People v. Salcido
People v. Salcido
Dissenting Opinion
*868Can the State subject a probationer whose crime did not involve computers or the internet to warrantless, suspicionless searches of her cell phone and other electronic storage devices? Because United States Supreme Court precedent suggests that the Fourth Amendment requires reasonable suspicion for such searches, I dissent from Section IV of today's opinion. I join the other sections.
I.
The majority recognizes that "[t]here is no evidence that defendant's crimes involved computers or the internet." (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 26.) Nevertheless, the majority permits probation condition 39, which authorizes warrantless, suspicionless searches for digital information on defendant's cell phone or other electronic storage devices whenever requested by a probation officer or law enforcement. (Maj. opn. ante , at pp. 24-36.)
In general, "[a] probation condition that imposes limitations on a person's constitutional rights must closely tailor those limitations to the purpose of the condition to avoid being invalidated as unconstitutionally overbroad." ( In re Sheena K. (2007)
The United States Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the scope of the rights under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Three aspects of its case law, taken together, persuade me that the Fourth *1118Amendment requires reasonable suspicion for a blanket condition authorizing electronic searches of a probationer's digital devices, at least where the probationer's crime did not involve computers or the internet. These are (1) the special protection afforded an individual's digital data, (2) the Court's application of the reasonable suspicion standard to probation searches, and (3) the Court's confirmation that probationers retain Fourth Amendment rights. Considering these together, I conclude that the condition authorizing suspicionless searches of defendant Sara Salcido's digital evidence is not narrowly drawn.
A.
First, in a landmark opinion interpreting the Fourth Amendment, the Supreme Court held that digital evidence from a cell phone receives categorically greater constitutional protection than does ordinary physical evidence. In Riley v. California (2014)
Whereas the interior of a citizen's home has long been the "prototyptical" area of Fourth Amendment protection ( Kyllo v. United States (2001)
Today's majority "see[s] no relevant difference between an electronic search condition and any other search condition." (Maj. opn., ante , at pp. 863-64.) This is a misunderstanding of Riley 's central point: an electronic search condition is far more invasive to a subject's privacy than a search of an ordinary object. To be sure, a court may consider the invasiveness of a suspicionless electronic search and determine that the invasion is permissible *1119in a particular context. But we must take seriously Riley 's special treatment of electronic search conditions. After Riley , I believe that a court cannot simply dismiss an electronic search condition as no different than other search conditions.
After recognizing Riley 's holding that electronic search conditions are particularly invasive, we must carefully consider whether it is the case that, as the majority concludes, defendant Sara Salcido "as a probationer, is in a materially different position than the arrestee in Riley. " (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 866.) Both a probationer and an arrestee have diminished Fourth Amendment interests. That is, Riley rejected a suspicionless search of an arrestee's phone even though an arrestee has "reduced privacy interests upon being taken into police custody." ( Riley , supra , 573 U.S. at p. 391,
*870The second important aspect of Supreme Court law is that the Court has never upheld a probation search or condition that permits authorities to search without any suspicion or cause. Rather, when it has upheld probation searches, the Court has relied on the fact that they have been supported by reasonable suspicion. ( *1120Griffin v. Wisconsin (1987)
Finally, when the Supreme Court upheld a suspicionless search of a cigarette box in a parolee's pocket in Samson v. California (2006)
Samson thereby suggested, without deciding, that a suspicionless search of even an ordinary object carried by a probationer, rather than a parolee, might not be permissible. That question is not at issue here, because this case presents yet a deeper intrusion into a probationer's Fourth Amendment rights, as the majority today holds that a suspicionless search of the contents of a probationer's digital storage devices is permissible as a blanket matter. Such data receives heightened protection under Riley . If every probationer can be made subject to such suspicionless searches for digital evidence on their cell phones and home computers, it is hard to see what would remain of the greater protection on the Fourth Amendment "continuum" that Samson afforded probationers. Consequently, it seems to me that current Supreme Court precedent indicates that probation condition 39 is unconstitutionally overbroad under the Fourth Amendment, insofar as it authorizes suspicionless searches rather than those based on reasonable suspicion.
B.
We are not bound by the constitutional law applied by federal courts of appeals, yet those courts also persuasively support the conclusion that the Fourth Amendment requires reasonable suspicion for a blanket digital search condition of a probationer.
