The Overview

If you or someone you love is facing a DUI charge, a plea deal in California now comes with a warning that could follow you for years. Under SB 907, which was signed into law on September 25, 2026, courts must warn people who plead to a different or lesser offense in a driving under the influence case that if their future conduct results in a death, they may be charged with murder. ​

California's Driving under the influence and other driving offenses: comprehensive reform bill, SB 907 became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 25. More than 1,300 people die each year in alcohol-related crashes in California, and alcohol-related roadway deaths rose more than 50 percent over the preceding decade, according to CalMatters.

What the Law Does

Under existing California law, drivers convicted of certain DUI-related crimes must be warned by the court that a future death they cause could bring a murder charge. The law extends that warning to drivers who plead to a lesser or different offense, not just those convicted of the original charge.

The law also stiffens penalties for hit-and-run drivers with prior DUI records: an injury hit-and-run becomes punishable as a misdemeanor or felony, and the felony penalty for a hit-and-run causing death or serious injury increases, when either violation occurred within 10 years of a prior DUI, reckless driving, or gross vehicular manslaughter offense.

Legislative Status

Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-CA-30) sponsored the bill, with principal coauthors Asm. Tom Lackey (R-CA-34) and Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-CA-73), and coauthors Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-CA-38), Sen. Shannon Grove (R-CA-12), Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-CA-16), Sen. Roger Niello (R-CA-6), Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-CA-19), Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-CA-32), Sen. Tony Strickland (R-CA-36), Sen. Tom Umberg (D-CA-34), Asm. Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-CA-67), and one additional coauthor. The Senate passed the bill 36-0 on May 26. The Assembly passed it 77-0 on Aug. 30, and the Senate concurred in Assembly amendments 38-0 on Aug. 31.

Jennifer Levi, mother of Braun Levi, said at the signing: "Nothing will ever bring my Samantha back or bring Braun back to the Levi family, but in signing SB 907 California is finally stepping up for victims," according to the California Governor's Office.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article