Does the plea bargain have any legal status?

In People v. West (1970), 3 Cal.3d 595, 599, 91 Cal.Rptr. 385, 386, 477 P.2d 409, 410, the court confirmed the legality of the plea bargain, stating: 'In a day when courts strive to simplify trial procedures and to achieve speedier dispatch of litigation, we believe that the recognition of the legal status of the plea bargain will serve as a salutary time-saver as well as a means to dispel the procedural obscurantism that now enshrouds it. The grant of legal status to the plea bargain should enable the court in each case to reach a frank, open and realistic apprisal of its propriety.'