When will a defendant who has exercised his right to counsel receive equal treatment?

Nor are we persuaded that principles of equal protection require the result urged by petitioner. " 'The concept of equal protection of the laws compels recognition of the proposition that persons similarly situated with respect to the legitimate purpose of the law receive like treatment' [Citation.]" (People v. Hughes (1980) 112 Cal.App.3d 452, 458, 169 Cal.Rptr. 364.) As we have seen, petitioner misses the point that, factually, he is not similarly situated to a defendant who has exercised his right to counsel. Our highest court has cogently observed: "When an accused manages his own [212 Cal.App.3d 512] defense, he relinquishes, as a purely factual matter, many of the traditional benefits associated with the right to counsel." (Faretta v. California, supra, 422 U.S. at p. 835, 95 S.Ct. at p. 2541.)