The legislation would have required ignition interlock devices for anyone convicted of driving under the influence, bringing California in line with most other states. Under current law, the devices — which prevent a car from starting if they detect alcohol on a driver’s breath — are only mandated after a repeat offense or a DUI crash that results in injury.

State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, an Inland Empire Democrat who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, signaled last week that changes were coming when she referenced amendments the committee had unanimously approved. This week, an updated version of the bill emerged that stripped out a central provision requiring interlock devices for thousands of first-time offenders. Such last-minute changes are often referred to in Sacramento as “hostile amendments” because they are made without the support — or often the knowledge — of the bill’s original author.

The revision comes against a notable backdrop. Cervantes herself was arrested on suspicion of DUI in a widely reported Sacramento incident in May 2025. Prosecutors declined to charge her after a blood test came back negative for drugs and alcohol. She later sued the city of Sacramento and several of its police officers, alleging they fabricated evidence and wrongfully arrested her. Her sister, Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for the state Assembly, has been convicted of DUI twice in Southern California, according to media reports.

Sabrina Cervantes did not respond to a request for comment. This story will be updated if she does.

News of the bill’s unraveling this week left Kellie Montalvo wondering whether some kind of mistake had been made. Montalvo’s 21-year-old son, Benjamin, was killed by a drunk driver in 2020 in the district Cervantes represents. Just two weeks earlier, Montalvo had been in Sacramento lobbying lawmakers — including Cervantes — in support of a package of bills aimed at curbing dangerous driving. Several of those measures have already stalled.

“It’s heartbreaking, and I try to tell myself not to lose hope,” Montalvo said. “I mean, California has to do something. Our numbers are horrifying.”

Federal data show alcohol-related traffic deaths in California have climbed more than 50% over the past decade — an increase more than double the national rate. More than 1,300 people die each year statewide in crashes caused by drunk drivers.

Over the past two years, a CalMatters investigation has documented how state officials have allowed dangerous drivers to remain on the road and cause fatal crashes, and how elected leaders have often looked the other way even as the death toll climbed.

For years, lawmakers have tried and failed to require ignition interlock devices for all DUI offenders. Progressive criminal justice reform groups and the Department of Motor Vehicles have opposed similar bills in the past, citing concerns about unfairly penalizing low-income offenders, high implementation costs and outdated DMV technology.

Montalvo and other advocates believed this year might be different. The DMV had been actively engaged in state hearings and, according to Montalvo and others, provided technical guidance to help ensure the bill’s feasibility. Gov. Gavin Newsom also directed lawmakers last year to keep refining the state’s interlock device laws and to build “a durable program that strengthens public safety.”

It remains unclear exactly why the bill was watered down at the last minute. Public records show that staff for the Senate Appropriations Committee had recently raised concerns about cost.

Even seasoned observers in Sacramento say the amendment process can be difficult to untangle.

“Honestly, sometimes it’s a pretty complicated issue, even for us as lawmakers,” said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, an Orange County Democrat. “I’m still trying to sort it out myself.”

Petrie-Norris, who has spent the past three years pushing versions of this legislation, said she does not believe Cervantes’ personal experience played a role in the decision to amend the bill. She said she is continuing to work on restoring elements of the measure after what she described as “unintended consequences” that could make the policy unworkable for the DMV and jeopardize California’s eligibility for federal funding.

When asked for an interview to explain the changes, the office of Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón referred questions to Cervantes. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a senior deputy communications director for Newsom, also declined to answer questions about the interlock bill, saying the governor’s office typically does not comment on pending legislation.

As the bill heads into its final days of negotiation, Montalvo and other families of crash victims say the moment feels painfully familiar. Just a year ago, they traveled to the Capitol with photographs of their loved ones only to be told that similar legislation was doomed to fail.

In the meantime, Montalvo has been keeping in contact with the parole officer overseeing the Riverside County driver who killed her son. The latest update: the driver, released from prison early, is now trying to get her license back.

Original source: CalMatters

The post Lawmakers Use “Hostile Amendments” to Undermine DUI Law Reforms appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The legislation would have made California one of the majority of states requiring anyone convicted of driving under the influence to install an ignition interlock device — an in-car breathalyzer that prevents a vehicle from starting if it detects alcohol on the driver’s breath. Currently, state law only mandates the devices for repeat offenders or those involved in DUI crashes that cause injury.