*1121Under federal law, "warrantless, suspicionless search conditions ... should not be routinely imposed." ( United States v. Cervantes (9th Cir. 2017)
*871There is, however, one way to see how the federal appellate courts may approach a probation condition authorizing suspicionless digital searches. For federal sex offenders only, the United States Code contains a discretionary probation condition requiring that the defendant submit his person and property, including electronics, to a search at any time by law enforcement or probation officers. (See
When federal appellate courts across the nation have approved the imposition of the sex-offender electronic search condition post- Riley , they have expressly relied on the requirement of reasonable suspicion. ( United States v. Winston (8th Cir. 2017)
Furthermore, in a post- Riley federal case, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated a suspicionless search of a California probationer's cell phone. ( United States v. Lara (9th Cir. 2016)
C.
Our Court of Appeal's case law is split as to the constitutionality of probation conditions that authorize digital searches. Because of the United States Supreme Court law discussed above, I would follow those authorities that find such conditions overbroad. (See People v. Valdivia (2017)
II.
The majority appropriately recognizes that a probation search must not be "harassing, arbitrary, or capricious." (Maj. opn, ante , at p. 866.) But constitutional rights are not protected by an abstract principle. Once we have authorized warrantless, suspicionless searches of a probationer's cell phone and other digital devices, we have, at least as a practical matter, insulated harassing and arbitrary searches from review. And we have done so in an area-an individual's potentially vast reservoir of digital information-that the United States Supreme Court has instructed merits heightened protection from intrusion. Under the condition we affirm today, a probation officer (or a police officer) may thoroughly search defendant Salcido's cell phone and computers at any time for no articulable reason at all. That condition is not "closely tailor[ed]" to the legitimate purposes of monitoring her on probation or preventing her future crimes. ( *873In re Sheena K. , supra , 40 Cal.4th at p. 890,
A citizen not on probation cannot have her cell phone or computer searched absent probable cause and a warrant. It is reasonable to treat probationers differently due to their diminished rights. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that when an officer has "reasonable suspicion that a probationer ... is engaged in criminal activity, ... an intrusion on the probationer's significantly diminished privacy interests is reasonable." ( Knights , supra , 534 U.S. at p. 121,
Certified for Partial Publication.
Pursuant to California Rules of Court, rules 8.1105(b) and 8.1110, this opinion is certified for publication with the exception of part III.
The majority relies on Riley 's statement that there may be "case-specific exceptions [that] justify a warrantless search of a particular phone" (Riley , supra , 573 U.S. at pp. 401-402,
The majority mixes the question of the reasonableness of the scope of a valid computer search with the question of whether a search is reasonable in the first place. (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 865, fn. 10.) As to the execution of search warrants for computers, cases have held warrants overbroad if they lack an affidavit presenting a "reasonable explanation" for the extent of the seizure of data. (See United States v. Hill (9th Cir. 2006)
Cases involving minors subject to suspicionless probation search conditions are applicable here, in my view. The majority distinguishes such cases on the ground that a special rule requires tailoring of conditions imposed on minors. (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 866.) But when the Court of Appeal decided In re P.O. , for example, it did not rely on such a special rule but on the same privacy and overbreadth principles that would apply to an adult. (In re P.O. , supra , 246 Cal.App.4th at pp. 297-298,
Opinion of the Court
RAMIREZ P. J.
*854*1098Defendant Sara Salcido was in the business of providing immigration services - typically, obtaining visas for her clients that would allow them to stay in the United States legally. Under the Immigration Consultant Act ( Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 22440 - 22449 ) (Act), with certain exceptions, it is illegal for a person to act as an "immigration consultant" (as defined in the Act) unless he or she has complied with a host of consumer protection requirements, such as passing a background check and filing a bond. Defendant failed to comply with these.
As a result, in a bench trial, defendant was convicted on one count of unlawfully engaging in the business of an immigration consultant, a misdemeanor. ( Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 22440, 22441.) The People argued, however, that each time defendant took money from a client in exchange for providing immigration services, she was committing theft by false pretenses, because she was not a legally qualified immigration consultant under state law. The trial court agreed; thus, it also convicted her on six counts of grand theft ( Pen. Code, §§ 484, 487, subd. (a) ) and two counts of petty theft ( Pen. Code, §§ 484, 488 ). It dismissed two additional counts of grand theft as time-barred. Defendant was placed on probation for five years.
