After you’ve been arrested for your first DUI, the arresting officer may confiscate your driver’s license. The officer must, by law, submit a copy of a completed notice of suspension or revocation form with a sworm statement to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The DMV will then examine the materials submitted to them by the police officer in an administrative review. You have the right to request a hearing with the DMV within ten days of the receipt of the materials from the arresting officer.
The DMV will notify you in writing if they conclude that the suspension or revocation of your license is set aside. The administrative review and hearing done by the DMV is for the purposes of license suspension and does not determine whether you are guilty or innocent of the charges.
Your DUI case will then proceed through the criminal court system, though each case plays out differently depending on the facts. In essence, you should expect two kinds of proceedings to begin after your first DUI: administrative through the DMV, and criminal through the police and prosecution.