High Court

Retroactivity of Assembly Bill No. 333’s Provision Permitting the Bifurcation of Gang Allegations at Trial

Case Name: People v. Burgos (2024) 16 Cal.5th 1
Case #: S274743/H045212
Last Updated: June 3, 2024

Briefing in People v. Burgos (2022) 77 Cal.App.5th 550, review granted 7/13/2022 (S274743) was initially deferred pending decision in People v. Tran (2022) 13 Cal.5th 1169 (S165998).

On 10/12/2022, the court ordered briefing on the following issue: Does the provision of Penal Code section 1109 governing the bifurcation at trial of gang enhancements from the substantive offense or offenses apply retroactively to cases that are not yet final?

Held: 

The California Supreme Court holds PC 1109 — which requires bifurcating gang enhancements from their underlying offenses on defense request and requires a separate trial for any PC 186.22(a) offense charged with a non-gang crime — is not retroactive to cases where judgment is not yet final, as the text and legislative history do not overcome the presumption that new statues apply prospectively only.  Further, as a merely “prophylactic procedural rule” modifying the “sequence” of trials, PC 1109 does not qualify under Estrada.  The concurrence notes the ever-increasing resources devoted to litigating statutory retroactivity and calls on the Legislature to “plainly state whether or not the statute in question is retroactive.”

Review on this issue had been granted with briefing deferred in:

Second District

  • People v. Buchanan (B305671) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 7/13/2022 (S274254)
  • People v. Herrera (B298686) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 9/21/2022 (S275743)
  • People v. Jones (B306118) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 7/13/2022 (S274606)
  • People v. Perez (2022) 78 Cal.App.5th 192, review granted 8/17/2022 (S275090/B300396)
  • People v. Lee (B300756, B305493) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 10/19/2022 (S275449)
  • People v. Gonzalez (B302834/B303671) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 2/15/2023 (S277936)

Third District

  • People v. Kilgore (C091113) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 1/19/2023 (S277686)
  • People v. Vang (C094219) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 2/15/2023 (S277949)

Fourth District

  • People v. Boukes (2022) 83 Cal.App.5th 937, review granted 12/14/2022 (S277103/E077058)
  • People v. Perez (E060438) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 12/14/2022 (S276997)

Fifth District

  • People v. Phenneger (F078550) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 7/27/2022 (S274865)
  • People v. Perez (F080852) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 8/10/2022 (S275089)
  • People v. Nagata (F082198) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 4/12/2023 (S278992)
  • People v. Perez (F082400) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 4/12/2023 (S278993)
  • People v. Olvera (F082428) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 4/12/2023 (S278999)

Sixth District

  • People v. Ramirez (2022) 79 Cal.App.5th 48, review granted 8/17/2022 (S275341/H047847)
  • People v. Pedrisco (H050368) [nonpub. opn.], review granted 8/30/2023 (S281078)