In the published portion of this opinion, we will hold that federal law does not preempt the application of the Act to defendant. In the unpublished portion, we will reject defendant's other contentions. Accordingly, we will affirm.
I
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
A. Count 2: Rigoberto S.
In September 2012, Rigoberto S. paid defendant $4,480 to obtain a work permit and some kind of visa. He had seen an ad saying that she provided *1099immigration services. He met with her in her office. However, he never received any documentation from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or from defendant. He contacted defendant, but she had no explanation, so he sued her in small claims court.
Defendant testified that she spent some 14 to 20 hours, across some six months, on Rigoberto S.'s case. Nine months after he first contacted her, she discovered that he had previously been deported. She did not file anything with the USCIS, because if she had, he would have been deported automatically. If she had known he had previously been deported, she would never have taken his case. She started paying back his money, in installments; by the time of the preliminary hearing, she had repaid $1,800.
B. Count 3: Patricia F.
In October 2011, Patricia F. paid defendant $3,000 to obtain a U visa.
*855Defendant testified that she put in 50 hours on the case. It took her over a year to get the necessary signature from the relevant police department. She never actually filed anything for Flores because Flores saw "a lot of ... bad comments on Facebook" and fired her.
C. Count 4: Ivonne G.
In June or July 2013, Ivonne G. paid defendant $3,000 to obtain a U visa. She had seen an ad for defendant's immigration services. They met at defendant's office.
Defendant testified that she had worked on Ivonne G.'s case for about a year and had done "some forms" when she was arrested.
D. Count 6: Araceli C.
In April 2014, Araceli C. paid defendant a down payment to help her obtain a green card based on marriage to a United States citizen. Over time, she paid defendant a total of $9,265. On defendant's advice, she divorced her husband and married her live-in boyfriend; defendant handled this paperwork. She learned from the USCIS, however, that defendant had done nothing about the green card.
Defendant testified that she spent 60 hours on the case before Araceli C. fired her.
*1100E. Count 7: Sofia L.
In 2012, Sofia L. paid defendant a down payment to obtain U visas for herself and her children. She met with defendant at defendant's office. Over time, she paid defendant a total of $5,760. The USCIS determined that she did not qualify and that it was going to deny her petition; as of the preliminary hearing, however, it had not actually done so, due to its backlog.
Defendant testified that she had spent 300 hours on the case.
F. Count 8: Javier O.
In 2014, Javier O. paid defendant $4,580 to assist him with obtaining a work permit. He met with her at her office. He never received any documentation indicating that she had done anything.
Defendant testified that she spent 30 hours on his case. She filed some paperwork with the USCIS and spoke to a USCIS supervisor.
G. Count 9: Maria T.
In 2014, Maria T. paid defendant a down payment to assist her in obtaining a U visa or similar permit. She had seen an ad for defendant's immigration services. She met with defendant at defendant's office. Over time, she paid defendant a total of $800.
Defendant testified that she spent 20 hours on the case. She obtained the necessary signature of the relevant police department and filed some papers with the USCIS. The case was still pending. However, Maria T. fired her and sued her in small claims court.
H. Count 10: Ilsia M.
At the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015, Ilsia M. paid defendant $300 to assist her in obtaining a U visa. She never received any documentation from the government.
Defendant testified that she spent four to six hours on the case. She prepared some forms, but she could not send them in because she was arrested.
I. Additional Information Relevant to All Counts
Defendant maintained an office in Cathedral City. Signs outside advertised the services that she provided, including immigration services.
*1101Defendant admitted that she had been acting as an immigration consultant since *8562007. She also admitted that she was not an attorney, though she was a paralegal. She admitted knowing that she was required to have a background check and to post a bond, but she had not done either.
Defendant testified that she learned in either September or November 2013 that she was required to be registered with the state and to post a bond. (At the preliminary hearing, however, she testified that she did not know about the background check until 2015.) She did not post a bond because she could not afford it.
It was stipulated that, at all relevant times, defendant engaged in the business or acted in the capacity of an immigration consultant, for compensation, even though she had not passed the required background check or posted the required bond. It was also stipulated that, at all relevant times, defendant held herself out as legally authorized to act as an immigration consultant. With respect to the last two victims - Maria T. and Ilsia M. - it was additionally stipulated that defendant knew at the time that she had failed to comply with the Act.
