Criminal procedure: arraignment pilot program.

Existing law requires the magistrate, on motion of counsel for the defendant or the defendant, when the defendant is in custody at the time he or she appears before the magistrate for arraignment and the public offense is a misdemeanor to which the defendant has pleaded not guilty, to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that a public offense has been committed and that the defendant is guilty of that offense. Existing law requires the determination of probable cause to be made immediately, unless the court grants a continuance not to exceed 3 court days, for good cause. This bill would require the Judicial Council to establish a 5-year pilot project in 6 counties, as specified, that would require a court to apply those same procedures in the case of an arraignment of a defendant who is not in custody for a public offense that is a misdemeanor to which the defendant has pleaded not guilty.