abuse of a minor and his three
    victims were permitted to testify as to the details of defendant’s abuse.
    Defendant does not challenge the admission of his prior convictions but
    claims that the trial court committed reversible error when it allowed the
    victims to testify as to the details of the abuse. He argues that the victims’
    testimony was erroneously admitted under Evidence Code sections 1108 and
    352 because it was irrelevant, remote and inflammatory propensity evidence.
    As a general rule, evidence of a person’s character is inadmissible to
    prove conduct on a specific occasion. (Evid. Code, § 101, subd. (a).); People v.
    Ewoldt (1994) 
    7 Cal.4th 380
    , 393.) Thus, evidence of other crimes or bad acts
    is generally inadmissible when offered to show a defendant had the criminal
    disposition or propensity to commit the crime charged. (Ibid.)
    Evidence Code section 1108 creates an exception to this general rule by
    expanding the admissibility of disposition or propensity evidence in sex
    offense cases. (People v. Falsetta (1999) 
    21 Cal.4th 903
    , 911.) Subdivision (a)
    of section 1108 provides that “[i]n a criminal action in which the defendant is
    accused of a sexual offense, evidence of the defendant’s commission of another
    sexual offense or offenses is not made inadmissible by Section 1101, if the
    evidence is not inadmissible pursuant to [Evidence Code section] 352.” As the
    18
    Supreme Court explained in Falsetta, section 1108 of the Evidence Code “was
    intended in sex offense cases to relax the evidentiary restraints section 1101,
    subdivision (a), imposed, to assure that the trier of fact would be made aware
    of the defendant’s other sex offenses in evaluating the victim’s and the
    defendant’s credibility.” (Falsetta, 
    supra, at p. 911
    .) “[T]he Legislature’s
    principal justification for adopting section 1108 was a practical one: By their
    very nature, sex crimes are usually committed in seclusion without third
    party witnesses or substantial corroborating evidence. The ensuing trial often
    presents conflicting versions of the event and requires the trier of fact to
    make difficult credibility determinations. Section 1108 provides the trier of
    fact in a sex offense case the opportunity to learn of the defendant’s possible
    disposition to commit sex crimes.” (Falsetta, supra, at p. 915.)
    In determining whether to admit Evidence Code section 1108
    propensity evidence, trial courts “must engage in a careful weighing process
    under section 352” of the Evidence Code by “consider[ing] such factors as its
    nature, relevance, and possible remoteness, the degree of certainty of its
    commission and the likelihood of confusing, misleading, or distracting the
    jurors from their main inquiry, its similarity to the charged offense, its likely
    prejudicial impact on the jurors, the burden on the defendant in defending
    against the uncharged offense, and the availability of less prejudicial
    alternatives to its outright admission, such as admitting some but not all of
    the defendant’s other sex offenses, or excluding irrelevant though
    inflammatory details surrounding the offense.” (People v. Falsetta, 
    supra, at p. 917
     [Evidence Code section 1108 does not violate due process principles
    and, thus, is constitutionally valid, because it subjects evidence of uncharged
    sexual misconduct to the weighing process of Evidence Code section 352 in
    19
    sex crime prosecutions].) The court’s ruling under section 1108 is subject to
    review for abuse of discretion. (People v. Loy (2011) 
    52 Cal.4th 46
    , 61.)
    Initially, defendant contends and the People concede that the
    prosecutor failed to timely disclose the three prior victims as witnesses.
    Under Evidence Code section 1054.7, witness disclosures shall be made 30
    days before trial. If a party fails to comply with its discovery obligations, a
    trial court may issue any order necessary to enforce the discovery statutes,
    including, but not limited to “delaying or prohibiting the testimony of a
    witness or the presentation of real evidence [or] continuance of the matter.”
    (Evid. Code, § 1054.5, subd. (b).) The court, however, may not prohibit the
    testimony of a witness unless “all other sanctions have been exhausted.”