Finally, it was stipulated that defendant received compensation greater than $950 in connection with the grand theft counts, and less than $950 in connection with the petty theft counts.
II
FEDERAL PREEMPTION
Defendant contends that the Act is preempted by federal law. She demurred to the complaint on this ground. In any event, federal preemption can be raised for the first time on appeal. ( Town of Atherton v. California High-Speed Rail Authority (2014)
"We apply a de novo standard of review ... because federal preemption presents a pure question of law [citation]." ( Farm Raised Salmon Cases (2008)
A. General Preemption Principles .
" ' "The supremacy clause of the United States Constitution ... vests Congress with the power to preempt state law." [Citations.] Similarly, federal agencies, acting pursuant to authorization from Congress, can issue regulations that override state requirements. [Citations.] Preemption is foremost a *1102question of congressional intent: did Congress, expressly or implicitly, seek to displace state law?' [Citation.]" ( Solus Industrial Innovations, LLC v. Superior Court (2018)
Our Supreme Court has "identified several species of preemption." ( Solus Industrial Innovations, LLC v. Superior Court , supra , 4 Cal.5th at p. 332,
Ordinarily, there is a presumption against preemption. ( Solus Industrial Innovations, LLC v. Superior Court , supra , 4 Cal.5th at p. 332,
Defendant argues that this presumption does not apply here, because the Act implicates foreign affairs - an area not traditionally occupied by the states. (See Viva! International Voice for Animals v. Adidas Promotional Retail Operations, Inc. (2007)
We disagree, on the authority of In re Jose C . (2009)
It explained: "The '[p]ower to regulate immigration is unquestionably exclusively a federal power.' [Citations.] ...
"While the immigration power is exclusive, it does not follow that any and all state regulations touching on aliens are preempted. [Citations.] Only if the *1103state statute is in fact a 'regulation of immigration,' i.e., 'a determination of who should or should not be admitted into the country, and the conditions under which a legal entrant may remain' [citation], is preemption structural and automatic. Otherwise, the usual rules of statutory preemption analysis apply; state law will be displaced only when affirmative congressional action compels the conclusion it must be. [Citation.]" ( In re Jose C ., supra , 45 Cal.4th at p. 550,
Here, the specification of who may provide immigration-related services, while undoubtedly a matter of federal interest and a proper subject of federal regulation, does not "regulate[ ] who may enter or remain in the United States." (See In re Jose C ., supra , 45 Cal.4th at p. 550,
B. Relevant Federal Law .
Congress has authorized the Secretary of Homeland Security to "establish such regulations ... as he deems necessary for carrying out his authority ...." (
*858Under these regulations, "representation" is defined as including both "practice" and "preparation." (
*1104"Practice" means "appearing in any case, either in person or through the preparation or filing of any brief or other document, paper, application, or petition on behalf of another person or client before or with DHS." (
"Preparation," as relevant here, means "the study of the facts of a case and the applicable laws, coupled with the giving of advice and auxiliary activities, including the incidental preparation of papers ...." (
"Case" means "any proceeding arising under any immigration or naturalization law, Executive Order, or Presidential proclamation, or preparation for or incident to such proceeding, including preliminary steps by any private person or corporation preliminary to the filing of the application or petition by which any proceeding under the jurisdiction of the Service or the Board is initiated." (
In broad general outline, only five classes of people are authorized to provide "representation": (1) attorneys in good standing; (2) law students, provided they are under the supervision of an attorney and do not receive compensation; (3) "reputable individuals," who are of good moral character, provided they have a preexisting relationship with the client and do not receive compensation; (4) "accredited representatives," who have been authorized by the EOIR; and (5) "accredited officials" of the client's foreign government. (
C. Relevant State Law .
The Act provides: "It is unlawful for any person, for compensation, other than persons authorized to practice law or authorized by federal law to represent persons before the Board of Immigration Appeals or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, to engage in the business or act in the capacity of an immigration consultant within this state except as provided by this chapter ." ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22440, italics added.)
"A person engages in the business or acts in the capacity of an immigration consultant when that person gives nonlegal assistance or advice on an immigration matter." ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22441, subd. (a).)
