The measures now move to the opposite houses of the Legislature, a point where similar efforts have struggled in past years. If approved, the bills would affect drivers statewide, including across Southern California and the Inland Empire, where DUI enforcement and roadway safety remain frequent concerns for law enforcement and families of crash victims.

Hearings this spring exposed a sharp policy divide. Families who have lost loved ones in crashes, along with lawmakers pushing for tougher penalties, argued that California has too often allowed dangerous drivers to remain on the road. Progressive organizations, including the ACLU and other advocacy groups, urged lawmakers to focus more heavily on road design, traffic calming and prevention rather than expanding criminal penalties.

At a March hearing of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, Danica Rodarmel, speaking for Debt Free Justice California, opposed broader requirements for ignition interlock devices — in-car breathalyzers used by some DUI offenders. She said the systems can be costly and difficult for some drivers to manage.

“If we’re serious about prevention, we have to design systems that people can easily comply with,” Rodarmel told lawmakers. “I also understand that these concerns sound really minuscule when we’re talking about it compared to lives.”

Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, a Southern California Democrat who is again trying to expand use of the devices, responded by focusing on the stakes.

“I could not agree more with that sentiment,” she said.

Among the bills still moving forward are two measures, AB 1662 and SB 953, aimed at closing what supporters call a diversion loophole. California’s diversion program is intended to help lower-level offenders avoid the long-term consequences of a criminal conviction. But in some cases, judges have granted diversion to drivers accused of killing someone, meaning the cases were not reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles and the drivers kept clean records. Critics say that can leave a driver facing less lasting punishment than someone cited for speeding.

AB 1830 would expand ignition interlock requirements. Most states require all people convicted of DUI to install the devices, but California currently mandates them mainly for repeat offenders or DUI crashes involving injuries. Even those requirements are not always enforced by courts, according to prior reporting on the issue.

AB 1546 would increase consequences for repeat DUI offenses. Under current law, prosecutors generally must wait until a fourth DUI within 10 years before charging the offense as a felony. The bill would make a third DUI within that period a “wobbler,” allowing prosecutors to pursue either misdemeanor or felony charges. It also would extend ignition interlock requirements or license suspensions for drivers with four or more DUIs in a decade.

SB 1198 would lengthen license suspensions and vehicle impoundment periods for drivers convicted of reckless driving.

Three other bills remain alive but have been narrowed.

SB 907 originally included five major provisions to increase DUI penalties. The remaining portions would add prison time for some repeat DUI offenders, enhance penalties for hit-and-run cases involving drivers with prior DUIs, and make it easier to charge repeat drunken drivers with murder if they kill someone. Removed provisions would have classified vehicular manslaughter as a violent felony in some cases and added prison time for fatal crashes involving multiple victims.

AB 1685 would change how vehicular manslaughter convictions count against a driver’s license. Currently, a vehicular manslaughter conviction counts as two points; a speeding ticket counts as one, and four points in 12 months can trigger a suspension. The original bill would have made all vehicular manslaughter convictions count as three points. As amended, it adds a third point only when the driver was intoxicated and acted with gross negligence.

AB 1687 would address license revocations for serious repeat offenses. State law now requires the DMV to revoke a license for three years after most felony vehicular manslaughter convictions or a third DUI. The bill initially would have required an eight-year revocation. The current version would allow, but not require, the DMV to impose the longer period.

Several other proposals have stalled or failed.

AB 1723 and AB 1874 sought to change when license revocation periods begin. Courts have sometimes failed to report manslaughter convictions to the DMV. When those cases were later flagged, the DMV has treated the revocation as if it began on the conviction date, meaning some drivers never actually lost their licenses. One proposal would have required the revocation period to begin when the DMV takes action; the other would have started the period when a driver is released from jail or prison after a manslaughter conviction.

AB 1686 would have allowed prosecutors to charge a second or third DUI as a felony, rather than generally waiting until a fourth DUI.

AB 1747 would have made all DUI vehicular manslaughter cases felonies. Under current California law, a driver who kills someone while intoxicated can still face a misdemeanor if prosecutors determine the driver did not act with gross negligence. The bill failed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee after labor and human rights groups argued that existing law gives prosecutors appropriate discretion.

AB 1748 would have doubled the license suspension for a first-time DUI from six months to one year, lengthened suspensions for repeat offenders and required permanent license revocation after five DUI convictions within 10 years. It was rejected by the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

AB 2276 proposed a pilot program for “intelligent speed assistance” technology. Similar in concept to ignition interlock devices for DUI offenders, the proposal would have tested technology intended to prevent people convicted of reckless driving from speeding.

AB 1605 and AB 1867 were modeled on a Utah law restricting alcohol sales to repeat DUI offenders. The California proposals would have required the DMV to mark licenses with language such as “No alcohol sales” or “Repeat serious DUI offender.” One version included a lifetime ban on alcohol purchases for the most serious repeat offenders. The bills did not advance.

