SECTIONS 6150-6154 - California Statutes

VEHICLE CODE

SECTION 6150-6154

6150. In any criminal proceeding in which ownership, possession, or
use of a motor vehicle is an issue, a copy certified by the
department as its record of title on file, or with the official
custodian of those documents of another state, shall be admissible as
evidence of ownership of the motor vehicle. Upon the introduction of
evidence that the legal owner of a motor vehicle is not named in the
certificate of title or that use or possession was with the consent
or authority of the owner, a reasonable continuance shall be granted
any party to enable the owner of the vehicle to be brought into court
to testify.

6151. A party to a proceeding described in Section 6150 may provide
notice to the opposing party that a showing of need will be made at
the arraignment or at any other pretrial hearing, and upon the proof
of that notice and the showing of need, the court shall take
testimony from the owner or person in control of the motor vehicle
which shall be admissible at trial.

6152. At any hearing, including, but not limited to, a scheduled
trial date, involving a proceeding described in Section 6150, upon a
showing of need, the court shall order as a condition of granting a
continuance that the testimony of a witness then present in court be
taken and preserved for subsequent use at a trial or any other stage
of the proceeding.

6153. Where testimony is taken and preserved for use at trial or
other stage of the proceeding pursuant to Sections 6151 and 6152, the
witness shall be examined in open court by the party on whose behalf
he or she is present, and the adverse party shall have the right of
cross-examination.

6154. If any provision of this act or the application thereof to
any person or circumstances is held invalid, that invalidity shall
not affect other provisions or applications of the act which can be
given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to
this end the provisions of this act are severable.