California Codes
Cal. Penal Code § 15 (2026)
✓ current as of May 2026
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A crime or public offense is an act committed or omitted in violation of a law forbidding or commanding it, and to which is annexed, upon conviction, either of the following punishments:
1.Death;
2.Imprisonment;
3.Fine;
4.Removal from office; or,
5.Disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit in this State.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 43
cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1952–2024 · leading case: Schmidlin v. City of Palo Alto, 69 Cal. Rptr. 3d 365 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008).
Schmidlin v. City of Palo Alto, 69 Cal. Rptr. 3d 365 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008). “" Penal Code section 15 describes removal from office as a "punishment ]" which will support characterization of the predicate conduct as a "crime *382 or public offense," but to constitute such an offense, the conduct must occur "in violation of a law forbidding or commanding…”
Gary Blankenhorn v. City of Orange Andy Romero Dung Nguyen Garrett Ross Tamara South Gray, Sergeant Montano, Officer Kayano, Officer Roman, Officer, 485 F.3d 463 (9th Cir. 2007). “See Cal. Pen. Code §§ 15 (2) & (3) (defining “public offense” as violation of the law for which a person maybe, inter alia, imprisoned or fined); § 602 (enumerating misdemeanor trespasses); § 19 (providing for punishment of imprisonment or fine for misdemeanors).”
People v. Kathy P., 599 P.2d 65 (Cal. 1979). “A hearing officer in a contested traffic infraction case in juvenile court hears the testimony of all the witnesses, weighs the evidence, resolves any conflicts in the testimony, and gives or withholds credence to particular witnesses.”
Nichols v. United States, 511 U.S. 738 (1994). “1(b) (indigent defendant shall be entitled to have attorney appointed in any criminal proceeding that may result in punishment by loss of liberty, or where court concludes that appointment satisfies the ends of justice); Cal. Penal Code Ann. § 15 (West 1988), Cal.”
Hudson v. Superior Court of Orange Cnty., 7 Cal. App. 5th 1165 (Cal. Ct. App. 2017). “” (Pen. Code, § 15, italics added.) In light of these differences, I cannot agree the state and federal statutes are substantially identical as the dissent claims.”
People v. Eddie M., 73 P.3d 1115 (Cal. 2003). “) Then, as now, the Legislature used similar language to characterize section 602 in neighboring sections of the Welfare and Institutions Code.”
People v. Sharret, 191 Cal. App. 4th 859 (Cal. Ct. App. 2011). “Third, the fee is assessed in proportion to a defendant’s culpability insofar as it applies to each separate conviction of a violation of specified sections of the Health and Safety Code governing controlled substances.”
People v. Superior Court (Douglass), 595 P.2d 139 (Cal. 1979). “" Penal Code section 15 does not require the proscribed conduct to be forbidden in any certain language.”
People v. James D., 741 P.2d 161 (Cal. 1987). “" Defendant's observation that truancy technically does not amount to a crime in this state (Pen. Code, § 15) does not suggest the "specific and articulable facts" test is inapplicable in truancy cases.”
People v. Vasilyan, 174 Cal. App. 4th 443 (Cal. Ct. App. 2009). “" (Pen. Code, § 15.) In relevant part, Penal Code section 6, enacted in 1872, provides: "No act or omission, commenced after twelve o'clock noon of the day on which this Code takes effect as a law, is criminal or punishable, except as prescribed or authorized by this Code .”
Kopko v. Miller, 892 A.2d 766 (Pa. 2006). “Cal.Penal Code § 15 (2005). 13 . The Commissioner notes that the State Police had offered admission to the Course to the five deputy sheriff Appellants, on the condition that their respective county District Attorneys cross-designate them as county detectives who are “law…”
Mccomb v. Comm. on Jud. Performance, 564 P.2d 1 (Cal. 1977). “[4] These statutes provide for removal of certain public officers by a procedure other than impeachment. It begins with a grand jury accusation (Gov.”
— Cal. Penal Code § 15(2) — 1 case
Blankerhorn v. City of Orange (9th Cir. 2007).
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