Tristan Samuel Bourgeois was 27 years old when an overloaded commercial semi-truck lost control on Highway 74 near Vista Point in Palm Desert, overturned, and struck his vehicle head-on. Nearly two years later, his family is racing against a hard deadline: Governor Gavin Newsom has until September 30, 2026, to decide whether to sign the road-safety legislation that bears his name into law.
The bill, AB 1145, has become known informally as Tristan's Bill, according to NBC Palm Springs. Tristan's stepmother, Tina Bourgeois, said he will be remembered by his family and by everyone who travels Highway 74, the outlet reported. She said the data collected on commercial trucks and the highway demonstrates the need for additional safety attention, though she has also said she does not want to ban every truck that travels the road.
The crash that killed Bourgeois on October 31, 2024, happened on a stretch of road that climbs thousands of feet from the desert floor through the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains. Known as the Palms to Pines Highway, the route was built nearly a century ago without engineering for high-volume modern commercial semi-trucks, featuring narrow lanes, hairpin turns and steep grades, according to KESQ. The highway remains a primary link between the Coachella Valley and mountain communities like Anza, where Bourgeois was from.
From Fines to a Systemic Fix
AB 1145, authored by Assemblymembers Jeff Gonzalez and Greg Wallis, began as a proposed increase in fines for commercial truck drivers who violated weight limits on Highway 74 between Palm Desert and Anza, according to Courier California. Introduced in early 2025, the measure was later redirected toward how state officials evaluate local safety regulations.
A March 2026 Riverside County Transportation Department study found the collision rate on Highway 74 south of Palm Desert was 125% higher than on comparable rural two-lane county highways, according to the same account. The study also counted commercial truck use and recommended banning trucks with more than three axles on the corridor.
Caltrans sought further study before regulatory action. Because local ordinances affecting state highways require state approval, the agency’s position left the proposed truck restriction subject to its review, the outlet reported. Gonzalez amended AB 1145 to address how that review is conducted.
What the Final Bill Actually Requires
The Legislature passed AB 1145 in August, and the measure was headed to the governor, according to a statement on Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez's Facebook page. The change followed state officials’ objections to an immediate local truck ban.
What AB 1145 Does—and Does Not Do
The bill itself does not impose a truck restriction on Highway 74.
California has restricted heavy commercial vehicles on hazardous winding routes before. Truck configuration limits already exist on State Route 108 through Sonora Pass, and “Local Delivery Only” restrictions apply on State Route 142, also known as Carbon Canyon Road, according to the Uken Report. Community advocates cited those precedents during legislative hearings to argue similar restrictions could work on Highway 74.
Witnesses Who Watched It Happen
Some of the most persuasive advocacy for the bill came from people who saw the crash unfold. Katie Brown and her 9-year-old son, JT, were driving directly behind the overturned truck during the fatal October 2024 collision and later submitted personal letters and testimony to state transportation officials. JT's letter to the State Transportation Board drew widespread local media attention, per NBC Palm Springs.
Enforcement on the ground had already ramped up before the bill reached Sacramento. In November 2025, the California Highway Patrol launched an enhanced commercial enforcement operation on Highway 74, adding patrol units and specialized commercial inspection officers after public outcry over videos showing reckless big-rig driving, according to Patch. That operation was requested jointly by County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez and state lawmakers.
A Deadline and a Public Push
With AB 1145 now sitting on Governor Newsom's desk, Gonzalez is asking residents who support the bill to contact the governor's office directly before the September 30 deadline. The governor's office provides a public contact form through the official California government website for residents who want to weigh in.
Gonzalez said Tristan's family and the communities along Highway 74 deserve transparency and accountability when they raise safety concerns, according to NBC Palm Springs. He urged Newsom to sign the bill by the September 30 deadline, the outlet reported.
