Los Angeles, CA – In the wake of a high-speed pursuit that hospitalized three Los Angeles Police Department officers on Saturday night in the San Fernando Valley, the LAPD's police union has sharply criticized local lawmakers for what they describe as lenient policies on drunk driving enforcement. The incident, involving a suspected DUI driver, underscores a broader crisis in California, where drunk driving fatalities have surged more than 50% over the past decade, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Just over 1,300 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes in 2023 alone, with thousands more injured, often by repeat offenders.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, in a statement to The California Post, pointed fingers at politicians like Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Eunisses Hernandez, accusing them of prioritizing criminal justice reform over public safety. “Driving while intoxicated is not a victimless crime and when Los Angeles politicians such as Councilmember Nithya Raman and Eunisses Hernandez repeatedly vote to cut police officers, stop enforcing DUI laws and end most other traffic enforcement, in the name of criminal justice reform, it only makes our streets less safe for every Angeleno,” the board of directors said. Efforts to reach Raman and Hernandez's offices for comment were unsuccessful.
This outcry comes amid a wave of advocacy from grieving families who argue that California's laws allow offenders to serve minimal jail time and return to the roads too quickly. Jennifer Levi, whose 18-year-old son Braun was killed in May by a suspected repeat drunk driver while walking home, has become a vocal critic of the state's approach to non-violent crimes. Braun, a nationally recognized tennis player set to attend the University of Virginia and graduate high school just a week later, was struck and killed by Jenia Resha Belt, 33, who faces one count of murder.
“The safety of our roads is deteriorating to a point where everyday it feels like there’s a death from a drunk driver,” Levi said. She expressed frustration over sentencing disparities, noting that injuring someone while intoxicated is often treated as a violent crime, while killing someone might not be under current law. “What shocks me the most is how little time they serve in jail for killing somebody,” Levi added. “Right now, you are drunk and you injure someone, you will most likely spend more time in jail than if you kill somebody, because it’s called an accident. Braun’s death certificate says accident. That was not an accident.”
Levi's case highlights issues with plea deals and warnings. The driver who killed her son had a previous DUI but pled down to a misdemeanor hit-and-run without receiving a Watson Warning, which informs offenders that future DUI-related deaths could lead to murder charges. Levi is pushing for reforms, including provisions in Senate Bill 907 introduced by State Senator Bob Archuleta, a Democrat whose own granddaughter died in a head-on crash with a drunk driver in 2024.
A spokesperson for Archuleta explained the bill's intent: “You’re intoxicated and you cause great bodily injury to someone, that is considered a violent crime, but the killing of that person would not be a violent crime under current law.” The legislation, which has bipartisan support, would classify gross vehicular manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated as violent felonies, ensuring longer sentences for killers than for those who merely injure. It also includes “Braun’s Law,” mandating consistent Watson Warnings in plea deals from DUI to hit-and-run cases.
“The Watson Warning is not read consistently throughout California,” Levi noted regarding her son's killer. Another recent example involves a California woman convicted in her fourth distracted-driving crash, which killed a 21-year-old cyclist. She began a nine-year sentence in 2023 but was slated for early release on Valentine's Day due to good behavior credits. A spokesperson for Archuleta elaborated: “Because the way credits work, for good behavior and doing certain things while you’re incarcerated, non-violent felonies you can get up to 50% of your time taken off, while a violent felony you can only have 15% taken off.”
Beyond drunk driving, families are challenging other laws perceived as too lenient. Allison Layman, whose 23-year-old son Connor Lopez was killed in April in Elk Grove by a distracted driver who turned into oncoming traffic, is fighting Assembly Bill 3234 from 2021. The bill expanded misdemeanor diversion programs to include vehicular manslaughter, allowing offenders to avoid full punishment and even keep cases off their driving records, according to a CalMatters investigation.
Layman described the heartbreak: “He died on the road, that driver never got out of her car. She sat there as others ran to cover his body.” The driver, Harjit Kaur, faces misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges, and Layman's family has been warned to expect a diversion. “It’s like the moment you find out about it, you start living that nightmare. It hasn’t even happened yet and you know, we’ve been told brace for it,” she said. Lopez, a talented pianist, was riding his motorcycle at the time of the crash.
“What’s happened in the last five years, is judges are, I mean, almost handing it out like candy,” Layman said of the diversion program, which she claims can result in penalties lighter than those for a speeding ticket. She attributes the policy to a “soft on crime push” aimed at emptying jails and reducing costs. Layman has launched a petition with nearly 13,000 signatures to revoke diversion eligibility for vehicular manslaughter, arguing that the system shows “compassion goes toward the criminal and not the victim.”
California's drunk driving epidemic is starkly illustrated by recent data from LendingTree, which ranks six of the nation's 10 worst cities for DUIs in the state. San Jose tops the list with a rate of 3.68 per 1,000 drivers, followed by Sacramento, Fresno at 3.31, Long Beach, Bakersfield, and Oakland. A CalMatters report emphasizes that repeat offenders are responsible for many incidents, exacerbating the toll on communities.
“He was gonna go play tennis at the University of Virginia. He loved life, he was a great kid, he worked hard,” Levi recalled of her son. “It’s completely devastating to us, and I couldn’t believe it happened to us and it’s just so sad that that our state is like this.” Similarly, Layman and Levi, though their losses stem from different circumstances—one drunk driving, the other distraction—share a mission to prevent future tragedies.
While Senate Bill 907 addresses some gaps in DUI laws, it does not tackle the misdemeanor diversion expansion under AB 3234, leaving families like Layman's to continue their separate advocacy. Archuleta's office has indicated ongoing discussions, but no timeline for broader reforms has been set. As California grapples with its deadly roads, these voices from victims' families and law enforcement highlight a growing call for tougher measures to protect drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
The pursuit that injured the three LAPD officers serves as a reminder of the risks faced by first responders in this environment. All three were released from the hospital without major injuries, but the union's statement warns that resource cuts and reduced enforcement are endangering everyone. With over 1,300 alcohol-related deaths in 2023 marking a sharp rise from a decade ago, the pressure on lawmakers to act intensifies.
For Levi, whose family's case remains ongoing, the fight is personal yet forward-looking. “The woman who killed our son had a suspended license,” she said. “Our family will be disappointed and nothing will ever bring our son back and no sentencing or charge will ever feel like enough, but I feel so strongly about changing California for the future.” As petitions circulate and bills advance, the hope is that these stories will spur meaningful change before more lives are lost on California's highways.