New California laws will tighten parole rules for sex offenders and stiffen penalties for repeat drunken drivers.
Assemblyman Josh Hoover, who represents Folsom in the 7th Assembly District, spotlighted the measures in a legislative recap published Oct. 21 in the Folsom Times. Hoover wrote that the 2026 session produced 1,040 new laws from 1,160 bills that reached Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk before the Sept. 30 signing deadline.
Among the measures Hoover called "the most important public-safety victories" was Assembly Bill 2727. The law raises the minimum age for certain sex offenders to qualify for elderly parole to 65 and requires at least 25 years of continuous incarceration before eligibility.
AB 2727 was authored by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D-Elk Grove, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, which supported the legislation. The bill responded to the cases of David Allen Funston and Gregory Lee Vogelsang, both convicted in 1999 in Sacramento County of multiple kidnapping and child molestation charges.
Sources differ on the prior eligibility threshold. The Riverside County DA's office stated the old law allowed inmates aged 50 or older who had served at least 20 years to be considered for elderly parole. The Center Square reported the prior age was 55 with 20 years served.
Funston, 64, was granted parole but was immediately re-arrested by Placer County authorities on new charges from another child sex abuse case from the 1990s, The Center Square reported. Vogelsang, 57, was considered for elderly parole but was not granted release.
Hoover wrote that AB 2727 "ensures that offenders of this type remain behind bars," though both cases were resolved before the law took effect.
The session also produced four new DUI laws. Senate Bill 907, known as "Braun's Law," increases penalties for hit-and-run and DUI offenses when the driver has prior convictions. The Los Angeles Times reported the law was named for Braun Levi, an 18-year-old Loyola High School student killed May 4, 2025, by an alleged intoxicated driver. SB 907 takes effect Jan. 1.
AB 1546 makes a third DUI conviction within 10 years a "wobbler," meaning prosecutors can charge it as a felony or misdemeanor. Previously, a fourth conviction in the same period was the felony threshold. A fifth conviction would be charged as a felony carrying up to three years in prison. That law takes effect in 2033.
Hoover wrote that 17 DUI bills were introduced during the session, but only four reached the governor's desk.
Two other measures round out the package: AB 1685 raises the points assessed for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated from two to three, and AB 1687 extends license revocation to six years for repeat offenders who injure someone. Both take effect in 2031.
Hoover's recap also criticized several signed bills he said would raise insurance and utility costs. Residents can contact his office at [email protected].
