California lawmakers push bipartisan effort to toughen penalties for DUI offenses
California lawmakers introduced a bipartisan legislative package to crack down on drunk driving in the state.
"California is the epicenter of America's drunk driving crisis," said State Assemblywoman Cottie Petris-Norris, who authored one of the bills.
In addition to longer license suspensions and increased training for law enforcement, the bill package aims to require first-time offenders to install an interlocking ignition device, which requires a breathalyzer test to start a car. Petris-Norris has tried to push the bill through the state legislature twice before.
"There have been 35 other states that have implemented similar laws with similar requirements," Petris-Norris said. "We have seen that it works."
Another bill would close a loophole that allows judges to dismiss cases against drunk drivers facing misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges if they take an alcohol education program.
"I think most people would be surprised to learn that," Petris-Norris said. "That's why we want to make sure we close that loophole and strengthen accountability."
Drunk driving is still one of the leading causes of deadly and serious injury crashes in California, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. While the state saw a slight decrease of 4.5% between 2022 and 2023, OTS reported a nearly 55% increase in drunk driving deaths between 2014 and 2023.
A UC Berkley study into data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in 2023, California accounted for a little more than 10% of the 12,492 people killed in alcohol-impaired crashes in the U.S.
Nearly 49% of alcohol-impaired driving deaths in the state happened in Southern California.
"California's current DUI laws are broken and weak and fail to protect families like ours, and it's devastating," mother Jennifer Levi said.
Levi's son, Braun Levi, was struck and killed while walking along Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach last summer. He was weeks away from his high school graduation.
The driver, Jenia Resha Belt, 33, faces one count of murder, one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and a misdemeanor count for driving on a suspended or revoked license, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office.
This is not the first time she has faced drunk driving charges. In 2023, prosecutors filed drunk driving and hit-and-run charges against Belt, according to court records. The California Department of Motor Vehicles said authorities suspended her driving license in January 2024.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman echoed Petris-Norris' sentiment, describing California's DUI laws as "some of the weakest in the nation."
"My plea is to Gov. Gavin Newsom and California lawmakers," Levi said. This is not a political issue, this is a human issue."
