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Anatoly Varfolomeev addresses the media at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento where lawmakers announced a series of bills aimed at reducing DUI fatalities and injuries in the state.The bills are aimed at strengthening the state’s enforcement system and keeping many reckless drivers from behind the wheel for years longer.
The package would bring the state more in line with much of the country, particularly when it comes to handling drunk and drugged drivers. California saw a more than 50% spike in DUI-related deaths over the most recent 10 years for which federal estimates were available, an increase more than twice as steep as the rest of the country. AsIt’s been more than four decades yet Rhonda Campbell’s voice still quavered as she stood before a row of television cameras recalling the day in 1981 when a repeat drunk driver killed her 12-year-old sister. She remembers her father crying as he told her what happened, still hears her mother’s scream when the coffin lid closed. “For our family, 45 years means 45 years of missed birthdays, missed holidays and that empty chair at our table for every holiday gathering. Grief does not fade, it just becomes part of who you are,” Campbell, victim services manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving California, said Thursday at a press conference. Campbell joined other victim relatives, lawmakers, advocates, a police chief and a trauma surgeon on a Capitol building stage, all there to build momentum for what’s shaping up to be the biggest legislative effort to address dangerous driving in a generation. Next to them as they spoke was a table filled with photos of people killed on California’s roads and one old pair of gym shoes belonging to Campbell’s sister.A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers has so far introduced 10 bills this year as part of an unprecedented legislative package aimed at confronting California’s permissive roadway safety laws. Many of the proposals directly address issues CalMatters uncovered as part of the ongoingseries, which revealed how the state has routinely allowed dangerous drivers to stay on the road as its roadway death toll has skyrocketed. Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, a Democrat from Irvine, called the package of bills “California’s largest and most significant anti-drunk driving and anti-DUI push in over two decades.”Her colleague on the other side of the aisle, Assemblymember Tom Lackey of Palmdale, said “it’s time.” “We are failing, folks, and I’m so heartened by this big coalition of people. I’ve waited 12 years for this,” he said, referring to his time in the legislature after decades as a CHP officer. Lawmakers said to expect a few more bills next week before the deadline to propose new legislation. Several Republican legislators also asked for a formal audit into DMV records and Democrats plan to propose a separate audit of how the state spends its traffic safety funds. At Thursday’s event, lawmaker after lawmaker stepped to the podium to discuss their proposals and call on colleagues to join them in doing something about traffic deaths. They were often followed by grieving parents, there to talk about unfathomable loss. For one father, Anatoly Varfolomeev, it was almost too much. He struggled to address the audience, at one point gripping the podium and lowering his head, overcome with emotion before gathering the strength to continue. Varfolomeev said he’d planned to cite some of the statistics regarding motor vehicle fatalities but it was clear listening to the speakers that they were well known.His daughter and her childhood friend, both 19, were killed in November 2021 by a drunk driver going more than 100 miles per hour, Varfolomeev said. The driver served just three and a half years behind bars, Varfolomeev said., vehicular manslaughter isn’t considered a violent felony in California, meaning drivers who kill can serve only a fraction of their sentence behind bars. “So this is not a violent crime,” he said, holding up a picture of the mangled, charred remains of a car. “If this is not a violent crime what is?” One of the bills in the package would add vehicular manslaughter to the state’s list of violent felonies. A mom, Kellie Montalvo, was there to support the change and the rest of the bill package. Her son Benjamin Montalvo had just turned 21 and was riding his bike when a woman with prior reckless crashes ran him over and fled the scene. The woman who killed Benjamin – “Bean Dip” as his family affectionately called him – is due to be released from prison as early as this weekend. She called on Governor Newsom to do something. “Please come out now publicly and support these bills. You have an opportunity to lead the charge in supporting victims,” she said. “His name was ‘Bean Dip’, and he mattered.” Together, the bills are aimed at strengthening the state’s enforcement system and keeping many reckless drivers from behind the wheel for years longer. The package would bring the state more in line with much of the country, particularly when it comes to handling drunk and drugged drivers. California saw a more than 50% spike in DUI-related deaths over the most recent 10 years for which federal estimates were available, an increase more than twice as steep as the rest of the country. As“Safer roads are not a partisan or political issue. They are the basic responsibility we owe to every family that travels upon our roadways,” said Alex Gammelgard, past president of the California Police Chiefs Association. Many of the bills are sure to face significant challenges in the months to come. Financial concerns, for example, have helped doom previous efforts to pass expanded use of the in-car breathalyzers known as ignition interlock devices. A proposal to bring California in line with much of the rest of the nation is back on the table as part of the current package. Increasing criminal penalties could also be a tough sell in a legislature that’s been so focused in recent years on criminal justice reforms and alternatives to incarceration.