SEAL BEACH, CA \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 907<\/a>, introduced by Senator Bob Archuleta last week, seeks to \u201cstrengthen DUI laws<\/a>, close dangerous loopholes, and hold repeat offenders truly accountable,\u201d Archuleta said in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter losing my own grandchild to a drunk driver, this fight is deeply personal,\u201d Archuleta wrote. \u201cFamilies like the Levi family, who lost 18-year-old Braun Levi, deserve justice and action.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out what’s happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.<\/p>\n Archuleta’s grandchild, Alex Robles<\/a>, was killed in an Apple Valley collision on Dec. 23, 2024, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Find out what’s happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.<\/p>\n \u201cOur oldest grandchild, Alex Robles<\/a> was 30 years old and a graduate of CSUSB who had recently earned a Master\u2019s 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.”<\/p>\n Now, more than a year after his grandchild’s death, Archuleta hopes his proposed legislation, which includes \u201cfive necessary fixes to California\u2019s DUI laws<\/a>,\u201d will prevent drunk driving deaths, as well as hold DUI drivers accountable, according to a news release from Archuleta.<\/p>\n \u201cThis legislation closes dangerous loopholes, strengthens penalties for chronic drunk drivers \u2013 including those with prior felony DUI convictions \u2013 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,\u201d LA County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a written statement.<\/p>\n \u2018Braun\u2019s Law\u2019 <\/p>\n In a written statement, MADD said \u201cBraun\u2019s Law\u201d will work to \u201cclose many loopholes in our sentencing laws that allow impaired drivers to evade justice and leave victims and survivors revictimized.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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, \u201cdid not receive a Watson Warning, a loophole that SB 907 closes,\u201d according to Archuleta. <\/p>\n Related: ‘His Death Haunts My Every Breath,’ Says Mom Of 18-Year-Old Killed In Manhattan Beach DUI Crash<\/a><\/p>\n Under \u201cBraun\u2019s Law,\u201d drivers who plea down from a drunk driving charge to a hit-and-run charge would be read a Watson warning, Archuleta said.<\/p>\n A Watson advisement is a statement<\/a> that convicted DUI drivers must sign, acknowledging that they understand driving drunk \u201ccan injure or kill people,\u201d according to Los Angeles DUI Attorney.<\/p>\n If a convicted DUI driver drives drunk again and kills someone, the driver could face a second-degree murder charge, Archuleta said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur son was killed by a repeat DUI offender that the system failed to stop,\u201d Braun Levi\u2019s mother, Jennifer Levi, said in a written statement. \u201cNo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Kolya and Anya\u2019s Law\u2019 <\/p>\n Under \u201cKolya and Anya\u2019s Law,<\/a>\u201d suspected DUI drivers involved in a crash that kills multiple people will face longer sentences, according to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.<\/p>\n The law\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n