    (Evid. Code, § 1054.5, subd. (c).) Here, the prosecution disclosed the probation
    report from defendant’s prior convictions on February 19 and included a
    request to admit evidence regarding the prior convictions in its February 26
    trial brief. Jury selection commenced on March 8 and the court ruled on the
    admissibility of the evidence on March 11. The witnesses testified on March
    29. Although defendant objected to the timeliness of the request in written
    opposition filed on March 5, he indicated that he was not seeking a
    continuance of the trial, as such would interfere with his right to a speedy
    trial, and argued the proper remedy was exclusion of the witnesses’
    testimony. At no point, however, has defendant explained how he was
    prejudiced by the delayed disclosure of the Evidence Code section 1108
    evidence. In fact, the witnesses did not testify until well after the trial had
    commenced. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in impliedly rejecting
    defendant’s request to exclude the testimony because of a delay in discovery.
    Nor did the trial court abuse its discretion in admitting the witnesses’
    testimony. There is no dispute that the prior offenses qualified as sexual
    20
    offenses within the meaning of Evidence Code section 1108. The court
    reasonably concluded that the probative value of the prior offenses
    outweighed the potential prejudice under Evidence Code section 352. Noting
    that this was a “a difficult, difficult call” with “similarities and
    dissimilarities,” the trial court found the sexual offenses similar in that they
    involved digital penetration with significant pain and bleeding and in both
    the prior and current offenses, defendant ignored the victims when they told
    him to stop. The court found that due to these similarities, the evidence was
    probative of the issue of consent in the present case. The court reasonably
    concluded that the propensity evidence would not confuse or distract the
    jurors from their main inquiry. Defendant pled guilty to three counts of
    continuous sexual abuse of a minor (§ 288.5) and although he was not
    convicted of the underlying forcible sexual acts to which the prior victims
    testified, there is nonetheless certainty that the acts were committed, if not
    forcefully. Having been convicted and served time in prison, there is little
    likelihood the jury would wrongly convict him in the present case in
    retribution for the prior offenses. The presentation of the evidence did not
    result in undue consumption of time. The victims’ testimony combined spans
    only 30 pages in the transcript. While the convictions are arguably remote,
    defendant was in custody for almost all of the intervening time and re-
    offended shortly after his parole. Finally, the trial court noted that while the
    age of the prior victims is something the jury might consider, the testimony
    did not rise to the level of inflammatory when compared to the acts on trial.
    Recognizing that this is a close case, we cannot say that the trial court
    abused its discretion in admitting the evidence.
    21
    4. Defendant’s illegal conduct came within the meaning of section 266e.
    Under section 266e, “Every person who purchases, or pays any money
    or other valuable thing for, any person for the purpose of prostitution as
    defined in subdivision (b) of Section 647, . . . is guilty of a felony punishable
    by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years.”
    Section 647 states in relevant part that “ ‘prostitution’ includes any lewd act
    between persons for money or other consideration.” (§ 647, subd. (b)(4).) The
    jury was instructed, “To prove that the defendant is guilty of acquiring a
    person for the purpose of prostitution the People must prove that: [¶] 1.) The
    defendant purchased or paid any money or other valuable thing for a person;
    and [¶] 2.) The defendant did so for the purpose of prostitution . . . .”
    Defendant contends that he could not be found guilty of violating
    section 266e because, under the prosecution’s theory, Jane Doe was not a
    prostitute. He argues, “On its face section 266e contemplates two separate
    and distinct acts of payment. The first act involves the statutory element of
    ‘purchases, or pays any money or other valuable thing for any person.’ The
    second act, which is necessarily part of the definition of ‘prostitution’ as
    defined in . . . section 647, subdivision(b)(4), includes ‘any lewd act between
    persons for money or other consideration.’ While this second act which is
    necessary for prostitution is not an element of [section] 266e, the intent to
    commit an act of prostitution – a lewd act between persons for money – is an
    essential element. It is this element, which necessarily includes a ‘prostitute’
    who is acting for money, that is omitted by the People’s and court’s
    construction of section 266e.” (Italics omitted.)
