Governor Schwarzenegger -- Public Safety: California Highway Patrol

10/17/2007 - Today in Santa Ana Governor Schwarzenegger highlighted legislation he recently signed to discourage drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel and increase penalties for underage drinking violations and the manufacturing of fraudulent identification.

Learn more about the Governor’s action on legislation at www.gov.ca.gov/bills.

Driving under the influence is a serious problem in California. Almost 1,000 died last year in California due to DUI collisions and many first time DUI offenders are reoffending.

According to the CHP, in 2006, 983 were killed and 23,191 were injured in 37,981 DUI collisions.
According to the DMV, 4.7 percent of all first-time DUI offenders will be arrested for DUI again within one year.

The Governor is taking action to strengthen California’s commitment to public safety by signing the following bills:

AB 421 by Assemblymember John Benoit (R-Bermuda Dunes) reduces from 10 days to five days, the time for the clerk of a court to forward abstracts of court records of certain vehicle-related code convictions to DMV, effective October 1, 2008.
AB 678 by Assemblymember Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) clarifies numerous sections of California code to conform to specific Penal Code sections, also makes a change to the definition of a “serious felony” and imposes and removes certain mandatory sentence enhancements as they relate to the crime of vehicular manslaughter, including while operating a vessel.
AB 808 AB 808 by Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) requires anyone applying for or renewing a driver’s license to sign a declaration acknowledging that if a person is killed as a result of their driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they can be charged with murder. This bill was joint-authored by Assemblymember Todd Spitzer (R-Orange).
AB 1165 by Assemblymember Bill Maze (R-Visalia) makes it unlawful for a person who is on probation for a conviction of driving under the influence to operate a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01% or greater, as measured by a preliminary alcohol screening test. This bill goes into effect January 1, 2009.
AB 1658 by Assemblymember Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) enhances the penalties for several underage drinking laws under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. This bill also enhances penalties for persons who manufacture fraudulent driver licenses and identification cards.

Keeping Our Roadways Safe Has Been The Governor’s Top Priority:

In June, the Governor announced $70 million in traffic safety grants awarded to 136 agencies and communities across the state. The grants are being used to fund sobriety checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, DUI prosecutor education, increased scrutiny of repeat offenders through probation departments, emergency room interventions for suspected drunk drivers and more efficient cross-agency record and information sharing.

In December 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger announced $3.7 million in funding to 93 law enforcement agencies across the state to conduct sobriety checkpoints. The grants supported heavy enforcement periods throughout the National Impaired Driving Mobilization effort, including the December and New Years holidays.

In the 2005-06 legislative session, the Governor signed numerous bills to discourage and punish driving under the influence, including the following:

SB 207 by Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena) authorized pre-conviction vehicle impoundment for any individual suspected of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of 0.10% or more and has one or more prior DUI convictions.
SB 547 by Senator Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks) established a Sacramento County pilot program authorizing vehicle impoundment for up to 30 days and alcohol-related intervention for individuals suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) when the driver has suffered a prior DUI-related conviction.
SB 1756 by Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) required that a person convicted of a first time DUI, meeting specific criteria, shall have their license suspended for 10 months to conform to the DUI program duration.
AB 1353 by Assemblymember Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge) increased the length of treatment programs from 45 to 60 hours for first time driving-under-the-influence offenders with a blood alcohol level of 0.20 percent or more.
AB 2752 by Assemblymember Todd Spitzer (R-Orange) increased penalties for specified underage DUI offenses.


