A law to strengthen penalties on hit-and-run drivers was dealt a tough blow on Friday, Aug. 7 in Sacramento.
Gavin’s Law, a bill introduced by assemblyman Jim Patterson, failed to pass in the Senate Public Safety Committee.
The bill was one short of a vote.
It was named after Fort Washington Elementary Vice Principal Gavin Gladding, who was killed in a hit-and-run Sept. 16, 2018 by suspected impaired driver 18-year-old Rogelio Alvarez-Maravilla while a pedestrian on Friant Road.
Currently in California, hit-and-run resulting in death carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. Gavin’s Law, also known as AB 195, would increase the maximum sentence to six years, and would allow judges discretion in sentencing.
Alvarez-Maravilla was initially sentenced to three years, but will only serve 18 months.