    Contrary to defendant’s argument, whether Jane Doe was actually a
    prostitute or engaged in acts of prostitution is irrelevant to defendant’s
    violation of section 266e. The relevant inquiry is as to defendant’s intent in
    22
    making the payment. In People v. Lewis (1904) 
    141 Cal. 543
    , 545 the court
    held, under former section 267, which made it unlawful to take away a
    female under the age of 18 years from a person having the legal charge of her
    person “for the purpose of prostitution, that “the actual placing in a house of
    prostitution is not made an essential element of the crime by the statute. It is
    the taking from the parent or other person having the legal charge of her
    person, for the prohibited purpose, that constitutes this crime.” The court
    added, “ ‘The gravamen of the offense is the purpose or intent with which the
    enticing and abduction is done, and the offense is complete whenever the
    abduction for the prohibited purpose is complete, no matter whether any
    sexual intercourse result or not.’ ” (Ibid.) Here, Jane Doe’s testimony
    established that defendant paid Feack for her and defendant’s witnesses
    established that he intended the payment to be for purposes of prostitution.
    When Jane Doe clarified that she was not a prostitute, he indicated that he
    did not care and sexually assaulted her. The crime was complete once the
    first payment was made to Feack.
    5. Any instructional error regarding the use of propensity evidence to prove
    defendant’s violation of section 266e was harmless.
    Defendant contends the jury was incorrectly instructed that it could
    use his prior convictions, admitted under Evidence Code section 1108, to help
    prove he was guilty of acquiring a prostitute in violation of section 266e. As
    defendant notes, the use of his prior convictions in this manner would not
    have been permissible because section 266e is not a sexual offense under
    Evidence Code section 1108, subdivision (d).
    “We independently review whether the trial court accurately
    instructed the jury. [Citation.] We review the allegedly erroneous instruction
    in the context of the evidence presented at trial. [Citations.] We review the
    instructions as a whole [citation], with the assumption that jurors are
    23
    ‘capable of understanding and correlating’ all of the instructions given
    [citation]. [¶] . . . Our duty is to determine ‘whether there is a reasonable
    likelihood that the jury misunderstood and misapplied the [allegedly
    erroneous] instruction.’ ” (People v. Martinez (2019) 
    34 Cal.App.5th 721
    , 728.)
    The jury was given two instructions regarding the use of propensity
    evidence. First, with respect to the use of defendant’s prior convictions as
    propensity evidence, the jury was instructed in relevant part, “The People
    presented evidence that the defendant committed the crimes of continuous
    sexual abuse of a child, Doe C; continuous sexual abuse of a child, Doe V; and
    continuous sexual abuse of a child, Doe M that were not charged in this case.
    . . . [¶] . . . [¶] If you decide that the defendant committed the uncharged
    offenses, you may, but are not required to, conclude from that evidence that
    the defendant was disposed or inclined to commit sexual offenses, and based
    on that decision, also conclude that the defendant was likely to commit and
    did commit rape and/or penetration with a foreign object as charged here.”
    (CALCRIM No. 1191A.) The jury was instructed regarding the use of the
    charged offenses as propensity evidence as follows: “The People presented
    evidence that the defendant committed the crimes of rape and penetration
    with a foreign object charged in counts one and two. [¶] If the People have
    proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed one or more
    of these crimes, you may, but are not required to, conclude from that evidence
    that the defendant was disposed or inclined to commit sexual offenses, and
    based on that decision, also conclude that the defendant was likely to commit
    and did commit the other sex offenses charged in this case.” (CALCRIM No.
    1191B.) (Italics added.) The jury was not instructed that a violation of section
    266e is not a sex offense.
    24
    Defendant contends that based on the above instructions, the jury
    could use his prior convictions to find he committed the charged rape and/or
    sexual penetration and then use his guilt as to the charged rape and/or
    sexual penetration to conclude he committed the charged section 266e
    offense. He argues that absent a clarifying instruction, the jury would
    necessarily have understood the violation of section 266e, and the lesser
    included offense of soliciting another person to engage in an act of
    prostitution in violation of section 647, subdivision (b),6 to be “the other sex
    offenses charged in this case.”
