Filed 4/9/15 P. v. Brown CA4/1 

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COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT 

DIVISION ONE 

STATE OF CALIFORNIA 

THE PEOPLE, 

 Plaintiff and Respondent, 

 v. 

DAVID JOSEPH BROWN, 

 Defendant and Appellant. 

 D066269 

 (Super. Ct. No. SCD253605) 

 APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Laura H. 

Parsky, Judge. Affirmed as modified with directions. 

 Paul J. Katz, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and 

Appellant. 

 Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney 

General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Arlene A. Sevidal and Tami 

Falkenstein Hennick, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. 
2 

 A jury convicted David Joseph Brown of failing to register as a sex offender (Pen. 

Code,1 § 290.013) in count 1. In count 2 he was convicted of failing to register as a 

transient (§ 290.011). The court found true one prison prior (§ 667.5, subd. (b)) and one 

strike prior (§ 667, subds. (b)-(i)). Brown was sentenced to a total term of five years in 

prison. In addition the court imposed a $500 sex offender fine pursuant to section 290.3. 

 Brown appeals challenging only the sex offender fine. He contends the fine was 

not authorized for the offense for which he was convicted. The People correctly concede 

the fine was not authorized and that we should strike it. We agree with the parties that 

the $500 fine was improperly imposed and we will modify the judgment by striking the 

fine.2

DISCUSSION 

 The $500 sex offender fine is required by section 290.3, in cases where the 

defendant has been convicted of new offenses specified in subdivision (c) of section 290. 

Section 290.3, subdivision (a) provides in part: 

"(a) Every person who is convicted of any offense specified in 

subdivision (c) of section 290 shall, in addition to any imprisonment 

or fine, or both, imposed for commission of the underlying offense, 

be punished by a fine of three hundred dollars ($300) upon the first 

conviction or a fine of five hundred dollars ($500) upon the second 

and each subsequent conviction, unless the court determines that the 

defendant does not have the ability to pay the fine." 

 

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise specified. 

2 Since the issue in this case is very limited we will omit the traditional statement of 

facts. 
3 

 As the parties have pointed out the offenses for which Brown was convicted are 

technical violations, not listed in section 290, subdivision (c). Simply put, the fine in 

section 290.3 does not apply in this case and it must be stricken. 

DISPOSITION 

 The judgment is modified to strike the $500 fine imposed pursuant to section 

290.3. The trial court is directed to amend the abstract of judgment accordingly and 

forward the amended abstract to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In all 

other respects the judgment is affirmed. 

HUFFMAN, Acting P. J. 

WE CONCUR: 

 McDONALD, J. 

 McINTYRE, J.