Yes. California Vehicle Code 23152(f) makes it illegal to drive under the influence of any drug, and that includes legally purchased cannabis. But unlike alcohol, there is no legal THC limit in California. That single difference changes everything about how these cases are proven and defended. Proposition 64 legalized recreational cannabis for adults 21 and [...]
Yes, but what you get charged with depends entirely on how your bike is classified. A legal e-bike falls under Vehicle Code 21200.5, where the fine is capped at $250 and an adult's license is not at risk. A modified or overpowered bike can be treated as a motor vehicle and charged as a full [...]
Usually not for a first offense. A single misdemeanor DUI rarely ends a nursing, teaching, or real estate career in California. But you will have to report it, or your licensing board will find out on its own, and how the case resolves matters more than most people realize. Commercial drivers are the exception. For [...]
Yes. A misdemeanor DUI is expressly eligible for military diversion under California Penal Code Section 1001.80. If the court grants diversion and you complete the program, the charge is dismissed, and for most purposes the arrest is treated as if it never happened. That is the short version. The longer version matters, because military diversion [...]
A first-offense DUI is generally not a deportable offense by itself. Under current federal law, a simple California DUI conviction is not an aggravated felony and not a crime involving moral turpitude, so it does not trigger removal on its own. But the same conviction can block DACA, get a student or work visa revoked [...]
You do not have to take a field sobriety test in California. The walk and turn, the one leg stand, and the eye test (horizontal gaze nystagmus) are all voluntary, and refusing them carries no automatic license penalty under California law. That is different from the breath or blood test you may be asked to [...]
In California, a DUI conviction is priorable for 10 years and remains on your criminal record forever, unless you take legal action to have it expunged. That second part is the one most people miss, and it is the one that quietly creates problems years later when you apply for a job, a professional license, [...]
In California, you can technically refuse a breathalyzer after a DUI arrest. But doing so triggers automatic penalties under the state's implied consent law, separate from and on top of any DUI conviction. That's not a technicality. It's a real consequence that affects your license, your case, and your options going forward. If you refused [...]
No, your license is not suspended the moment you're arrested for DUI in California. But you only have 10 calendar days from the date of your arrest to request a DMV hearing, or an automatic suspension kicks in. That deadline is real, and missing it closes off options you can't get back. If you were [...]
When a driver is arrested for driving under the influence an administrative action is triggered with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A driver has 10 days from the date of arrest to request an Administrative Per Se (APS) hearing with the local Driver Safety Office to challenge the action/suspension. Since the inception of the [...]