AB 1814 would have expanded law enforcement training requirements for field sobriety testing, drug recognition or impaired-driving investigations. The proposal failed to meet a key May legislative deadline.

Original source: CalMatters

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Angel Baby Cruz of Riverside was arrested last year following a California Highway Patrol investigation into the deadly wreck.

At the end of a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst found there was sufficient evidence to bound Cruz over for trial on the murder count, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of committing a felony offense while on bail.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for May 27 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Cruz remains held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to the CHP, shortly before 5 a.m. April 26, 2025, the defendant was at the wheel of a Mercedes 300 going westbound on the 60 when the sedan went out of control and slammed into the center divider wall between La Rue Street and Rubidoux Boulevard.

“The vehicle then went across all lanes and struck a tree,” Officer Javier Navarro said. “The vehicle became fully engulfed by fire.”

Good Samaritans stopped and went to help Cruz and his front-seat passenger, a young man identified in court documents only as “D.G.”

Navarro said they managed to pull Cruz to safety but couldn’t get to the victim, who was unconscious, before the Mercedes was consumed by the blaze.

“After the Riverside County Fire Department put out the flames, the body was located in the front seat,” the CHP spokesman said.

No one else had been in the car. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Cruz underwent treatment at a Riverside hospital for unspecified minor injuries, at which point he was also determined to be intoxicated, Navarro alleged.

The defendant was formally taken into custody without incident. After a brief hospitalization, he was cleared for booking into the downtown Riverside jail.

Cruz has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. There were no details available concerning the circumstances of his prior arrest, or how long he had been on bond leading up to the fatal crash.

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Willie Eddie Salazar of Wildomar caused the death of 32-year-old Sahtarria Anderson of Menifee in 2022.

In February, a Murrieta jury convicted Salazar of second-degree murder, felony driving under the influence and DUI resulting in great bodily injury.

During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson imposed the sentence required under state law on the defendant.

According to the California Highway Patrol, on the night of April 29, 2022, the defendant was driving his Honda Civic the wrong way — going westbound in the eastbound lanes of Domenigoni Parkway — when he approached a Chevrolet Malibu driven by Anderson’s friend, identified only as a 31-year-old Hemet man.

Anderson was in the right front passenger seat of the four-door sedan, which was near Patterson Avenue when the two vehicles reached the same point.

“The Honda and Chevrolet were involved in a head-on crash,” CHP Officer Jason Montez said at the time, adding that it was uncertain exactly how fast each car was traveling.

Paramedics arrived minutes later and treated the defendant and two victims, all of whom were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.

Anderson succumbed to her injuries the following day. Her friend, who suffered major injuries, was hospitalized for an unspecified period but ultimately recovered.

Salazar, also seriously hurt, was hospitalized for more than a week before being booked into jail.

Court records indicated that, in February 2022, he admitted a misdemeanor DUI, receiving a month-long jail sentence and a 36-month term of probation, with a requirement that he attend classes on the dangers of drinking and driving.

It was unclear whether he enrolled in the program. Under California law, if a DUI offender is convicted of driving while intoxicated, he or she can be charged with murder for causing a death directly tied to a subsequent DUI collision.

Court documents showed Salazar additionally had a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.

The post Wildomar Man Who Caused Fatal Head-On Wreck While Drunk Sentenced appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Jamie Lee Komoroski pleaded guilty at the Charleston County courthouse to reckless homicide, felony DUI causing death and two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury before her sentencing.

Also hurt in the 2023 crash was the groom, Aric Hutchinson, who cried in court as he recalled the last moments he spent with Samantha Miller — some of their only moments as husband and wife.

“On the golf cart, she told me she didn’t want the night to end and I kissed her on the forehead and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital,” Hutchinson said.

Komoroski, 27, was sentenced to the maximum of 25 years in prison for felony DUI causing death by Judge Deadra Jefferson. She also was sentenced to 15 years in prison for each count of felony DUI causing great bodily injury and 10 years for reckless homicide. The sentences will all run at the same time.

Police said Komoroski drank at several bars on April 28, 2023, and was driving 65 mph (105 kph) on a narrow Folly Beach road with a speed limit of 25 mph (40 kph) when she slammed into the golf cart leaving a wedding. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.26%, which is more than three times the legal limit to drive.

The 34-year-old bride died still wearing her wedding dress. The groom suffered a brain injury and numerous broken bones. The cart was thrown 100 yards (91 meters) by the crash.

After pleading guilty, Komoroski said she realized now she was addicted to alcohol and selfishly didn’t care how her actions affected others. She promised to spend the rest of her life helping addicts and warning of the dangers of drinking and driving. She said she was “devastated, deeply ashamed and sorry” for what she did.

