(NewsNation) — After losing a son, one family is on a mission to tighten drunk driving laws in California in hopes of helping spare other families the grief they have felt.
Braun Levi, nationally ranked tennis player and Loyola High School senior, was headed to play at the University of Virginia this fall.
In January, he and his mom, Jennifer Levi, watched as the Palisades Fire took their home.
But that was not the worst tragedy to hit Levi. Four months after losing her home, she lost her son when Braun was killed by an alleged drunk driver.
“Our family’s destroyed. I just didn’t ever think this would happen to us,” Levi said.
The driver was arrested at the time of the incident but has yet to be charged.
Adding insult to grievous injury, the driver had been previously charged with driving under the influence in 2023 and was driving on a suspended license.
According to a new CalMatters report, Braun’s death was far from a standalone case. California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the U.S., allowing repeat drunk drivers back on the roads with little punishment.
In California, drivers typically lose their licenses for three years after a third DUI, compared to New Jersey, where it’s 8 years; Nebraska, where it’s 15; and Connecticut, where it’s permanent.
“I feel like the state of California has failed us, and we have paid the ultimate price, and because of that, because we’ve paid the price of a lifetime of devastation and grief,” Levi said. “I have no choice but to fight.”
Her effort to change the system is how she is honoring her son’s legacy, but Levi said her “family is prepared to be disappointed” if change is not implemented.
“I don’t make any sense of it. I don’t know how to make sense of it. All I know is that the only thing I can do is try to change it for other people and to honor our son’s legacy,” Levi said.
Pat Rillera is the regional executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She calls it a public health crisis.
“We have terrible laws in California that need to be fixed,” Rillera said. “If the governor took a look at California and decided that he wanted California to run differently as it relates to DUIs, I believe he could change that.”
Alcohol-related roadway deaths in California rose over 50% in the past decade, more than twice the national average, claiming more than 1,300 lives annually, with thousands more left injured, often by repeat offenders.
To honor Braun’s legacy, Levi started the Live Like Braun Foundation.
She is also introducing Braun’s Bill, which would change the vocabulary so that a DUI with a death is not classified as an accident but as a violent felony.
“It’s not an accident. The person who killed our son made a choice,” Levi said. “I want Braun’s Bill passed in the state of California so that no one has to feel this pain and that justice is served.”
She wants California Gov. Gavin Newsom to listen.
“Please wake up, help the state, help save lives. Unfortunately, until it happens to you, I don’t think you really realize how bad the problem is, but it’s a big problem,” Levi said. “Governor Newsom, please change the laws.”
NewsNation reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
“DUI-related deaths are tragic and completely avoidable — and those who commit these crimes should be held accountable. Sentencing is the responsibility of the courts, not the Governor,” the office said in a statement. “As always, the Governor will consider bills that the legislature sends to his desk.”