Bill would expand Watson warnings, toughen penalties for fatal drunk driving cases.
Legislation aimed at tightening California’s drunk driving laws has been introduced in the state Senate, targeting sentencing gaps and enforcement weaknesses that critics say allow repeat offenders to avoid serious consequences.
Sen. Bob Archuleta, a Democrat from Pico Rivera, announced the introduction of Senate Bill 907, a measure designed to strengthen penalties for driving under the influence, particularly in cases involving repeat offenses and multiple victims. Archuleta said the proposal is rooted in personal loss, noting that his eldest grandchild was killed by a drunk driver.
“No family should ever have to endure what my family experienced during the holidays last year, or what the Levi family is facing now,” said Senator Bob Archuleta. “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. These are preventable tragedies, and California must step up. Thank you to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and District Attorneys Hochman and Spitzer for partnering with me to make real change for California.”
The bill is backed by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Supporters say the measure is intended to prevent future fatalities while ensuring accountability for those who cause serious harm while driving intoxicated.
The bill follows the May 4, 2025, death of 18-year-old Braun Levi, a nationally ranked high school tennis player from Loyola High School, who was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while walking in Manhattan Beach.
SB 907 proposes several changes to state law, including a requirement that so-called Watson warnings be issued in all cases where a DUI charge is reduced to a hit-and-run offense. The provision, known as “Braun’s Law,” would ensure that offenders are formally warned that future impaired driving resulting in death could lead to second-degree murder charges.
Jennifer Levi, the mother of Braun Levi, who has become an advocate for stronger penalties for driving under the influence, said, “Our son was killed by a repeat DUI offender that the system failed to stop. 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. We owe it to every parent, every family, and every community to put public safety first.”
In addition to Braun’s Law, SB 907 goes after repeat, serial offenders with enhancements for prior felony DUI convictions upon a new felony DUI and increases the punishment for hit and runs if the driver has a prior DUI conviction within 10 years.
Under current law, prosecutors say some defendants avoid receiving a Watson warning when a DUI case is pleaded down, limiting sentencing options in subsequent fatal incidents. The bill seeks to close that gap.
Authorities said the accused driver had previously been arrested for driving under the influence but pleaded to a hit-and-run charge and did not receive a Watson warning. Supporters of SB 907 say Levi’s case illustrates a loophole the legislation is designed to eliminate.
Additional provisions would classify gross vehicular manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated as violent felonies. Proponents argue that the change would eliminate disparities in sentencing that can result in less prison time for offenders who kill someone while driving drunk than for those who cause serious injury.
The legislation also addresses cases involving multiple victims. Inspired by the deaths of Anya Varfolomeev and Nikolay Osokin in Orange County, SB 907 includes a provision allowing full consecutive sentencing for multiple counts of gross vehicular manslaughter or vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The provision is referred to as “Kolya and Anya’s Law.”
If enacted, the change would allow courts to impose full consecutive sentences when a single impaired-driving incident results in multiple deaths.