“I want to align myself with the idea of compassion. I think California has done a lot to try to be on the compassionate side of the justice system,” said Assemblymember Dawn Addis, a Democrat from San Luis Obispo.Lawmakers have a little more than a week before the deadline to introduce new legislation for the session.Proposed changes: This bill would add vehicular manslaughter with “gross negligence” to the list of violent felonies. It would also add prison time for crashes with multiple victims and drivers with a prior felony DUI within 10 years. Finally, the bill would stiffen penalties for hit-and-run collisions where the driver had a prior DUI and expand so-called “Watson advisements” that make it easier to charge repeat DUI offenders with murder if they kill someone. Issue: Recent criminal justice reform laws made it easier for judges to wipe misdemeanor convictions — including vehicular manslaughter — from criminal records. In practice, that means some California drivers can get points added to their license for speeding, but not for killing someone, Proposed change: Ensure the DMV adds points to a drivers license in vehicular manslaughter cases where a driver gets off with misdemeanor diversion instead of a criminal conviction.Issue: License suspensions or revocations often start at the time of a conviction and can actually end before someone is released from prison. Proposed change: Require license suspensions and revocations to start when a driver is released from incarceration as opposed to at the time of a conviction, potentially keeping licenses away from dangerous drivers for years longer than the current law.Proposed change: Increase the number of points a vehicular manslaughter conviction adds to a driver’s license from the current two points to three.to be charged with a felony in California. Many other states allow prosecutors to charge a felony after two or three offenses. Proposed change: This would allow prosecutors to charge a second DUI offense within 10 years as a felony. Proposed change: Similar to Lackey’s bill, Schultz’s would let prosecutors charge a driver with a felony for their third DUI in 10 years. Increase the time some repeat DUI offenders need to have an ignition interlock device installed on their car and the amount of time their driving privileges are revoked.Proposed change: Increase the amount of time the DMV can revoke the driving privileges of someone who gets a third DUI to eight years. Issue: California’s current system allows many repeat DUI offenders to stay on the road with few safeguards. Proposed change: Let judges essentially bar people convicted of serious or repeat DUIs from purchasing alcohol by adding a “NO ALCOHOL SALE” sticker to their driver’s licenses, similar torecently enacted in Utah. A “Severe DUI” would be defined as an offense with a blood-alcohol level at least twice as high as the legal limit , conviction for two DUIs within three years, or a DUI causing great bodily injury, death, or major property damage.. State law currently requires the devices, which a driver must blow into for their car to start, for people convicted of two or more DUIs, or a DUI that results in injury.was gutted late in the legislative process last year after the DMV said it did not have the technology or funding to implement the changes.) Issue: Local law enforcement training varies widely in California, meaning that officers aren’t always trained in how to test for drunk and drugged driving. Proposed change: Increase DUI training for police officers who work traffic enforcement to ensure they are proficient in areas like sobriety testing and report writing.explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.Last year, Newport Beach saw about 500 arrests during the Spring Break months of March and April. According to the city, that’s peak time for noise disturbances, overcrowding and large unruly gatherings.City Council members voted 7-0 Tuesday to designate popular areas like the Balboa Peninsula, West Newport and Corona Del Mar as"Safety Enhancement Zones" during certain periods. That means during parts of March and April, fines for infractions like alcohol on the beach, illegal fireworks and excessive noise would be tripled. According to the city's, the fine for drinking on the beach is up to $100 for the first offense. Under the proposal for Spring Break, that would go up to $300.of the nation’s health department, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hasn’t held true to many ofhe made while appealing to U.S. senators concerned about the longtime anti-vaccine activist’s plans for the nation’s care.Kennedy squeaked through a narrow Senate vote to be confirmed as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, only after making a number of public and private guarantees about how he would handle vaccine funding and recommendations as secretary.Last month, the CDC removed its universal recommendations for children to receive seven immunizations, those protecting against respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, covid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus. The move followed a memorandum from the White House calling on the CDC to cull the schedule.of the nation’s health department, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hasn’t held true to many ofhe made while appealing to U.S. senators concerned about the longtime anti-vaccine activist’s plans for the nation’s care. Kennedy squeaked through a narrow Senate vote to be confirmed as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, only after making a number of public and private guarantees about how he would handle vaccine funding and recommendations as secretary.In two hearings in January 2025, Kennedy repeatedly assured senators that he supported childhood vaccines, noting that all his children were vaccinated.about the money he’s made in the private sector from lawsuits against vaccine makers and accused him of planning to profit from potential future policies making it easier to sue. “Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it,” Warren said during the Senate Finance Committee hearing. “Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.”