Court Opinion

ID: 9884747
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 03:10:24.564721+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:40.514099
License: Public Domain

HOPPER, J.
I concur in the judgment and the reasoning of the principal opinion with respect to the motion to dismiss count eight. I also concur in the judgment with respect to the motion to suppress but I reach that result by a different path.
The standard for reviewing an affidavit for a search warrant established by the United States and the California Supreme Courts requires that we construe such an affidavit in a common sense and realistic fashion rather than in a hypertechnical manner. (United States v. Ventresca (1965) 380 U.S. 102, 108-109 [13 L.Ed.2d 684, 688-689, 85 S.Ct. 741]; People v. Ruster (1976) 16 Cal.3d 690, 702 [129 Cal.Rptr. 153, 548 P.2d 353, 80 A.L.R.3d 1269]; People v. Mesa (1975) 14 Cal.3d 466, 469 [121 Cal.Rptr. 473, 535 P.2d 337]; People v. Superior Court (Johnson) (1972) 6 Cal.3d 704, 711 [100 Cal.Rptr. 319, 493 P.2d 1183].)  Applying such standard to the affidavit in this case, I conclude that considering all of the circumstances the words “stolen” and “taken” when used by the affiant police officer are synonymous. Justice Holmes has told us that “A word is not a crystal, transparent *207and unchanged, it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used” (Towne v. Eisner (1918) 245 U.S. 418, 425 [62 L.Ed. 372, 376, 38 S.Ct. 158]) and Justice Learned Hand has reminded us that "... words are chameleons, which reflect the color of their environment. . .” (Commissioner of Internal Rev. v. National Carbide Corp. (2d Cir. 1948) 167 F.2d 304, 306).
Words simply do not always have a fixed precise meaning. While “taken” and “stolen” each have many shades of meanings not all of which are synonymous (although one definition of steal is “to take away dishonestly” (10 Oxford English Diet. (1933) p. 884, col. 3) (italics added); see also the various CALJIC sections using the term take with requisite specific intent such as CALJIC No. 14.02 (Theft By Larceny), CALJIC No. 14.35 (Grand Theft Of An Automobile), and CALJIC No. 14.36 (Vehicle Taking), I submit that in everyday police parlance, as here, and viewed in the light of the pervading atmosphere of the situation, the word taken means stolen. People, not bare words, determine meaning. There would simply be no reason to even make the police report on this incident if the property had been merely taken on consignment or in some manner other than dishonestly.
The motion to suppress was properly denied. The motion to dismiss count eight should have been granted.
Brown (G. A.), P. J., concurred.