People v. Christopher F.

Christopher F. was declared a ward of the juvenile court and ordered home on probation after the court found him mentally competent *465 and sustained a petition alleging he had made criminal threats against his high school dean. On appeal Christopher contends the court committed prejudicial error by failing to appoint the director of the regional center for the developmentally disabled (regional center director), as required by Penal Code section 1369, subdivision (a). 1 He also contends the court focused on the wrong factors in determining his mental competence and, as a result, its finding is not supported by substantial evidence. We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

1. The Petition

A petition was filed pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 602 on July 14, 2008 alleging Christopher had threatened his high school dean, Michael Jones, in violation of section 422. According to the petition, on May 13, 2008 Christopher was escorted by his one-on-one teaching assistant to Jones’s office because his cell phone rang in class. While at the office, Christopher said aloud he was “gonna kill that motherfucker.” He wrote “Compton 70’s, BBK, LCC, Fuck Jones,…