Source: http://www.courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index.cfm?title=eight&linkid=rule8_304
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 20:52:02+00:00

Document:
(1) To appeal from a judgment or an appealable order of the superior court in a felony case-other than a judgment imposing a sentence of death-the defendant or the People must file a notice of appeal in that superior court. To appeal after a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or after an admission of probation violation, the defendant must also comply with (b).
(C) An offense filed as a felony but punishable as either a felony or a misdemeanor, and the offense is thereafter deemed a misdemeanor under Penal Code section 17(b).
(3) If the defendant appeals, the defendant or the defendant's attorney must sign the notice of appeal. If the People appeal, the attorney for the People must sign the notice.
(4) The notice of appeal must be liberally construed. Except as provided in (b), the notice is sufficient if it identifies the particular judgment or order being appealed. The notice need not specify the court to which the appeal is taken; the appeal will be treated as taken to the Court of Appeal for the district in which the superior court is located.
(1) Except as provided in (4), to appeal from a superior court judgment after a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or after an admission of probation violation, the defendant must file in that superior court-with the notice of appeal required by (a)-the statement required by Penal Code section 1237.5 for issuance of a certificate of probable cause.
(2) Within 20 days after the defendant files a statement under (1), the superior court must sign and file either a certificate of probable cause or an order denying the certificate.
(3) If the defendant does not file the statement required by (1) or if the superior court denies a certificate of probable cause, the superior court clerk must mark the notice of appeal "Inoperative," notify the defendant, and send a copy of the marked notice of appeal to the district appellate project.
(B) Grounds that arose after entry of the plea and do not affect the plea's validity.
(5) If the defendant's notice of appeal contains a statement under (4), the reviewing court will not consider any issue affecting the validity of the plea unless the defendant also complies with (1).
(1) When a notice of appeal is filed, the superior court clerk must promptly send a notification of the filing to the attorney of record for each party, to any unrepresented defendant, to the reviewing court clerk, to each court reporter, and to any primary reporter or reporting supervisor. If the defendant also files a statement under (b)(1), the clerk must not send the notification unless the superior court files a certificate under (b)(2).
(C) The name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of any unrepresented defendant.
(3) The notification to the reviewing court clerk must also include a copy of the notice of appeal, any certificate filed under (b), and the sequential list of reporters made under rule 2.950.
(4) A copy of the notice of appeal is sufficient notification under (1) if the required information is on the copy or is added by the superior court clerk.
(5) The sending of a notification under (1) is a sufficient performance of the clerk's duty despite the discharge, disqualification, suspension, disbarment, or death of the attorney.
Rule 8.304 amended effective January 1, 2016; repealed and adopted as rule 30 effective January 1, 2004; previously amended and renumbered as rule 8.304 effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective July 1, 2007.
Subdivision (a). Penal Code section 1235(b) provides that an appeal from a judgment or appealable order in a "felony case" is taken to the Court of Appeal, and Penal Code section 691(f) defines "felony case" to mean "a criminal action in which a felony is charged. . . ." Rule 8.304(a)(2) makes it clear that a "felony case" is an action in which a felony is charged regardless of the outcome of the action. Thus the question whether to file a notice of appeal under this rule or under the rules governing appeals to the appellate division of the superior court (rule 8.800 et seq.) is answered simply by examining the accusatory pleading: if that document charged the defendant with at least one count of felony (as defined in Penal Code, section 17(a)), the Court of Appeal has appellate jurisdiction and the appeal must be taken under this rule even if the prosecution did not result in a punishment of imprisonment in a state prison.
It is settled case law that an appeal is taken to the Court of Appeal not only when the defendant is charged with and convicted of a felony, but also when the defendant is charged with both a felony and a misdemeanor (Pen. Code, § 691(f)) but is convicted of only the misdemeanor (e.g., People v. Brown (1970) 10 Cal.App.3d 169); when the defendant is charged with a felony but is convicted of only a lesser offense (Pen. Code, § 1159; e.g., People v. Spreckels (1954) 125 Cal.App.2d 507); and when the defendant is charged with an offense filed as a felony but punishable as either a felony or a misdemeanor, and the offense is thereafter deemed a misdemeanor under Penal Code section 17(b) (e.g., People v. Douglas (1999) 20 Cal.4th 85; People v. Clark (1971) 17 Cal.App.3d 890).
Subdivision (b). Under (b)(1), the defendant is required to file both a notice of appeal and the statement required by Penal Code section 1237.5(a) for issuance of a certificate of probable cause. Requiring a notice of appeal in all cases simplifies the rule, permits compliance with the signature requirement of rule 8.304(a)(3), ensures that the defendant's intent to appeal will not be misunderstood, and makes the provision consistent with the rule in civil appeals and with current practice as exemplified in the Judicial Council form governing criminal appeals.

References: § 691
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 § 1159
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