    The Attorney General agrees that “some of the wording of CALCRIM
    No. 1191B, as given in this matter . . . is somewhat vague and not the model
    of clarity,” but argues that it is not likely that the jury believed it could use
    defendant’s guilt for the crimes of rape and penetration with a foreign object
    as propensity evidence to help prove that he was also guilty of a violation of
    section 266e. We disagree with the Attorney General’s argument. Indeed, the
    most reasonable interpretation of “the other sex offenses charged in this case”
    is that the instruction refers to crimes charged under count 3. While neither
    of the crimes charged under count 3 are sex offenses within the meaning of
    Evidence Code section 1108, given their references to prostitution, a
    reasonable jury would likely characterize them as sex offenses. The reference
    in the instruction to “other charged sex offenses” confirms that
    understanding.
    The error, however, was harmless. (People v. Watson (1956) 
    46 Cal.2d 818
    , 836.) Defendant admitted the necessary elements of the offense.
    Defendant did not dispute that he paid a total of $100 for the purpose of
    A violation of section 647 is also not an enumerated sex offense under
    6
    Evidence Code section 1108, subdivision (d).
    25
    prostitution. It is also undisputed that he directly paid Feack $40 at a
    minimum for bringing Jane Doe to his home. While Feack characterized the
    $40 payment as “gas money” it was, nonetheless, a payment intended to
    secure a person for purposes of prostitution.
    6. The prosecution did not commit Trombetta/Youngblood 7 error by
    failing to obtain Jane Doe’s phone.
    As part of the investigation in this matter, the police seized defendant’s
    cell phone and the data obtained from the phone was disclosed to the defense.
    The court denied, however, defendant’s motion to compel discovery of Jane
    Doe’s cell phone and related data and records. The trial court explained,
    “what defense is requesting here is that the court order prosecution to seize a
    person unsuspected of a crime’s phone and do a digital dump and then turn
    that over. I -- that is beyond discovery.”
    At trial, defense counsel argued that because the police did not obtain
    the data from Jane Doe’s phone, it was difficult to get a full understanding of
    what happened between defendant and Jane Doe. He suggested, “if the law
    enforcement had simply asked for [her phone] and had been able to extract
    [the data], . . . we would have been able to show that Jane Doe had an
    independent communication with Mr. Flowers for the transaction, an
    exchange of money for sex.” Defense counsel explained that it was
    “infuriating” that he was unable to subpoena the phone and its data without
    cooperation of law enforcement.
    7California v. Trombetta (1984) 
    467 U.S. 479
    , 489 (Trombetta) and
    Arizona v. Youngblood (1988) 
    488 U.S. 51
    , 57 (Youngblood) collectively
    recognize that law enforcement agents have a constitutional duty to preserve
    evidence that might be expected to play a significant role in a suspect’s
    defense.
    26
    After his conviction, defendant filed a new trial motion in which he
    reasserted his contention that the prosecution’s failure to seize and search
    Jane Doe’s cell phone violated his due process rights. The court denied the
    motion and defendant now challenges the denial. He contends his conviction
    must be reversed because law enforcement failed to collect and preserve Jane
    Doe’s cell phone, which they knew contained “material exculpatory evidence
    (defendant’s cellphone number) and may reasonably have contained
    additional exculpatory evidence—i.e., the alleged victim may be a prostitute
    who consented to the sex acts.” We review the trial court’s factual
    determinations regarding the potential exculpatory value of the evidence
    under the substantial evidence standard of review by “viewing the evidence
    in the light most favorable to the superior court's finding.” (People v. Roybal
    (1998) 
    19 Cal.4th 481
    , 510.) Whether the police had a constitutional duty to
    gather the potentially exculpatory evidence we review independently. (See
    People v. Uribe (2008) 
    162 Cal.App.4th 1457
    , 1473 & fn. 19.)
    The Attorney General points out that, without dispute, the phone was
    never in the possession of the police, and contends the police had no
    obligation to obtain the phone, with or without Jane Doe’s consent. We agree.
