With over a decade of legal experience, Joshua Kaizuka started as a Deputy Public Defender in Yolo County, then a few years as civil rights attorney, and back to criminal defense as a private attorney. He has vigorously and successfully represented well over a thousand clients in adult and juvenile criminal defense cases from the most minor to serious strike cases from start to finish, including jury trials. His criminal defense work as a private criminal defense attorney for the past four years include a significant number of DUI cases, as well as many cases where clients are accused of minor misdemeanors to serious and violent felonies including homicides. Josh is also very experienced in cases involving mental health and/or psychological issues to mitigate charges against his clients. Josh received his bachelors in Government at Sacramento State, his J.D. from University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law with a concentration in Advocacy and awarded memberships to The Order of Barristers and The Traynor Society. In addition to being a member of the California State Bar, he is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Federal Courts for the Eastern and Northern District Courts of California. Josh is a member of the California Public Defender's Association (CPDA), California DUI Lawyers Association (CDLA), Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento (ABAS), the Sacramento County Bar Association (SCBA), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In addition to his legal work, Josh is on the board of various non-profit organizations including ABAS and ABAS Law Foundation. He also volunteers time for the Pro Bono 1983 Panel for the U.S. Eastern District Court, judging law school competitions, guest speaking/lecturing at local colleges, mentoring law students, helping homeless organizations, and pro bono legal work involving First Amendment issues.
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
California
Since 2001
Professional Experience
2013 - Current
Law Office of Joshua Kaizuka
Owner
2010 - 2013
Private Criminal Defense Firms
Attorney at Law
2007 - 2009
Law Office of Mark Merin
Associate Lawyer
2001 - 2007
Yolo County Public Defender's Office
Deputy Public Defender
Education
2000
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
J.D. (2000) | Advocacy Concentration
Honors: The Traynor Society The Order of Barristers
Awards
year - Joshua Kaizuka
Senate Resolution for Public Service
California Senate Resolution for Public Service
Senate Resolution for Public Service
Yolo County
Contacts
Main Office2530 J Street, Ste 320 Sacramento CA 95816Telephone: (916) 706-0678Fax: (916) 706-0542
Davis Office221 G Street, Ste 203 Davis CA 95616Telephone: (916) 706-0678Fax: (916) 706-0542
Being arrested for a DUI can be scary and confusing. In this video, Attorney Joshua Kaizuka explains what happens during a DUI arrest. To learn more about the DUI process in Sacramento, CA visit https://www.kaizukalaw.com To learn more about what happens after you're arrested for driving under the influence, visit https://youtu.be/ve0pakAsXBw
To learn more about what happens when you go to court to face drunk driving charges, visit https://youtu.be/gdJ46Ww1oFs
Transcript
I'm going to talk a little bit about the first contacts that you might have when you get arrested for a DUI. Typically DUI stops happen at night at times which I call, or people call, the "bewitching hour." It's when people are out drinking. It could be holidays, weekends, Thursdays. A lot of times, if you're out driving when bars close, cops are going to be looking for any reason to pull somebody over. Typically the reasons for pulling people over, according to police, is that they're weaving, not staying in their lanes, maybe driving too slow, driving too fast, not stopping at a limit line, running a red light, any reason that they can have to pull you over.
Once you're stopped, officers will start asking you questions. They'll ask, "Have you been drinking tonight?" Unfortunately, a lot of people say, "Yeah, I have." Red flag for cops. They'll sit there and talk about how somebody's eyes are red and watery; there's odor of alcohol; their speech may be slurred. Of course, cops have never talked to this person before, so they don't know if the person's just tired, with red eyes, or maybe they speak a little bit in a way that a police officer may think it's slurred speech.
In any event, they'll ask the person to come out of the car and they'll have them do standardized field sobriety tests. You may have heard of them, FSTs. They'll start doing what's called a "horizontal gaze nystagmus," and they check your eyes to see if they run smoothly, if they're jerky or not. There are certain steps they're supposed to take with instructions. The next test that they'll probably do is what's called a "walk and turn," and that's where they have somebody walk heel-to-toe nine steps forward, turn around, come back nine steps. The last one that they're supposed to do is a one-leg stand. They'll give instructions on how you're supposed to raise your leg, how far off the ground your foot's supposed to be, and they'll look for clues.
After those tests are done, they'll sit there and say, "Well, would you mind blowing into a preliminary alcohol screening device?" Most people do. If they blow anywhere near a .08 or higher, typically that person's arrested. Under California law anyone with a driver's license, basically a privilege to drive, they're supposed to provide what's called a "chemical" test. The PAS test is not the chemical test. The chemical test can be a breath test, a blood test, and in certain circumstances, it could be a urine test.
Once you're arrested, in most counties, since it's a misdemeanor, especially on a first-time DUI, you'll get a court date, and they'll release you. In some counties they'll make you post bail before they release you.
Connect with us: Law Office of Joshua Kaizuka 2530 J St #320 Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 706-0678 http://www.kaizukalaw.com/