*1105"Immigration matter," as relevant here, means "any proceeding, filing, or action affecting the immigration or citizenship status of any person which arises under immigration and naturalization law, executive order or presidential proclamation, or *859action of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ...." ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22441, subd. (b).)
"Nonlegal assistance or advice" includes:
"(1) Completing a form provided by a federal or state agency but not advising a person as to their answers on those forms.
"(2) Translating a person's answers to questions posed in those forms.
"(3) Securing for a person supporting documents, such as birth certificates, which may be necessary to complete those forms.
"(4) Submitting completed forms on a person's behalf and at their request to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"(5) Making referrals to persons who could undertake legal representation activities for a person in an immigration matter." ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22441, subd. (a).)
We will use "immigration consultant" as shorthand for a person who engages in the business or acts in the capacity of an immigration consultant, according to these definitions.
An immigration consultant must pass a background check ( Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 22441.1, subd. (a), 22442.4 ), provide clients with a written contract, in English and in the client's native language, containing specified terms ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22442, subds. (a) - (f) ), give clients 72 hours to rescind the contract ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22442, subd. (f) ), give clients signed receipts and regular account statements ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22442.1 ), provide specified disclosures ( Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 22442.2, 22444, subd. (d) ), maintain a client trust account ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22442.5 ), follow specified document provision and retention procedures ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22443 ), and file a bond ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22443.1, subds. (a) - (d) ). A violation of the Act is subject to both civil ( Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 22445, subd. (a), 22446.5 ) and criminal penalties. ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22445, subds. (b) - (c).)
The Act also makes it unlawful for an immigration consultant (defined, in part, as one who gives nonlegal assistance or advice) to offer legal assistance or advice in an immigration matter. ( Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22441, subd. (d).)
*1106D. Interaction of Federal and State Law .
1. Conflict preemption .
Salcido asserts that acting as an "immigration consultant" under California law overlaps with "representation" under federal law. She concludes that California law permits what federal law prohibits - namely, it permits federally unauthorized persons (if they comply with California's stringent requirements) to provide "representation".
"Representation" under federal law largely involves the provision of legal services. By contrast, acting as an "immigration consultant" under the Act largely involves the provision of nonlegal services.
*860Nevertheless, we may assume, without deciding, that there are some areas of overlap. (See Moore, Fraud, the UnauthorizedPractice of Law and Unmet Needs: A Look at State Laws Regulating Immigration Assistants (2004) 19 Geo. Immig. L.J. 1, 18-19 [concluding that "preparation" includes filling out forms by one who charges more than a nominal fee and/or holds him or herself out as an immigration specialist, and therefore state laws permitting federally unauthorized persons to fill out forms are preempted].)
This is essentially a conflict preemption argument. However, there is no conflict, because it is possible to comply with both state and federal law simultaneously.
In Hyland v. Fukuda (9th Cir. 1978)
*1107Similarly, in Qualified Patients Assn. v. City of Anaheim (2010)
The appellate court held that there was no conflict preemption: "Conflict preemption exists when 'simultaneous compliance with both state and federal directives is impossible.' [Citation.] ... A claim of positive conflict might gain more traction if the state required , instead of merely exempting from state criminal prosecution, individuals to possess, cultivate, transport, possess for sale, or sell medical marijuana in a manner that violated federal law. But because [state law does not] require such conduct, there is no 'positive conflict' with federal law .... [Citation.] In short, nothing in either state enactment purports to make it impossible to comply simultaneously with both federal and state law." ( Qualified Patients Assn. v. City of Anaheim , supra , 187 Cal.App.4th at pp. 758-759,
Here, California state law does not say that a person who has complied with all of the requirements of the Act can fill out forms (which arguably constitutes "representation," at least in some circumstances). Rather, it says that a person who has not complied with all of the requirements of the Act cannot fill out forms. Thus, the Act does not purport to allow anyone to violate federal law. A person still must be federally authorized in order to provide any kind of "representation."
We accept that a state cannot penalize a nonlawyer who represents a client before a federal agency for the unauthorized practice of law, when the representation is authorized by federal law. ( Sperry v. Florida (1963)
There is no conflict, and thus there is no conflict preemption.
*8612. Obstacle preemption .
