I GOT A DUI IN SANTA CRUZ, NOW WHAT?

 Posted on March 19, 2025 in DUI

If you’ve just been arrested for driving under the influence in Santa Cruz, you likely spent the night (or at least a few hours) at the "sobering center" and were released with a ticket (smaller yellow piece of paper listing the charges against you) and a temporary driver’s license (pink piece of paper with lots of words in tiny font). Now what? 

The temporary license is a valid license (assuming you had a valid license prior to the arrest) for the next 30 days. It informs you that if you do not call DMV within 10 days to set up a hearing your license will be automatically suspended after those 30 days. The paper then gives a Sacramento number to call and request a hearing. That number is a ten minute plus recording that will simply confuse you – and there is no option to request a hearing. The correct number to call and request a hearing is (833) 543-7703. In almost all cases it makes sense to request a hearing from the DMV, even when you think there is no hope of winning.

The ticket will let you know your court date, usually approximately four weeks from the date of arrest. Any lawyer you speak with will want to know that date and the charges. Those charges are usually VC 23152(a) (driving under the influence of alcohol) and 23152(b) driving at a time when your blood alcohol is .08 percent or greater.  

When I’m speaking with people that have been recently arrested I advise three things: request a DMV hearing (see above), take pictures of the area where you did the roadside balance tests (cracked pavement? A slope? debris?) and try to get evidence of what you had to drink and when. That evidence can be a receipt, it could be someone who was with you and could testify as to what you had and when, it could even be a video from the store where you purchased alcohol. These things could become important in the defense of your case.

I recommend calling several local attorneys and simply discussing your case with them. Most of us will talk to potential new clients for free, and this can give you a good idea of who might be the best fit for your personal circumstance. Importantly, it may rule out issues that are causing stress; it may also clue you into things that might occur that you had not envisioned.