California lawmakers unveiled a bipartisan package of bills on Monday aimed at curbing dangerous driving and DUI-related traffic deaths, as lawmakers and advocates focus on changes they say are needed after years of rising fatalities. The proposals were announced at a press conference that also highlighted findings from CalMatters’ “License to Kill” series.
Democratic Assemblymember Nick Schultz of Burbank, who chairs the Assembly Public Safety Committee, said the effort reflects a search for solutions that can move beyond party lines. “Sacramento is listening. We see that there is a problem and we are doing what we can, crossing that partisan divide and trying to identify real solutions that we can deliver now to make our communities safer,” Schultz said.
The Assembly proposals were presented as one piece of a broader legislative reckoning over roadway safety, with a separate event expected next week to include more details on bills coming from the California Senate and the perspective of families who have lost loved ones to drunk drivers. The announcement also previewed additional legislative work that Schultz and other lawmakers said would take aim at legal and administrative processes they say have allowed dangerous drivers to stay on California’s roads.
One proposal described by Lori Wilson, a Democrat who chairs the Assembly Transportation Committee, would require the state Department of Motor Vehicles to add points to a driver’s license when a person is granted misdemeanor diversion instead of being convicted. Wilson described the bill as closing a path that can allow some DUI-related cases to avoid the usual impact on a driving record.
At Monday’s press conference, Assemblymembers also laid out proposals that would change when licensing actions take effect and how they apply after custody. Another proposal described by Wilson would shift the start date for some license suspensions and revocations from the time of conviction to the time a driver is released from custody, rather than waiting until after criminal proceedings conclude.
Schultz said the package also would include measures aimed at DUI offenders who are not yet repeat cases. Petrie-Norris, a Democrat from Irvine, introduced a bill that would require first-time DUI offenders to install ignition interlock devices on their vehicles. She said the measure is the third time she has introduced the proposal and noted that California is one of the few states that does not require the technology for first-time offenders.
Petrie-Norris said ignition interlock devices can save lives and invoked the scale of the DUI problem facing the state. “California is the epicenter of America’s DUI and drunk driving epidemic. As moms, as dads, as Californians, it’s horrifying. And as policymakers, we have an opportunity and we have an obligation to do something about this,” she said. She added, “We know these devices work. We know that they can save lives.”
The legislative package also includes a proposal to force first-time DUI offenders to install the breath testing technology, along with changes aimed at enforcement and training. Juan Alanis, a Republican from Modesto, said the bills would increase DUI training for law enforcement officers and address what he said is a gap between basic academy training and more specialized training needed to assess whether someone is sober enough to drive.
Alanis said in many cases, officers receive only basic instruction in detecting drunk and drugged driving at the academy and then must wait for colleagues with more specialized training to evaluate sobriety. “This is to help those agencies and officers to be able to have that training so that way we can identify DUI drivers faster, quicker and get them off the streets,” Alanis said.
Assemblymembers also described proposals that would close what they called a diversion loophole that can undermine accountability. The announcement said the issue stems from a criminal justice reform law that, according to the conference materials, had allowed judges to dismiss misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges for drivers who agreed to take part in diversion programs—an arrangement that lawmakers said can leave drivers avoiding a criminal conviction while retaining a clean driving record.
Schultz, who introduced last month a separate bill to increase penalties for repeat DUI offenders, said at Monday’s press conference that the new package is a “starting point” and that he expects state Senate colleagues to propose additional changes aimed at saving lives on the road. He cited a separate bill introduced last month by Sen. Bob Archuleta, a Democrat from Norwalk, to increase punishment for DUIs and make it easier for prosecutors to charge repeat offenders with murder. Archuleta was expected to hold a press conference later this month with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, road safety advocates and other lawmakers to announce further road safety bills.
After the announcement, the legislation’s next steps were expected to unfold as the Assembly and Senate consider the package and related proposals during the legislative session.