“Senator, I support vaccines,” he said. “I support the childhood schedule. I will do that.” Days later, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, declared Kennedy had pledged to maintain existing vaccine recommendations if confirmed. Cassidy, a physician specializing in liver diseases and a vocal supporter of vaccination, had questioned Kennedy sharply in a hearing about his views on shots. “If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendations without changes,” Cassidy said during a speech on the Senate floor explaining his vote for Kennedy. A few months after he was confirmed, Kennedy fired all the incumbent members of the vaccine advisory panel, known as ACIP, and appointed new members, including several who, like him, oppose some vaccines. The panel’s recommendations soon changed drastically. Last month, the CDC removed its universal recommendations for children to receive seven immunizations, those protecting against respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, covid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus. The move followed a memorandum from the White House calling on the CDC to cull the schedule. Now, those vaccines, which researchers estimate have prevented thousands of deaths and millions of illnesses, are recommended by the CDC only for children at high-risk of serious illness or after consultation between doctors and parents. In response to questions about Kennedy’s actions on vaccines over the past year, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the secretary “continues to follow through on his commitments” to Cassidy. “As part of those commitments, HHS accepted Chairman Cassidy’s numerous recommendations for key roles at the agency, retained particular language on the CDC website, and adopted ACIP recommendations,” Nixon added. “Secretary Kennedy talks to the chairman at a regular clip.” Cassidy and his office have repeatedly rebuffed questions about whether Kennedy, since becoming secretary, has broken the commitments he made to the senator.Weeks after Kennedy took over the federal health department, the CDC pulled back $11 billion in covid-era grants that local health departments were using to fund vaccination programs, among other initiatives. That happened after Kennedy pledged during his confirmation hearings not to undermine vaccine funding. Kennedy replied “Yes” when Cassidy asked him directly: “Do you commit that you will not work to impound, divert, or otherwise reduce any funding appropriated by Congress for the purpose of vaccination programs?”The National Institutes of Health, part of HHS, also yanked dozens of research grants supporting studies of vaccine hesitancy last year. Kennedy, meanwhile, ordered the cancellation of a half-billion dollars’ worth of mRNA vaccine research in August.Cassidy said in his floor speech that he received a guarantee from Kennedy that the CDC’s website would not remove statements explaining that vaccines do not cause autism. Technically, Kennedy kept his promise not to remove the statements. The website still says that vaccines do not cause autism.on vaccine safety. “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” the The webpage also states that the public has largely ignored studies showing vaccines do cause autism. That is false. Over decades of research, scientific studies have repeatedly concluded that there is no link between vaccines and autism. A controversial 1998 study that captured global attention did link the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to autism. It was retracted for being fraudulent — though not until a decade after it was published, during which there were sharp declines in U.S. vaccination rates.is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more aboutIf you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Looking for more last-minute plans for Valentine’s weekend? Here’s a list of the 11 best V-Day events happening in Los Angeles.is transforming from a family-owned panadería into an intimate evening restaurant for the weekend. This is the second year Delicias will host a Valentine’s event as part of its “Moodnight” series.This is the second year Delicias will host a Valentine’s event as part of its “Moodnight” series. “Our customers are family, and we wanted to create a safe, welcoming place for people to gather at night, unwind, and enjoy fellowship, great food and music,” Matthew Rivera, an event organizer and Delicias’ business partner, told The LA Local. Delicias has been operating since 1991, offering Mexican recipes from pan dulce and breakfast burritos to aguas frescas and coffee. It is run by sisters Emily and Roxanne Sanchez. Delicias began hosting evening events in partnership with FAMI Goods in 2025.Galentine’s Day , when Delicias will host “Lovers x Friends,” an after-hours dinner featuring house-made pizzas for two and music inspired by Outkast’s The Love Below. Rivera called it “a celebratory event for friendship, filled with high energy and an upbeat atmosphere.”During the day, there will be bouquets