“I wish I could go back and undo this terrible tragedy. But I cannot. I will live the rest of my life with intense regret for what happened that night,” she said.

She said all her work will be dedicated to Miller’s memory.

“I pray God stands by the side of my victims and their families and loved ones for the rest of their lives,” Komoroski said.

A number of friends and family of both Miller and Komoroski spoke at the hearing, which lasted nearly three hours. Komoroski’s supporters asked the judge to be lenient because she is young, remorseful and can still do good.

Many of Miller’s family asked for a harsh sentence, saying they can never get her back and that the decisions Komoroski made that night were selfish and permanently scarred many lives. Komoroski looked at most of Miller’s family, including Hutchinson, as they spoke, occasionally wiping away tears.

Hutchinson said he sees more doctors and therapists than he can count because of his physical injuries and the mental anguish of the crash, and that he thinks about it every single day.

“I wish I had died that night. I wish I had seen it coming. I’d have jumped off the golf cart so you would only have run me over,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson won $863,000 in legal settlements from three bars that served Komoroski as well as her insurance firm and the company she rented her car from.

Before the sentencing, Miller’s father told Komoroski he was disgusted that she appeared to never take responsibility. He told her she could apologize, but he wouldn’t listen to a word.

“The rest of my life I’m going to hate you and when I arrive in hell and you come there, I will open the door for you,” Brad Warner said. “You have ruined so many people’s lives.”

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RIVERSIDE, CA — A man who allegedly caused a head-on collision that killed a boy and seriously injured his three siblings in Riverside while traveling over 100 mph and under the influence of marijuana was due to make his initial court appearance Monday.

Andres Laris, 23, of Riverside was arrested and booked Thursday into the Robert Presley Jail, where he’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Laris is charged with second-degree murder and three counts of roadway violations that resulted in great bodily injury.

He’s slated to appear before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Walter Kubelun at the Riverside Hall of Justice Monday afternoon.

Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said that traffic detectives this month concluded a yearlong investigation into the collision that killed 8-year-old Obed Liam Barbosa Carbajal of Riverside.

Their findings resulted in sufficient grounds to seek criminal charges, and an arrest warrant was obtained and served on the defendant at his residence on Hershey Way Thursday, according to Railsback.

Critically injured in the collision were Obed’s then-25-year-old sister, Kially Carbajal, and his two siblings, 16-year-old Mario and 10-year-old Kiara.

The latter suffered the most significant injuries — a brain impact, two broken legs and a spinal fracture. She is still recovering. Kially Carbajal suffered a broken arm and foot has since recovered.

Mario, who was seated in the front passenger seat of his sister’s car, suffered significant head trauma that required surgery. He has since recovered.

Kially Carbajal was driving her younger siblings to school on the morning of May 16, 2023.

According to police and an investigation by attorneys for the Carbajal family, Laris was driving his 2020 Honda Civic westbound on Arlington Avenue, going “more than 100 mph” when he lost control at Stover Avenue.

Railsback said he failed to negotiate a bend in the road and “veered into the opposite lanes of traffic due to his high speed” going through the intersection.

“He collided head-on into the 2015 Nissan Sentra, which was traveling east on Arlington,” the police spokesman said.

The collision resulted in the two vehicles becoming a gnarled wreck, trapping all of the parties.
Riverside Fire Department crews extricated them a short time later. Obed was pronounced dead at the scene.

Along with the victim’s siblings, Laris was seriously injured and was in the hospital for an unspecified period.

Railsback said investigators decided to pursue a murder charge based on the defendant’s prior conduct, which included two speeding convictions, one of which led to his taking an online traffic safety course that warned “speeding is dangerous because it increases the risk of a crash and decreases the time the driver has to react to avoid a collision.”

The signs of cannabis in his blood after he was hospitalized indicated he was likely under the influence, further justifying criminal charges, according to Railsback.

Laris has no documented prior felony convictions.

The Carbajal family in December announced a civil action against the city and the defendant, alleging negligence on the part of both.

The lawsuit, which is still pending, blames municipal officials, in part, for the wreck because the plaintiffs allege that the city failed to move forward with a plan established in 2015 to install a traffic light and make various other roadway safety improvements at the intersection.

According to the plaintiffs, residents of the area had repeatedly complained about the need for changes. Between 2009 and 2023, there were nearly 30 collisions, including three fatal ones, in the area of Arlington and Stover, according to the suit.

Arlington is a major travel corridor through the western half of the city, and the point of impact was at a roadway curve where speeding is not uncommon.

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RIVERSIDE, CA — An unlicensed driver who backed into a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer during a traffic stop, injuring the lawman, pleaded guilty Monday to assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon and other charges.

