BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — California lawmakers are taking a closer look at driving under the influence and the possibility of increasing consequences for offenders.
One proposal, Assembly Bill 1605, would allow judges to place a “no alcohol sale” designation on the driver’s licenses or state IDs of people convicted of certain DUI offenses.
For one Bakersfield mother whose son was killed by a drunk driver, the change cannot come soon enough.
It has been four months since Stephanie Soerjono lost her 8-year-old son, Xxavien Hernandez, in a crash caused by a drunk driver just before the holidays. Now she is preparing for her first birthday without him.
“Every day is hard, but this birthday’s gonna be really hard. It’s gonna be really hard,” Soerjono said.
Soerjono has maintained a memorial at the crash site at Haley Street and E. California Avenue. At the location, she placed a sign with a QR code encouraging people to support changes to DUI laws.
“That’s how I’m able to move forward,” she said. “I’m here to speak for him because he doesn’t have a voice to speak for himself.”
In February, California lawmakers introduced a slate of bills aimed at addressing drunk driving. Assembly Bill 1605 would allow judges to add a “no alcohol sale” designation to the IDs of people convicted of multiple DUIs or involved in DUI crashes that result in great bodily injury, major property damage or death.
Matt Clark, a partner with the Bakersfield law firm Chain Cohn Clark, said the proposal could help but may not fully address the problem.
“I have mixed emotions,” Clark said.
Clark is also one of the organizers of a petition calling for stronger consequences for DUI offenses. He said the proposed bill is a step in the right direction but may function more as a temporary fix.
“It’s sort of the similar position we’re in now, where the judges have a spectrum of sentencing guidelines,” Clark said. “One of the things we’re seeing is that too many judges are at the bottom of the spectrum. They’re giving minimal sentences.”
Clark also noted that even if the designation is added to a driver’s license, its effectiveness could depend on whether businesses check identification before selling alcohol.
Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, who introduced the bill, said education and awareness will be key if the proposal becomes law.
“We will need to educate people and make sure that they know because we’re trying to keep people safe on our streets,” Ransom said. “We do need to take an extra look at these licenses.”
Clark’s petition calls for several changes to California’s DUI laws, including mandatory minimum sentencing for first-time offenders, stricter license suspensions and required alcohol monitoring to prevent repeat violations.
Still, Clark said any effort to bring attention to the issue is meaningful.
“That in and of itself has served a purpose,” he said. “And if that’s happening in communities around California, then yes, I do think we have the opportunity to make some real meaningful change.”
For Soerjono, the goal is to prevent other families from experiencing the same loss.
“I know that it doesn’t save my son now, but it can save someone else’s,” she said. “And it would mean so much to see that steps are being taken in the right direction to make sure more families don’t go through this. No more babies are lost.”
Soerjono and her family say raising awareness has helped them cope with their grief. But the greatest comfort comes from keeping Xxavien’s memory alive.
“Find the thing that was special to you or that reminds you of that person,” said Theresa Soerjono, Xxavien’s aunt. “It’s frustrating and confusing. You don’t know what to do.”
Along with AB 1605, eight other bills addressing DUI offenses are currently making their way through the California Legislature, four of which would increase criminal penalties for drunk driving.
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