The Overview
If you have multiple DUI convictions within 10 years in California, the penalties just got steeper: Assembly Bill 1546 toughens criminal penalties for repeat offenders. Alcohol-related roadway deaths in California had risen by more than 50 percent over the previous decade, more than twice the increase seen elsewhere in the country, and an investigation found repeat DUI offenders repeatedly involved in fatal crashes, according to CalMatters. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the bill on Sept. 25, and it became law as Chapter 444 of the 2026 Statutes.
What the Law Does
Under existing California law, a DUI conviction with two prior violations within 10 years carried 120 days to one year in county jail, and the new law makes that offense a "wobbler," which can be punished as either a misdemeanor or a felony of 16 months, two years, or three years in county jail. A fourth conviction within 10 years now mandates felony treatment, with a sentence of 16 months or two or three years in county jail. The wobbler designation lets prosecutors choose whether to charge a third DUI conviction within 10 years as a misdemeanor or a felony, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Legislative Status
Asm. Nick Schultz (D-CA-44) authored the bill, with principal coauthors Asm. Mark González (D-CA-54) and Asm. Lori Wilson (D-CA-11), and coauthors Asm. Juan Alanis (R-CA-22) and Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-CA-73). The bill passed four votes with no no votes: 8-0 in the lower chamber on March 3, 15-0 in the lower chamber on May 14, 72-0 on the lower chamber's floor on May 21, and 6-0 in the upper chamber on June 23.
Schultz said the law "strengthens the criminal penalties for repeat DUI offenders." Newsom called it "a positive step forward in our effort to improve public safety in all of our communities," according to the Governor of California.
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