People v. Gomez CA6

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. Facts2 On September 1, 2021,3 Watsonville police officers initiated a traffic stop on a moving vehicle after observing it had no visible front license plate and had tinted front passenger windows. Gomez was seated in the front passenger seat. The driver and Gomez eventually exited the vehicle at the request of the officers and a police sergeant who had arrived on scene. Officers observed a firearm partially visible beneath the front passenger seat. The gun was loaded. Another firearm, registered to the driver, was located in the backseat inside of a backpack. Officers searched Gomez and found nine unspent bullets in his pocket, which matched the brand and caliber of both the gun beneath the front passenger seat and the gun registered to the driver. B. Procedural History On October 13, following a preliminary hearing, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney filed an information charging Gomez with possession of a firearm by a felon (§ 29800, subd. (a)(1); count 1), carrying a loaded firearm in public (§ 25850, subd. (a); count 2), carrying a concealed handgun in a vehicle (§ 25400, subd. (a)(1); count 3), and possession of ammunition by a…