SEAL BEACH, CA — A California senator has proposed a bill seeking stricter DUI enforcement and sentencing laws, inspired by the deaths of his eldest grandchild, a Manhattan Beach teenager and two Orange County young adults.

Senate Bill 907, introduced by Senator Bob Archuleta last week, seeks to “strengthen DUI laws, close dangerous loopholes, and hold repeat offenders truly accountable,” Archuleta said in a Facebook post.

“After losing my own grandchild to a drunk driver, this fight is deeply personal,” Archuleta wrote. “Families like the Levi family, who lost 18-year-old Braun Levi, deserve justice and action.”

Find out what’s happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Archuleta’s grandchild, Alex Robles, was killed in an Apple Valley collision on Dec. 23, 2024, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Robles was driving in a Honda Civic on Highway 18 when they were hit head on by a Mitsubishi Outlander driving the wrong way, deputies said. The driver, identified as Vicente Zuniga-Medina, was driving under the influence of alcohol, according to deputies.

Find out what’s happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

“Our oldest grandchild, Alex Robles was 30 years old and a graduate of CSUSB who had recently earned a Master’s degree in social sciences,” Archuleta told the Victorville Daily Press. “Alex was a lovely and wonderful person who was ready to take on a career that had always been a dream, even though at a young age, Alex had already touched many lives, and made a difference in this world.”

Now, more than a year after his grandchild’s death, Archuleta hopes his proposed legislation, which includes “five necessary fixes to California’s DUI laws,” will prevent drunk driving deaths, as well as hold DUI drivers accountable, according to a news release from Archuleta.

“This legislation closes dangerous loopholes, strengthens penalties for chronic drunk drivers – including those with prior felony DUI convictions – and treats vehicular homicide with the seriousness it demands, putting public safety first and delivering consequences that reflect the irreversible harm caused on our roads,” LA County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a written statement.

‘Braun’s Law’

In a written statement, MADD said “Braun’s Law” will work to “close many loopholes in our sentencing laws that allow impaired drivers to evade justice and leave victims and survivors revictimized.”

Levi, a nationally ranked high school tennis star from Loyola High School, was walking in Manhattan Beach when he was hit and killed by a suspected DUI driver on May 4, Archuleta said.

The driver had previously been arrested on a DUI charge; however, she pleaded to a lesser charge of a hit-and-run and, as such, “did not receive a Watson Warning, a loophole that SB 907 closes,” according to Archuleta.

Related: ‘His Death Haunts My Every Breath,’ Says Mom Of 18-Year-Old Killed In Manhattan Beach DUI Crash

Under “Braun’s Law,” drivers who plea down from a drunk driving charge to a hit-and-run charge would be read a Watson warning, Archuleta said.

A Watson advisement is a statement that convicted DUI drivers must sign, acknowledging that they understand driving drunk “can injure or kill people,” according to Los Angeles DUI Attorney.

If a convicted DUI driver drives drunk again and kills someone, the driver could face a second-degree murder charge, Archuleta said.

“Our son was killed by a repeat DUI offender that the system failed to stop,” Braun Levi’s mother, Jennifer Levi, said in a written statement. “No family should ever have to experience that kind of loss and pain. This bill is about protecting lives and ensuring that individuals who choose to drive impaired face real consequences before another tragedy happens.”

‘Kolya and Anya’s Law’

Under “Kolya and Anya’s Law,” suspected DUI drivers involved in a crash that kills multiple people will face longer sentences, according to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

The law’s name references 19-year-olds Anya Varfolomeev and Nikolay Osokin, who were killed by a DUI driver in a 2021 Orange County crash, according to Spitzer.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Oscar Eduardo Ortega was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and driving at speeds of 100 mph on the San Diego (405) Freeway in Seal Beach when he crashed into another car, killing the two 19-year-old victims inside.

In 2022, Ortega was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was sentenced to 10 years in California state prison.

“Their killer served just 3½ years of a 10-year sentence because under current law, he was considered a ‘non-violent’ offender and eligible for early release. SB 907 fixes that,” Spitzer said.

The proposed legislation includes a provision that “would allow for full-term consecutive sentencing for multiple violations of gross vehicular manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated,” Archuleta said.

Under current law, such violations can be treated as non-violent or concurrent offenses, according to Archuleta.

“Everyone knows about the deadly dangers of impaired driving, and yet countless families continue to be destroyed because someone gets behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs,” Spitzer said in a written statement. “We as Californians must stand up against drunk and drugged driving by demanding full accountability for impaired drivers and the shattered lives they leave in their wake.:”

3 More ‘Necessary Fixes’

The proposed bill also adds “gross vehicular manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated to the violent felony list,” according to Spitzer.

This provision, Archuleta said, “closes a loophole where someone who kills someone while driving drunk can serve less time than someone who injures another person.”

In an effort to target repeat offenders, the bill seeks to add a three-year sentence enhancement for each prior felony DUI conviction occurring within 10 years, Spitzer said.

SB 907 also increases the punishment for drivers with a hit-and-run and hit-and-run with injury if they have had a prior DUI conviction within 10 years, according to Spitzer.

“We must strengthen California’s laws to better support law enforcement, and most importantly, we must stand with and support the families who are devastated by drunk drivers,” Archuleta said. “These are preventable tragedies, and California must step up.”

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.