DUI-related deaths have jumped more than 50 percent in California over the past decade — that’s more than twice the increase nationwide.
California has some of the weakest laws in the country surrounding drunk and drugged driving.
Governor Newsom has decided, after almost eight years in office, that now is a good time to sign new DUI laws.
One allows prosecutors to charge a driver’s third DUI as a felony.
Another makes it easier to pursue murder charges against repeat DUI offenders who later kill someone.
And a driver who injures someone while drunk after four previous DUIs will lose their license for six years.
Why the crackdown now?
Newsom is leaving office in January and is considering a run for president in 2028.
By getting tougher on DUIs as he leaves office, Newsom can now point to his “tough on crime record” as he builds a national profile.
This is for Newsom — not for California.