Defendant notes that the DHS has prescribed certain disciplinary penalties for "the unauthorized representation of immigrants"; however, these do not include criminal penalties. She argues that this reflects a federal choice not to make unauthorized representation a crime, and therefore the Act is preempted. This is essentially an obstacle preemption argument.
*1108The flaw in this argument is that federal law provides disciplinary penalties only against federally authorized persons, and not against federally unauthorized persons. It leaves any penalties against the latter up to the states.
"An adjudicating official or the Board of Immigration Appeals ... may impose disciplinary sanctions against any practitioner ...." (
In 1992, a legal opinion of the Office of the General Counsel of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (the predecessor of the USCIS) concluded that a state can penalize a federally unauthorized person for engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. (Office of the General Counsel Opn. No. 92-29, Legal Opinion: Role of Visa Consultants in the Practice of Immigration Law (June 9, 1992)
Consistent with our analysis, the EOIR's Immigration Court Practice Manual states that its "disciplinary procedures ... do not apply to non-practitioners engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. Anyone harmed by an individual practicing law without authorization should contact the appropriate law enforcement or consumer protection agency." (EOIR, Immigration Court Practice Manual (rev. Aug. 2, 2018) § 10.3(e).
*1109Defendant also points to the EOIR's Fraud and Abuse Prevention Program. (See < https://www.justice.gov/eoir/fraud-and-abuse-prevention-program>, as of May 1, 2019.) "The Fraud Program investigates complaints of fraud, scams, and unauthorized practitioners ...." (Ibid .) However, it also "supports fraud and unauthorized practitioner investigations, prosecutions, and disciplinary proceedings *862initiated by local [and] state ... law enforcement and disciplinary authorities." (Ibid .) Its website includes a link entitled, "How Do I Report a Scam or an Unauthorized Practitioner to State or Local Officials?" (ibid .); when clicked, on it leads to a page indicating that "the unauthorized practice of immigration law" in California is governed by the "Immigration Consultants Act" and should be reported to the state Attorney General or the State Bar. (Report Immigration Scams, < https://www.uscis.gov/avoid-scams/report-scams>, as of May 1, 2019.)
In sum, then, there is a clear federal intent to allow the states to penalize federally unauthorized persons for providing "representation" in immigration matters. And, of course, to the extent that what defendant was doing was not "representation," as defined by federal law, there was no federal concern whatsoever about state regulation of her conduct.
3. Field preemption .
Although defendant mentions field preemption, we do not understand her to be relying on it. All of her arguments turn on the state law being in conflict with, or an obstacle to the accomplishment of the intention of, federal law. If only out of an excess of caution, then, we note that, for the reasons already stated, field preemption also does not apply. The federal regulation is not so comprehensive as to leave no room for state regulation; while it specifies who may (and may not) provide representation before the USCIS, it offers only an incomplete enforcement mechanism. Moreover, there are ample indicia of a federal intent to allow for state regulation.
III
*1110IV
ELECTRONIC SEARCH CONDITION OF PROBATION
Probation condition 39 requires defendant to "[s]ubmit to immediate search and seizure of computers, memory storage devices, electronic mail, internet accounts, and data and information contained therein; with or without reasonable cause by the probation officer or law enforcement." Defendant contends that this condition is unreasonable and unconstitutional.
A. Forfeiture .
Preliminarily, the People contend that defendant forfeited this contention by failing to object at sentencing.
"As a rule, failure to object to a probation condition in the trial court on standard state law or reasonableness grounds forfeits the claim for appeal. [Citation.]" ( People v. Moran (2016)
B. Reasonableness .
"Consistent with established law, we first address whether the probation condition was permissible under state law before turning to resolve any potential federal *863constitutional issue posed in the case." ( People v. Moran , supra , 1 Cal.5th at pp. 401-402,
A probation condition is unreasonable if it " ' "(1) has no relationship to the crime of which the offender was convicted, (2) relates to conduct which is not in itself criminal, and (3) requires or forbids conduct which is not reasonably related to future criminality ...." ' [Citation.]" ( People v. Anderson (2010)
"On appeal, '[w]e review conditions of probation for abuse of discretion.' [Citation.] That is, a reviewing court will disturb the trial court's decision to *1111impose a particular condition of probation only if, under all the circumstances, that choice is arbitrary and capricious and is wholly unreasonable. [Citation.]" ( People v. Moran , supra , 1 Cal.5th at p. 403,
There is no evidence that defendant's crimes involved computers or the internet.
