Drunk driving issues in Sacramento are common and more cases are reported when there are popular events across the city. The criminal law regulating driving under influence offenses is quite complicated. There is a progression of how severely the law is exercised. You may be charged with misdemeanor if the offense does not have any aggravating factors. You may be charged with felony if you have four or more offenses in a 10 year period. There is driving under influence with injury or drugs, maybe both. There is reckless driving, high blood alcohol level in which case the blood alcohol content is much higher than the 0.08% required for the law to be applied, underage driving under the influence and boating or cycling when intoxicated.

Each type of offense is treated differently by the prosecution. Anyone accused of drunk driving and charged accordingly has the right to contest it. Before the case moves to court or a trial, there would be a hearing at the Department of Motor Vehicles. This hearing is like a mini trial or a pretrial. The criminal case in drunk driving incidents, regardless of whether there was an accident, will proceed as it must at a court of law. The civil case will be taken up by the Department of Motor Vehicles where the hearing is primarily confined to the suspension of the license. This hearing is also when you must contest your arrest or the charged filed against you. There is a statute of limitations that requires anyone accused of drunk driving to arrange a hearing with the Department of Motor Vehicles within ten days from the date of arrest. If anyone is unable to attend this hearing in person, it is necessary to send an attorney as a representative. Sending a family member or a friend would not suffice.

While the hearing is limited to the suspension of the license and whether it must be upheld, the same can be used to begin arguing the case against the offense. A defendant can contest the steps taken by the law enforcement during the stopping of the vehicle and testing for blood alcohol content. The law enforcement must be able to present a reasonable cause for stopping you and testing blood alcohol content. There are well laid procedures or protocols that the police must follow. If any procedure was violated or not followed, then there is reason for the defendant to request for dismissal of the case. A defendant may also contest the blood alcohol content, if it was 0.08% or more. 

It is possible to get cases dismissed at the hearing so one must always hire an expert San Diego Criminal defense attorney to argue their case. If the civil case is dismissed, the license is not suspended, or the suspension is revoked, then the criminal case is weakened. If any of the statements or charges of the law enforcement gets questioned and the defendant can prove their innocence, then it is easier to get the criminal charge dismissed at the court later.

Santa Cruz County’s recreational marijuana policy

Santa Cruz County has just recently released a new proposal designed to regulate the harvesting, the manufacturing, and the distribution of recreational marijuana – getting in line with most other California counties that are helping to lead the charge to decriminalize or legalize the recreational usage of this substance

People throughout Santa Cruz County are getting very excited about the prospects that this new legalized industry could bring to the table for the citizens of Santa Cruz County, but are also excited about not having to worry about managing all of the laws, loopholes, and regulations that might be in place in one county, including Santa Cruz Accident Attorneys, but completely the opposite in their home county – making life as a recreational user of marijuana more than a bit of a tough task.

According to this new proposal, both the growing and distribution of marijuana will be regulated and licensed under the exact same County ordinance that already exists as far as the cultivation of this crop is considered. Businesses that have multiple licenses for each step of this industry can now operate on the same property (with a handful of restrictions, of course), allowing for more vertical integration in the recreational marijuana industry which should streamline operations and improve the efficiency and profitability of this kind of endeavor at the same time.

The county leadership members that have been leading the charge for these kinds of changes are also making another notable proposal, essentially putting aside the Environmental Impact Report in an effort to speed up the licensing process for individual recreational marijuana enterprises.

This could shave months off of the wait time and improve the overall recreational marijuana economy throughout Santa Cruz County almost overnight without having any real negative side effects, according to county leadership.

Some in the county remain a little bit skeptical about the kind of impact on crime that this type of enterprise and industry may have throughout Santa Cruz County.

Residents and citizens have been nervous about a spike in crime but have also been vocal about expressing anxiety regarding the nuisance that these burgeoning enterprises may bring to neighborhood communities and the increase in risk of fire spreading through the Santa Cruz County region as well (especially after all of the drought that Californians have been dealing with for so long).

To help alleviate these concerns, the new ordinances are going to require recreational marijuana growers and business owners to keep all plants and grow lights out of sight, out of mind, and under extreme security – and anyone that plans on growing outdoors will have to have their site inspected regularly to guarantee that they are complying with all safety and security regulations, too.

One of the first counties in all of California to license 12 recreational retail marijuana storefronts, some have criticized the county to be more than a little bit headstrong, stubborn, and slow moving when it comes to licensing and regulating cannabis growers and farmers.

These new proposals are designed to shape and remold this approach, providing growers with the same opportunity to grow and expand their businesses in Santa Cruz County right alongside the commercial and retail operations.