Prudencio Xajil Alvarado, 57, admitted the assault count, along with DUI resulting in great bodily injury and being an unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle, as part of a plea directly to Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Kelly, without input or objection from the District Attorney’s Office.

Kelly did not specify a potential term of imprisonment. He scheduled Alvarado’s sentencing for July 10 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The defendant remains free on $35,000 bail.

According to CHP Officer Javier Navarro, about 9:30 a.m. Oct. 18, 2022, the victim, identified only as a motor officer from the agency’s Riverside office, spotted the defendant’s Nissan Maxima on Indiana Avenue, just south of the Riverside (91) Freeway, and observed an unspecified infraction, prompting the lawman to conduct an enforcement stop.

Alvarado complied, pulling over to the curb, and the motor unit stopped a short distance behind him, Navarro said.

“As the officer began to dismount his motorcycle to contact the driver, Alvarado placed the Nissan into reverse and accelerated toward the officer,” the CHP spokesman said. “The Nissan collided into the motorcycle, disabling it and subsequently causing minor injuries to the officer.”

The lawman immediately arrested the defendant without further incident.

“Alvarado displayed objective signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication,” Navarro said.

The officer was treated for his injuries but not hospitalized. The defendant was not hurt.

Alvarado has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.

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File # MV233210033

Details:

On November 17, 2023, at 3:20 am, deputies from the Riverside Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Station were dispatched to the intersection of Cottonwood Avenue and Graham Street regarding a traffic collision involving a vehicle versus a pedestrian. Deputies arrived on the scene within minutes and located a victim in the roadway. Deputies learned the suspect fled the area in a vehicle and began a search. The victim, a 52-year-old resident of Hemet, was identified as an employee of the Eastern Municipal Water District and was working at the location at the time of the collision. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect vehicle was located a short time later on Cactus Avenue east of Frederick Street, occupied by the suspect, 21-year-old Jose Andres Mateo Rodas, of Moreno Valley. The suspect vehicle, a 2000 Acura, was found to have minor damage on the hood consistent with the collision. The Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station Traffic Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. Rodas was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on felony driving under the influence and felony hit-and-run charges.

This investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Deputy Jason Slover of the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station at 951-486-6700 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office at 951-776-1099.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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File # Numerous

Details:

Two Arrested and Fourteen Cited at City of Perris DUI Checkpoint

Perris, Calif. – On September 08, 2023, 2 people were arrested for DUI, and 14 citations were issued, for violations such as driving with suspended/revoked license or without a license at a DUI/ Drivers license checkpoint.

The DUI/ Drivers license checkpoint. was held at Ramona Expy. and Rider St. from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

14 drivers were cited for operating a vehicle unlicensed or with a suspended/revoked license, and 1,144 vehicles were contacted. 32 vehicles were subject to secondary screening, 4 field sobriety tests were conducted, and 4 vehicles were towed.

DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on reported incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints are to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off roads.

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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File # N/A

Details:

Moreno Valley, Calif. – The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office – Moreno Valley Station arrested eight drivers suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) during a nearly three-week period through Labor Day weekend.

The enforcement efforts were part of a national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilization campaign, where additional officers were on patrol throughout the country to take suspected impaired drivers off the road.

In addition to patrols, the Moreno Valley Station held a DUI checkpoint on Friday August 25, 2023, leading to four DUI arrests, two drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and two drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.

Most Californians consider drunk driving as one of their biggest traffic safety concerns, and drunk driving crashes accounted for nearly a third (32%) of all traffic deaths in the state in 2021. This equates to about four people killed every day.

First-time charges for DUI in California are an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, which could include a suspended license.

The Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Cannabis products, illicit drugs, even prescription and over-the-counter medications, may impair driving.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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File # Y231570047

Details:

On June 06, 2023, about 8:14 pm, deputies assigned to the Thermal Station responded to a major injury traffic collision at the intersection of Avenue 51 and Chiapas Street in the city of Coachella. Upon their arrival, deputies found two occupants of one vehicle with major injures and began life saving measures; the driver of the second vehicle was uninjured. One of the injured parties succumbed to his injuries at the scene and the other was transported to a local hospital for additional medical treatment.

The Coachella Community Action Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. The driver of one of the involved vehicles, Antonio Tellez Leon, 38 years of Coachella, showed signs of impairment and was subsequently arrested for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license, violation of probation, felony driving under the influence causing injury, and murder. Leon was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

The traffic collision investigation required the temporary closure of all east and westbound lanes of Avenue 51 between Frederick Street and Van Buren Street. The roadway has been reopened.

This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call Deputy Esteban Molina of the Thermal Station at 760-863-8990. Persons who wish to report criminal activity and wish to remain anonymous can call crime stoppers at 800-78-CRIME (800-782-7463) or 800-47-DRUGS (800-473-7847). You can also leave anonymous information on wetip.com.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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