(a) If a special hearing is held in a felony case pursuant to Section 1538.5, or if the grounds on which the warrant was issued are controverted and a motion to return property is made (i) by a defendant on grounds not covered by Section 1538.5, (ii) by a defendant whose property has not been offered or will not be offered as evidence against the defendant, or (iii) by a person who is not a defendant in a criminal action at the time the hearing is held, the judge or magistrate shall proceed to take testimony in relation thereto, and the testimony of each witness shall be reduced to writing and authenticated by a shorthand reporter in the manner prescribed in Section 869.

(b) The reporter shall forthwith transcribe the reporter’s shorthand notes pursuant to this section if any party to a special hearing in a felony case files a written request for its preparation with the clerk of the court in which the hearing was held. The reporter shall forthwith file in the superior court an original and as many copies thereof as there are defendants (other than a fictitious defendant) or persons aggrieved. The reporter is entitled to compensation in accordance with the provisions of Section 869. In every case in which a transcript is filed as provided in this section, the clerk of the court shall deliver the original of the transcript so filed to the district attorney immediately upon receipt thereof and shall deliver a copy of the transcript to each defendant (other than a fictitious defendant) upon demand without cost to the defendant.

(c) Upon a motion by a defendant pursuant to this chapter, the defendant is entitled to discover any previous application for a search warrant in the case which was refused by a magistrate for lack of probable cause.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 71, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2003.)