and portraits, along with brunch featuring chilaquiles and raspberry compote waffles. At night, the bakery will offer a candlelit dinner with specialty pizzas and a café de olla brownie sundae for dessert. “Moodnight transitions into a more intimate, sultry atmosphere with R&B jams playing throughout the night,” Anisha Sisodia, Delicias’ creative director said. Heart-shaped conchas will also be available for takeout over the weekend. “ a glimpse of what Moodnight will continue to bring to the community throughout the year,” Sisodia added. Looking for more last-minute plans for Valentine’s weekend? Here’s a list of the 11 best V-Day events happening in Los Angeles. Wind down with some coffee and sing your heart out with a live band at this vibey Mar Vista spot.More info here At night, the bakery will offer a candlelit dinner with specialty pizzas and a café de olla brownie sundae for dessert.this week challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s threat to withhold funding over the state’s policy on gender identity disclosure.California Attorney General Rob Bonta asked the Northern District of California Court on Wednesday for a temporary restraining order against “an unconstitutional attempt to impose new conditions on $4.9 billion in federal education funding,”At issue is whether school staff should notify parents if they believe their child may be transgender or gender-nonconforming. California and LGBTQ+ advocates contend that policies requiring parental notification may forcibly “out” transgender students to their parents against their will. But the Trump administration and conservatives have portrayed the state’s stance as an attack on parents’ rights.this week challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s threat to withhold funding over the state’s policy on gender identity disclosure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta asked the Northern District of California Court on Wednesday for a temporary restraining order against “an unconstitutional attempt to impose new conditions on $4.9 billion in federal education funding,” “We will not stand by as U.S. ED uses baseless claims to attack crucial education funding,” Bonta said. “We will continue to fight to protect California’s schools and students from unfair attacks and work to ensure a discrimination-free educational environment for all students.” At issue is whether school staff should notify parents if they believe their child may be transgender or gender-nonconforming. California and LGBTQ+ advocates contend that policies requiring parental notification may forcibly “out” transgender students to their parents against their will. But the Trump administration and conservatives have portrayed the state’s stance as an attack on parents’ rights. “Parents are the most natural protectors of their children. Yet many states and school districts have enacted policies that imply students need protection from their parents,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahonLast month, McMahon claimed its investigation found that the California Department of Education “abused its authority by pressuring school officials to withhold information about students’ so-called ‘gender transitions’ from their parents.”that require teachers and school staff to notify parents if they believe a child is transgender or gender-nonconforming. It was passed in the wake of decisions by several school boards to require that parents be notified. In one high-profile incident, State Superintendent Tony Thurmondinto whether the California Department of Education’s policies violated federal privacy laws. That includes the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, known as FERPA, which grants parents the right to request and review their children’s educational records until they turn 18. The investigation found that California “put districts in a position of having to choose between complying with FERPA or getting sued by the State.” The investigation report noted that CDE “coerces school districts to withhold information about students’ gender identity.” Bonta disputes this interpretation of FERPA, stating that the law only requires disclosure of education records, not general information. The lawsuit states that CDE has issued guidance to districts clarifying that parents have the right to request their children’s education records under FERPA, even if those records contain information about a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The suit states that the Trump administration has “failed to demonstrate even a single violation of FERPA” and that the focus on the investigation appears to be “motivated by discriminatory animus against transgender people, including transgender students.” “This is a flagrant attempt by the U.S. Department of Education to intimidate the California Department of Education and California’s local education agencies under the guise of enforcing FERPA,” said Bonta in a statement.. It outlines the exceptions to what is included in education records, including personal staff notes, law enforcement records, employee records and records by medical or mental health professionals for students at least 18 years old. This isn’t the only legal battle California is involved in regarding parental notification. Two Escondido Union School District teachers filed a lawsuit in 2023, claiming that state and district policies preventing the “outing” of transgender students violated their constitutional free speech and religious rights. Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuitis an independent nonprofit organization that provides analysis on key education issues facing California and the nation. LAist republishes articles from EdSource with permission.
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