The bill had been gaining momentum, backed by lawmakers across the political spectrum and by grieving families who have lobbied the Capitol for tougher enforcement. But last week, Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, an Inland Empire Democrat who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, signaled that changes were coming, saying amendments had cleared her committee unanimously. When the revised bill surfaced this week, it had been hollowed out — eliminating the requirement that would have applied interlock devices to thousands of first-time DUI offenders.

Such last-minute changes, made without input from a bill’s original author, are known in Sacramento as “hostile amendments.”

The development carries added weight because of Cervantes’ own history with drunken driving allegations. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Sacramento in May 2025, though prosecutors declined to file charges after blood tests showed no trace of drugs or alcohol. Cervantes later sued the city of Sacramento and several police officers, claiming she was falsely arrested and that officers fabricated evidence against her. Her sister, Riverside City Councilmember and current Assembly candidate Clarissa Cervantes, has been convicted twice of DUI in Southern California, according to news reports.

Sabrina Cervantes did not respond to requests for comment.

For Kellie Montalvo, the news landed like a gut punch. Her 21-year-old son, Benjamin, was killed by an impaired driver in 2020 within Cervantes’ Senate district. Just two weeks ago, Montalvo had traveled to Sacramento to lobby lawmakers — Cervantes included — in support of a package of bills aimed at curbing dangerous driving. Most of those measures have already stalled or failed this session.

“It’s heartbreaking, and I try to tell myself not to lose hope,” Montalvo said. “I mean, California has got to do something. Our numbers are horrific.”

The concern is backed by data. Alcohol-related traffic deaths in California have surged more than 50% over the past decade, a rate more than double the national increase, according to federal figures. More than 1,300 people are killed each year in the state in crashes involving impaired drivers.

A two-year investigation by CalMatters has documented how state regulators have repeatedly allowed high-risk drivers to remain behind the wheel, and how state leaders have largely avoided confronting the rising death toll.

Efforts to mandate breathalyzer devices for all DUI convictions have failed in the Legislature for years, often facing resistance from criminal justice reform advocates and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Critics have warned the requirement could disproportionately burden low-income offenders, along with concerns about cost and the DMV’s outdated technology systems.

This year, advocates believed conditions had finally aligned for passage. The DMV took an active role in legislative hearings, offering technical guidance to help craft a workable version of the bill. Gov. Gavin Newsom had also urged lawmakers last year to keep refining the state’s interlock device laws to build “a lasting program that strengthens public safety.”

Why the bill was gutted at the last minute remains murky. Legislative records show Senate Appropriations Committee staff had raised concerns about the cost of implementation.

Even lawmakers say the process by which such changes occur can be difficult to trace. “Honestly, it’s sometimes a bit of a black box even for us as legislators,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, an Orange County Democrat who authored the bill and has pushed similar legislation for three years. “I am still trying myself to get to the bottom of it.”

Petrie-Norris said she doesn’t believe Cervantes’ personal legal situation influenced the decision to strip the bill’s core language. She said she is now working to restore key provisions after what she described as “unintended consequences” that could make the policy unworkable for the DMV and jeopardize California’s eligibility for certain federal highway safety funding.

Senate President Pro Tem Monique Límon’s office declined to discuss the matter directly, referring inquiries back to Cervantes. A spokesperson for Newsom, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, also declined to comment, citing the administration’s general policy of not weighing in on pending legislation.

As the bill enters its final stretch of negotiations before the legislative session ends, Montalvo and other families who have lost loved ones to impaired drivers say the moment feels painfully familiar. Almost exactly a year ago, they stood in the Capitol holding photos of their children and were told a similar reform effort was already dead.

In the meantime, Montalvo continues checking in with the parole officer overseeing the Riverside County driver convicted in her son’s death. She said she recently learned the driver, released early from prison, is now trying to get her license reinstated.

Original source: CalMatters

The post Lawmakers Strip Key Provisions From DUI Reform Bill With Last-Minute Amendments appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.