In re Dean M.
Minor Dean M. was declared a ward under Welfare and Institutions Code section 602[1] in Contra Costa County based on auto theft (Veh. Code, § 10851, subd. (a)) and cruelty to animals (Pen. Code, § 597, subd. (a)). He appeals on grounds that there was no substantial evidence to support the juvenile court’s commitment to an out‑of‑county ranch, that the court considered improper matter and failed to consider necessary information when it sent him to Bar-O Ranch in Del Norte County, resulting in a denial of due process. Specifically he claims the case plan was deficient and the court improperly based its decision on a purportedly racist remark made by Dean during a Marsden motion and on his father’s disruptive conduct in court.[2] Alternatively, Dean claims he received ineffective assistance of counsel when newly retained counsel failed to obtain a transcript of the jurisdictional hearing and failed to request a continuance to fully familiarize himself with the background of the case before appearing at the disposition hearing, thereby rendering himself unable to address both the use of the racist remark as a grounds for the ranch commitment and unable to respond to the court’s concerns about prior obstreperous behavior of Dean’s father at prior hearings. We affirm.
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