    Although the United States Supreme Court held in Trombetta and
    Youngblood that the failure to preserve evidence can violate due process
    under some circumstances, it has not held that due process requires the
    collection of evidence. (People v. Frye (1998) 
    18 Cal.4th 894
    , 942–943,
    overruled on another ground in People v. Doolin (2009) 
    45 Cal.4th 390
    , 421,
    fn. 22.) Likewise, although the California Supreme Court “has suggested that
    there might be cases in which the failure to collect or obtain evidence would
    justify sanctions against the prosecution at trial, [the court has] continued to
    recognize that, as a general matter, due process does not require the police to
    27
    collect particular items of evidence.” (People v. Frye, supra, 18 Cal.4th at
    p. 943; see also People v. Montes (2014) 
    58 Cal.4th 809
    , 837 [reiterating that
    “[g]enerally, due process does not require the police to collect particular items
    of evidence”]; see also People v. Hogan (1982) 
    31 Cal.3d 815
    , 851 [“police
    cannot be expected to ‘gather up everything which might eventually prove
    useful to the defense’ ”] disapproved on different ground in People v. Cooper
    (1991) 
    53 Cal.3d 771
    , 836, 809.) Defendant has cited no case to the contrary.
    Even if Trombetta and Youngblood’s reasoning could be extended to
    include collection of evidence, it would be the defendant’s burden to
    demonstrate that the evidence would have been exculpatory and that the
    failure of investigators to collect the evidence was in bad faith. (People v.
    Frye, supra, 18 Cal.4th at pp. 943–944; People v. Montes, supra, 58 Cal.4th at
    pp. 835–838.) Here, as the prosecutor argued, insofar as defendant was
    seeking to discover communications between Jane Doe and defendant, “the
    communications of back and forth, both the receiving and the sent
    communications, would likely be contained within the extraction from
    [defendant’s] phone.” Defendant had access to that information without
    seizure of Jane Doe’s phone. To the extent that defendant was seeking
    communications between Jane Doe and others that might reveal whether
    Jane Doe was a prostitute, his argument is entirely speculative.
    7. There is no cumulative prejudice.
    Defendant contends that the errors discussed above collectively
    resulted in cumulative prejudice that requires reversal of all convictions.
    However, we have concluded there was only a single instructional error that
    was not prejudicial. There were no other errors to cumulate and defendant is
    not entitled to relief. (See In re Reno (2012) 
    55 Cal.4th 428
    , 483 [without a
    28
    showing of legal error, no relief on cumulative error, as “there was no error to
    cumulate”].)
    8. Defendant’s sentence must be corrected.
    The trial court imposed prison terms of 75 years to life on counts 1 and
    2 based on defendant’s admission to the section 667.71 and three-strike
    sentence enhancement allegations.8 The court ordered the terms to run
    consecutively because “these are separate events, sexual events, and . . . a
    consecutive term is appropriate in those circumstances.” On count 3, the
    court sentenced defendant to a term of 25 years to life, which was stayed
    pursuant to section 654. Finally the court imposed two consecutive, five-year
    terms under section 667, subdivision (a).
    Defendant contends that the two 5-year terms imposed under
    section 667, subdivision (a) must be stricken because no section 667,
    subdivision (a) enhancements were pled in the first amended complaint. The
    Attorney General agrees. Accordingly, we shall strike the two 5-year terms.
    Defendant also contends that the sentences imposed on counts 1 and 2
    should be vacated and the matter remanded for resentencing because the
    trial court misstated the consequences of his admissions to the three-strike
    enhancement allegations. As to the three-strike enhancement allegations, the
    court advised defendant before he admitted the allegations that if the
    allegations were found true, that “would make your conviction for either of
    the felonies in this particular matter susceptible to a term of 25 years to life
    in state prison.” The court never advised defendant that his three strikes law
    8 As relevant here, section 667.71 required that defendant be sentenced
    to terms of 25 years to life on his convictions for rape and sexual penetration.
    Under the three strikes law, section 667, subdivisions (b)-(i), those terms
    were tripled. In People v. Murphy (2001) 
    25 Cal.4th 136
    , 154, the court held
    that sentencing under both the three strikes law and section 667.71 is proper.
