Legal Question in Administrative Law in California

Re: pleading guilty to a felony

Your question should be asked under a different topic heading, one referring to criminal law. Administrative law is the branch of law that deals with matters such as zoning, permits, business licensing and regulation, and other topics relating to citizens dealing with the government bureaucracy, but usually not involving felonies.

Nevertheless, I'll try to give you an answer that may be a starting point.

I would say that if you plead not guilty, you don't waive any rights; as far as I know, you still even have the right to change your plea to guilty as charged, or guilty of a lesser offense. In some complex cases involving multiple defendants, a not guilty plea might be a bad strategic move if you had the opportunity for a favorable plea bargain in exchange for your testimony against the co-defendants.

On the other hand, entering a plea of guilty will make it very difficult to withdraw your plea and plead not guilty. I know courts allow criminal defendants to change their pleas in some circumstances, but not all.

If you are charged with a felony, you should be getting advice on such matters from a defense attorney working for you, and not on a bulletin board service. If you can't afford to hire an attorney, you are entitled to be represented, and to have questions like these answered, by a public defender.