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Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Crackdown on Driving Under the Influence and Underage Drinking CHP Home Page: www.chp.ca.gov 10/17/2007 - Today in Santa Ana Governor Schwarzenegger highlighted legislation he recently signed to discourage drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel and increase penalties for underage drinking violations and the manufacturing of fraudulent identification. Learn more about the Governor’s action on legislation at www.gov.ca.gov/bills. Driving under the influence is a serious problem in California. Almost 1,000 died last year in California due to DUI collisions and many first time DUI offenders are reoffending. According to the CHP, in 2006, 983 were killed and 23,191 were injured in 37,981 DUI collisions. According to the DMV, 4.7 percent of all first-time DUI offenders will be arrested for DUI again within one year. The Governor is taking action to strengthen California’s commitment to public safety by signing the following bills: AB 421 by Assemblymember John Benoit (R-Bermuda Dunes) reduces from 10 days to five days, the time for the clerk of a court to forward abstracts of court records of certain vehicle-related code convictions to DMV, effective October 1, 2008. AB 678 by Assemblymember Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) clarifies numerous sections of California code to conform to specific Penal Code sections, also makes a change to the definition of a “serious felony” and imposes and removes certain mandatory sentence enhancements as they relate to the crime of vehicular manslaughter, including while operating a vessel. AB 808 AB 808 by Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) requires anyone applying for or renewing a driver’s license to sign a declaration acknowledging that if a person is killed as a result of their driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they can be charged with murder. This bill was joint-authored by Assemblymember Todd Spitzer (R-Orange). AB 1165 by Assemblymember Bill Maze (R-Visalia) makes it unlawful for a person who is on probation for a conviction of driving under the influence to operate a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01% or greater, as measured by a preliminary alcohol screening test. This bill goes into effect January 1, 2009. AB 1658 by Assemblymember Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) enhances the penalties for several underage drinking laws under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. This bill also enhances penalties for persons who manufacture fraudulent driver licenses and identification cards. Keeping Our Roadways Safe Has Been The Governor’s Top Priority: In June, the Governor announced $70 million in traffic safety grants awarded to 136 agencies and communities across the state. The grants are being used to fund sobriety checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, DUI prosecutor education, increased scrutiny of repeat offenders through probation departments, emergency room interventions for suspected drunk drivers and more efficient cross-agency record and information sharing. In December 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger announced $3.7 million in funding to 93 law enforcement agencies across the state to conduct sobriety checkpoints. The grants supported heavy enforcement periods throughout the National Impaired Driving Mobilization effort, including the December and New Years holidays. In the 2005-06 legislative session, the Governor signed numerous bills to discourage and punish driving under the influence, including the following: SB 207 by Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena) authorized pre-conviction vehicle impoundment for any individual suspected of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of 0.10% or more and has one or more prior DUI convictions. SB 547 by Senator Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks) established a Sacramento County pilot program authorizing vehicle impoundment for up to 30 days and alcohol-related intervention for individuals suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) when the driver has suffered a prior DUI-related conviction. SB 1756 by Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) required that a person convicted of a first time DUI, meeting specific criteria, shall have their license suspended for 10 months to conform to the DUI program duration. AB 1353 by Assemblymember Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge) increased the length of treatment programs from 45 to 60 hours for first time driving-under-the-influence offenders with a blood alcohol level of 0.20 percent or more. AB 2752 by Assemblymember Todd Spitzer (R-Orange) increased penalties for specified underage DUI offenses.	Joe Farrow Incoming Commissioner 2/27/2008 - California is praised for enacting requirements for motorcyclists to wear helmets, for tougher drunk driving laws, strengthening seatbelt and child safety seat laws and increased restrictions on teen drivers. This summer two new laws go on the books in California restricting use of hand-held cell phones by drivers and banning drivers under the age of 18 from using cell phones and pagers while driving. Watch the video blogAbout Traffic Laws » 5/9/2008 Governor Delivers Remarks at California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony 10/17/2007 FACT SHEET: Legislation To Crackdown On Driving Under The Influence, Underage Drinking 12/5/2006 Governor Schwarzenegger Awards Medal of Valor to 42 State Employees 9/8/2006 Governor Schwarzenegger Kicks Off CHP Recruiting Campaign 9/8/2006 Fact Sheet: CHP Staffing and Population Expansion