" 'A condition of probation that enables a probation officer to supervise his or her charges effectively is, therefore, 'reasonably related to future criminality.' [Citations.]" ( People v. Olguin (2008)
" '[P]robation conditions authorizing searches 'aid in deterring further offenses ... and in monitoring compliance with the terms of probation. [Citations.] By allowing close supervision of probationers, probation search conditions serve to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism while helping to protect the community from potential harm by probationers.' [Citation.]" ( People v. Olguin , supra , 45 Cal.4th at p. 380,
In this respect, we see no relevant difference between an electronic search condition and any other search condition. We recognize that a computer (or similar memory storage device) is qualitatively different from the home or the person, because it makes some information available that was unavailable before - e.g., a list of person's Google searches. (See Riley v. California (2014)
Defendant relies on In re Erica R . (2015)
*1112The court, however, distinguished a case upholding a general search condition, on the ground that it "involved an adult probationer, not a juvenile probationer *864.... Courts have recognized that a 'minor cannot be made subject to an automatic search condition; instead, such condition must be tailored to fit the circumstances of the case and the minor.' [Citations.]" ( Id . at p. 914,
In a footnote, defendant also challenges a separate probation condition that requires her to "[d]isclose your true identity, including residence address and telephone number, in any advertisement, notice, or offer to sale and/or purchase on the internet." We deem this contention forfeited, because it is not within the scope of any of the headings in her brief, and because it is not supported by any analysis or citation of authority. ( Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.204(a)(1)(B) ; People v. Nguyen (2013)
We therefore conclude that the challenged search condition was reasonable as a matter of state law.
C. Constitutionality .
"If a probation condition serves to rehabilitate and protect public safety, the condition may 'impinge upon a constitutional right otherwise enjoyed by the probationer, who is "not entitled to the same degree of constitutional protection as other citizens." ' [Citation.]" ( People v. O'Neil (2008)
Nevertheless, " ' "[a] probation condition that imposes limitations on a person's constitutional rights must closely tailor those limitations to the purpose of the condition to avoid being invalidated as unconstitutionally overbroad." [Citation.] "The essential question in an overbreadth challenge is the closeness of the fit between the legitimate purpose of the restriction and the burden it imposes on the defendant's constitutional rights - bearing in mind, of course, that perfection in such matters is impossible, and that practical necessity will justify some infringement." [Citation.]' [Citations.]" ( People v. Guzman (2018)
"We review 'constitutional challenges to probation conditions de novo.' [Citation.]" ( People v. Guzman , supra , 23 Cal.App.5th at p. 64,
*11131. Self-incrimination .
Defendant contends that the challenged condition implicitly requires her to disclose her passwords, and hence it requires her to incriminate herself.
"[I]t would raise serious constitutional questions to require defendants to waive their privilege against self-incrimination as a condition of probation." ( People v. Garcia (2017)
The California Supreme Court's decision in People v. Garcia , supra ,
*865The Supreme Court held that, in order to avoid any constitutional question, the probation condition had to be construed to mean that "a probationer is required to answer the questions posed by the containment team, on pain of probation revocation should the probationer refuse. In turn, the probationer's compelled responses may not be used against the probationer in a subsequent criminal prosecution. [Citation.]" ( People v. Garcia , supra , 2 Cal.5th at p. 807,
Defendant relies on United States v. Kirschner (E.D. Mich. 2010)
Accordingly, if and to the extent that the challenged condition requires defendant to disclose passwords, it does not preclude her from invoking her *1114right against self-incrimination, after such a disclosure, to preclude the use of the disclosure against her in a criminal prosecution. The condition, as thus construed, does not violate that constitutional right.
2. Other constitutional rights .
Defendant also contends that the challenged condition violates her First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, and privacy rights.
