Tougher DUI Laws Enacted
California Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Four New Laws to Strengthen DUI Penalties
Anonymous
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed four laws to strengthen consequences for repeat impaired driving. Senate Bill 907, known as Braun’s Law, honors 18-year-old Braun Levi, who was killed in Manhattan Beach in 2025 by a driver prosecutors say had a prior DUI and a suspended license; it requires courts to warn drivers whose DUI cases are reduced that a future fatal crash could lead to a murder charge, toughens penalties for certain repeat-offender hit-and-runs and takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Other measures extend possible license revocation after a third DUI from three years to eight, increase driving-record points for specified serious offenses and make certain records public. The laws followed reporting on state failures to track or restrict some dangerous drivers, while much of a broader traffic-safety package did not pass amid concerns that tougher enforcement could disproportionately affect low-income and marginalized communities. Levi’s mother, Jennifer, became an advocate after his death and said the laws may help prevent similar tragedies.
Key Points
1
The driver accused of killing Braun Levi had a blood-alcohol level twice California’s legal limit, according to the Sacramento Bee.
2
Assembly Bill 1685 specifically requires the DMV to make public records of drivers convicted of gross negligence or gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated within 10 years of the incident.
3
Under AB 1546, a conviction with three prior DUI violations carries a four-year license revocation and a mandatory three-year ignition-interlock requirement.
4
The woman accused in Levi’s death faces charges of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, as well as a misdemeanor charge related to driving on a suspended or revoked license.
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