The People, Plaintiff and Respondent v. Jomo Zambia, Defendant and Appellant

Summary

The court held that pandering under Penal Code section 266i, subdivision (a)(2), includes encouraging an active prostitute or an undercover officer posing as one to work under the defendant's or another pimp's management. It construed the statutory language in context, considering the statute's purpose, related subdivisions, longstanding judicial interpretation, and legislative acquiescence, and found sufficient evidence that defendant intended to recruit Officer Cruz into a pimping relationship. Justice Werdegar, dissenting, would have held that the plain phrase "to become a prostitute" excludes a person the defendant believes is already a prostitute.