DUI penalty legislation fails again in California. It was named for Clovis educator

The California State Assembly has denied passage of Gavin’s Law, a proposed bill that would increase penalties for fatal hit-and-run crashes.

AB 1067 passed through the state’s Public Safety Committee in March — an unexpected vote that Assemblymember sponsor Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, called “a miracle.” But the bill has failed to pass out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, Patterson’s office said in a statement Monday.

“This eliminates the possibility for the bill to move forward during this legislative session.”

This was actually a third go round for the bill, which looked to close a loophole that benefits DUI drivers who flee the scene of fatal crashes. Patterson first introduced the legislation in 2019, after the death of Gavin Gladding, a Clovis educator killed in a hit-and-run while jogging in north Fresno in 2018.

The driver was sentenced to three years in prison and ultimately served just 13 months.

Versions of the bill have passed through the state Assembly twice in past years, due in part to Gladding’s mother, Rita Gladding, who continued to shared her story in testimony before various committees.

Fresno promoter Mike Osegueda has also testified at hearings for Gavin’s Law. His sister Courtney Osegueda was killed by a hit-and-run driver while leaving work in Oakland in 2021. As current law stands, the driver faces a maximum sentence of four years.

Gavin’s Law would have increased that to six years; still much lower than the potential 15-year sentence for felony DUI charges.

Neither Patterson nor the Gladding family were available for comment, but Osegueda called the news a disappointment and said state lawmakers continue to overlook victims of hit-and-runs.

“Gavin’s Law seems like a common sense measure,” he said.

“As my family and other families can attest, one of the worst things you can do is flee the scene of a car accident and leave someone there to die. Yet lawmakers seemingly care more about the criminals in these situations than the victims. I sincerely hope this changes in the future.”