The Supreme Court has granted review in a number of recently published cases involving this issue. (E.g., People v. Maldonado (2018)
As discussed in part IV.B, ante , we see no relevant difference between an electronic search condition and any other search condition. Once again, defendant relies on Riley v. California , supra ,
Defendant, as a probationer, is in a materially different position that the arrestee in Riley . She has been tried and found guilty of crimes. As a result, she has a lesser expectation of privacy. "Inherent in the very nature of probation is that probationers 'do not enjoy "the absolute liberty to which every citizen is entitled." ' [Citation.] Just as other punishments for criminal convictions curtail an offender's freedoms, a court granting probation may impose reasonable conditions that deprive the offender of some freedoms *1115enjoyed by law-abiding citizens." ( United States v. Knights (2001)
Significantly, defendant does not suggest how the challenged condition could be made narrower and yet still be effective.
In re P.O. , supra , 246 Cal.App.4th at pp. 297-298,
In addition, People v. Appleton (2016)
First, the court rejected the analogy to a general search condition, reasoning that the cases upholding a general search condition had not been decided in the context of the original imposition of the condition at sentencing, but *1116rather in the context of a challenge to the resulting search. ( People v. Appleton , supra , 245 Cal.App.4th at pp. 724-725,
Second, Appleton reasoned, citing Riley , that an electronic search condition is more "invasive" than a general search condition. ( People v. Appleton , supra , 245 Cal.App.4th at p. 725,
We look instead to People v. Ebertowski (2014)
*1117Defendant may not be a violent gang member, but she is a convicted thief who victimized eight people (or more, if you include the counts that were dismissed as time-barred) by taking money that they could ill afford to lose. The state has the same interest in monitoring her probation as it had in monitoring Ebertkowski's - namely, promoting the defendant's rehabilitation while protecting the public. The challenged electronic search condition serves this purpose. Defendant has not shown that a narrower search condition would do the same.
V
DISPOSITION
The judgment is affirmed.
I concur:
McKINSTER J.
A U visa is available to victims of certain crimes.
We note, however, that the presumption is not crucial to our analysis; even without it, we would come to the same conclusions, for the same reasons.
A virtually identical set of regulations specifies who can provide representation before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). (
Generally speaking, representation before the USCIS relates to applications for admission or continued presence, such as visas, whereas representation before the EOIR relates to removal proceedings. (Lee, Congressional Research Service, Legal Ethics in Immigration Matters (2009) at p. 1, fns. omitted, available at < https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/immigration/fightnotariofraud/crs_lega_ethics_in_immigration_matters.authcheckdam.pdf>, as of May 1, 2019.) As there is no evidence that defendant was involved in removal proceedings, we focus on representation before the USCIS.
At one point, we called for further briefing on whether there was sufficient evidence that defendant provided any nonlegal assistance or advice. The testimony at trial seemed to portray her as providing legal advice and assistance - for example, about the particular visa that a client might be qualified for and about how to obtain that visa. If that was all she did, it would seem that she was simply not guilty.
As the parties pointed out, however, defendant stipulated that she was an immigration consultant. This necessarily meant that she provided nonlegal assistance and advice (even if she also provided legal assistance and advice). Indeed, it is possible that the People refrained from presenting additional evidence that she provided nonlegal assistance and advice precisely because they were relying on this stipulation.
Available at < https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1084851/download>, as of May 1, 2019.
The EOIR's Board of Immigration Appeals Practice Manual (rev. Oct. 16, 2018), available at < https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1103051/download>, as of May 1, 2019, contains virtually identical provisions. (Id ., §§ 2.7, 11.3(a))
See footnote *, ante .
In her opening brief, defendant similarly challenged probation conditions 37 and 38, which also related to electronic data. As she now concedes, however, the trial court did not actually impose these conditions.
The question of whether an electronic search condition is unreasonable under state law is currently pending before the Supreme Court in In re Ricardo P . (2015)
The police seized computers from defendant but never actually searched them. According to the probation report, defendant obtained clients through television, radio, magazine, and newspaper ads.
At oral argument, defendant's counsel suggested that the search condition could be limited to defendant's business-related files. But how is a probation officer to know which files are business-related without searching them? And for obvious reasons, it cannot be left up to defendant to designate which of her files are business-related.
Our Supreme Court has similarly endorsed the effectiveness of a general search condition: "[P]robation conditions authorizing searches 'aid in deterring further offenses ... and in monitoring compliance with the terms of probation. [Citations.] By allowing close supervision of probationers, probation search conditions serve to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism while helping to protect the community from potential harm by probationers.' [Citation.]" (People v. Olguin , supra , 45 Cal.4th at p. 380,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.