A new policy in which Orange County District Attorney Dave Hoovler is requiring drunk-driving defendants to pay out-of-pocket for an alcohol evaluation is raising concern among Legal Aid attorneys, who say their low-income clients may have trouble affording the cost.
First-time DWI offenders must get an evaluation from a state-approved treatment program under a new policy by Hoovler, who says the change will steer more people toward the treatment they need.