    29
    admissions would triple the 25-year-to-life term as required by section
    667.71. The Attorney General concedes that the court misstated the
    consequences of those admissions but argues that “a fair reading of the record
    reveals that appellant’s admissions were still made knowingly and
    voluntarily.”
    In In re Yurko (1974) 
    10 Cal.3d 857
    , 864, the court held, “as a judicially
    declared rule of criminal procedure,” that an accused, before admitting a
    prior conviction allegation, must be advised of “the precise increase” in the
    prison term that might be imposed, the effect on parole eligibility, and the
    possibility of being adjudged an habitual criminal. “The failure to so advise
    an accused in the enumerated instances will constitute error which, if
    prejudice appears, will require the setting aside of a finding of the truth of an
    allegation of prior convictions.” (Ibid.) In People v. Cross (2015) 
    61 Cal.4th 164
    , 171, the court confirmed that failure to advise a defendant as to the
    penal consequences of this admission to a prior conviction is not reversible
    error per se. Rather, “the test for reversal is whether ‘the record affirmatively
    shows that [the guilty plea] is voluntary and intelligent under the totality of
    the circumstances.’ ” (Ibid.)
    In People v. Wrice (1995) 
    38 Cal.App.4th 767
    , 770–771, the court noted
    that “unlike the admonition required for a waiver of constitutional rights,
    advisement of the penal consequences of admitting a prior conviction is not
    constitutionally mandated. Rather, it is a judicially declared rule of criminal
    procedure. [Citations.] Consequently, when the only error is a failure to
    advise of the penal consequences, the error is waived if not raised at or before
    sentencing.” (See also People v. Walker (1991) 
    54 Cal.3d 1013
    , 1023 [when the
    only error is a failure to advise of the consequences of the plea, “[u]pon a
    timely objection, the sentencing court must determine whether the error
    30
    prejudiced the defendant, i.e., whether it is ‘reasonably probable’ the
    defendant would not have pleaded guilty if properly advised”], overruled on
    different point in People v. Villalobos (2012) 
    54 Cal.4th 177
    , 183; People v.
    Villalobos, supra, at p. 182 [“we have held that because ‘advisement as to the
    consequences of a plea is not constitutionally mandated,’ ‘the error is waived
    absent a timely objection’ ”].)
    In this case, defendant has forfeited his claim because he did not raise
    it at or before sentencing. The record establishes that defendant was aware of
    the consequences of his plea in advance of his sentencing but failed to object.
    The probation department recommended two 75-year-to-life terms and cited
    the relevant statutory authority. Defendant refused to participate in the
    proceedings after his conviction, insisting that that he has “no criminal
    liability for this matter.” As the court observed in Wrice, “[h]ad the imposition
    of sentence on the enhancement allegations ‘come as a genuine surprise, it
    would have been a simple matter to bring the issue to the attention of the
    trial court.’ ” (People v. Wrice, supra, 38 Cal.App.4th at p. 771.)
    Even had defendant not forfeited his claim, the record is clear that the
    error did not prejudice him. There is no reasonable probability that defendant
    would not have admitted the truth of his prior convictions if the court had
    correctly advised him of the penal consequences. (People v. Wrice, supra, 38
    Cal.App.4th at p. 771 [“ ‘Upon a timely objection, the sentencing court must
    determine whether the error prejudiced the defendant, i.e., whether it is
    “reasonably probable” the defendant would not have pleaded guilty if
    properly advised.’ ”].) Defendant was aware before his trial began that he
    faced the possibility of a de facto life term in prison. Notice that the term
    would be 150 years to life rather than 50 years to life was not likely to have
    impacted his decision to admit the three strike enhancement allegations. His
    31
    contention that the record does not show his admissions were voluntary and
    intelligent is thus without merit. Moreover, defendant makes no suggestion
    that the convictions to which he admitted could not have been readily
    established in the absence of his admission.
    Disposition
    The two 5-year terms imposed under section 667, subdivision (a) are
    stricken. The judgment is affirmed in all other respects.
    POLLAK, P. J.
    WE CONCUR:
    STREETER, J.
    BROWN, J.
    32