California enacts 'Braun's Law' to crack down on repeat DUI offenders with tougher penalties

LOS ANGELES - Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of measures on Friday aimed at cracking down on repeat impaired driving across California, centering the legislative effort on a bill named in memory of an 18-year-old high school student killed by an alleged drunk driver in Manhattan Beach last year.

What is Braun's Law?

Local perspective:

Gov. Newsom enacted Senate Bill 907, officially designated as "Braun's Law," during a personal visit to the home of the Levi family. 

The bill honors Braun Levi, an 18-year-old Loyola High School student and nationally ranked tennis player from Pacific Palisades who was struck and killed by a suspected repeat drunk driver while walking in Manhattan Beach in May 2025. Levi’s family had recently relocated to Manhattan Beach after losing their home in the January 2025 Palisades Fire.

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• Braun Levi: DUI driver pleads not guilty
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Authored by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera), SB 907 mandates that drivers whose DUI charges are pleaded down to a lesser charge or misdemeanor are read the formal Watson advisement. This procedure ensures drivers are formally warned that driving under the influence is dangerous to human life and that committing the act again can result in a murder charge if a fatality occurs. 

Additionally, Braun's Law establishes that leaving the scene of an accident involving injury within 10 years of a previous DUI, reckless driving, or gross vehicular violation can be charged as a felony, while increasing penalties for hit-and-run crashes involving death or serious injury under similar prior violation criteria.

Increasing penalties for impaired driving

Big picture view:

Alongside SB 907, Gov. Newsom signed three additional Assembly measures designed to increase consequences for repeat DUI offenders:

• Assembly Bill 1546, introduced by Assemblymember Schultz, enhances criminal penalties for repeat DUI offenses within a 10-year window. Under AB 1546, two or three prior DUI violations make cases easier to charge as felonies; a conviction with three prior violations carries a four-year driver's license revocation and a three-year mandatory ignition interlock requirement, while four or more violations result in a felony charge with mandatory jail time, a five-year license revocation, and a four-year ignition interlock mandate.
• Assembly Bill 1685 increases DMV violation point assessments from two to three points for convictions of vehicular manslaughter and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
• Assembly Bill 1687 extends the duration the DMV can revoke a driver's license following three or more DUI convictions from three years to eight years.

Enforcement metrics provided by state officials indicate that the California Highway Patrol has made over 50,900 DUI arrests, conducted 75 sobriety checkpoints and 154 saturation patrols statewide, and delivered 64 traffic safety presentations to date this year. 

According to the governor's office, in July 2026, the CHP awarded more than $41 million in cannabis tax-funded grants to 183 organizations statewide to support impaired-driving enforcement, public education, officer training, and forensic testing.

What we don't know:

While the criminal case against the suspect involved in Braun Levi's death remains open, specific trial dates and ultimate legal outcomes are pending as the defendant, Jenia Resha Belt, has pleaded not guilty. 

It's unknown whether future state legislative sessions will reconsider amendments that were removed from the original draft of SB 907.

‘Change is happening’

What they're saying:

Braun Levi's mother, Jenn Levi, shared her gratitude for the bill's passage while describing her son's legacy during an interview with FOX 11's Marla Tellez. 

"Thank you to Governor Newsom and the First Partner for listening, taking action, and helping make our state safer by signing SB 907, including Braun’s Law," said Jenn Levi. "I am deeply grateful to Senator Archuleta and LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s office for their unwavering support in moving this legislation across the finish line. Today, I am proud to be a Californian and inspired by what can happen when people use their voices and leaders choose to take action."

Reflecting on her son's character, Jenn Levi added, "Braun, like you said, was 18 years old. He was a week shy of high school graduation and he was a great kid. He was inclusive and kind and courageous and curious and he lifted up everybody. He elevated every room that he walked into. He just made the world a better place. He was the type of person that you wanted as your friend and he loved everyone. He truly did."

Describing the emotional moment the governor signed the bill, she stated, "It was pretty surreal. When you get a phone call that says ‘the governor would like to visit your home tomorrow,’ it's pretty exciting. It was a big honor. I felt like my voice had been heard. It had been seen. They took it seriously. It's a sign to California that change is happening and that we need to do something about our relaxed DUI laws in order to make our state safer."

State officials and advocates framed the new legislation as an essential step toward accountability and victim advocacy.

"Getting behind the wheel when you are impaired is inexcusable — especially when it results in the loss of someone’s life," said Gov. Newsom. "Today, we’re creating tougher laws and greater accountability for those who break the law. We will not stand by as more lives are lost, and more families are forever changed by those who choose to drive under the influence."

Sen. Bob Archuleta emphasized his personal connection to the issue when discussing the legislation. 

"Having lost my granddaughter to a repeat drunk driver, this is personal. No family should have to endure what mine has, or what has happened to the Levi family," said Sen. Archuleta. "Thank you to Governor Newsom for taking bold action to support families that have been devastated by drunk drivers. These are preventable tragedies. 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."

Legislators from both parties highlighted the broader effort to prevent traffic fatalities. 

"Over the course of the last year, we’ve heard heartbreaking testimony from families across California who have lost loved ones due to drunk driving," said Assemblymember Schultz, Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee. "Governor Newsom’s signature on AB 1546 strengthens the penalties for repeat DUI offenders, and it’s a positive step forward in our effort to improve public safety in all of our communities."

Assemblymember Lackey noted the nonpartisan nature of traffic safety legislation. 

"As a former California Highway Patrol sergeant, I have seen firsthand the heartbreak and devastation that impaired driving can leave behind," said Assemblymember Lackey. "These bills are about preventing those tragedies before they happen, and to keep impaired drivers off our roads. I thank Governor Newsom for signing these measures into law. We may come from different political parties, but protecting innocent lives and making sure every Californian has the chance to make it home safely is something we should all stand behind."

The ongoing push for reform

What's next:

Despite the passage of SB 907, grassroots advocacy for stricter DUI legislation will continue in Sacramento.

Jenn Levi announced her intention to return to the state capitol to push for additional statutory changes that were removed from the original draft of Braun's Law, specifically seeking legislation that classifies driving under the influence resulting in death as a violent felony under California law.

Honoring Braun's memory and legacy

What you can do:

Members of the public seeking to learn more about impaired driving awareness, community outreach, and honoring Braun Levi's memory can visit the Live Like Braun Foundation online at livelikebraunfoundation.org or follow the organization's official Instagram handle @LiveLikeBraunFoundation.