Los Angeles – Today, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced that the Driving Under the Influence of Drugs Unit (“DUID”) in her Criminal Branch has secured a more than $1.2 million “Impaired Driving Prosecution Grant” from California’s Office of Traffic Safety (“OTS”), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Aimed at making roads safer, this grant will reinforce prosecution efforts to hold accountable drivers under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both substances. This is the 13th consecutive year that the City Attorney’s Office has been awarded this funding.
“We have the power to protect lives, prevent tragedies before they happen, and hold violators accountable. This grant will help us do all three,” said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney. “I appreciate the ongoing partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety which is vital to this work.”
“If you drink or use drugs and decide to drive, you put lives at risk,” said OTS Director Stephanie Dougherty. “This funding from the OTS will help to prevent the tragic consequences of impaired driving and create safer roads for Everyone.”
Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of both remains one of the biggest threats to public safety on our roads. The OTS grant awarded to Feldstein Soto’s Office will provide resources to fund four specialized DUI prosecutors to lead this work plus support from one administrative coordinator. The grant will also enable her DUID team to collaborate with California’s Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Training Program, provide training to other prosecutors, and collaborate with law enforcement on best practices for managing DUI cases.
The OTS funds more than $100 million each year in innovative, evidence-based education and enforcement programs and technologies designed to improve safety on the road through grant funding facilitated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To learn about OTS’ overarching public education campaign, “Go Safely, California,” in partnership with Caltrans, visit: https://gosafelyca.org.
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Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, elected in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. Her team of nearly 1,000 legal professionals, including 500+ attorneys, carries out legal work for the City of Los Angeles at her direction and under her supervision. She is the first female City Attorney in L.A. history.