Newsom-Backed California State Rep. Arrested for DUI at ‘Double the Legal Limit or More’

Gavin Newsom and Wendy Carrillo
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Olivia Rondeau

A California assemblywoman — endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and running for a hotly contested Los Angeles City Council seat — was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of drunk driving after crashing her car with a blood alcohol content at “double the legal limit or more,” police said.

State Rep. Wendy Carrillo (D-CA), 43, was arrested after police responded to a report of a driver crashing into two parked cars in Northeast Los Angeles around 1:30 a.m., reported the Los Angeles Times. 

A witness who helped Carrillo from her damaged vehicle told ABC7 it was “really clear” she was intoxicated, reporting that he “could smell alcohol.”

“She was slurring her speech. She was very impaired,” the witness recalled to the outlet.

Humiliating footage provided by FOX 11 shows the city council hopeful appearing to lose her balance while attempting to perform a field sobriety test.

One of the officers caught Carrillo’s arm and adjusted her before she appeared to slump forward and stare at the ground. Later, she seemed to use a car bumper for support as she stumbled through the test before the officers allowed her to complete it privately because she is a “dignitary,” the Daily Mail reported.

“It was brought to my attention that this person is an elected official in the state senate,” one of the responding officers can be heard saying in the footage. “So sometimes, for people that are considered to be, for lack of a better term, dignitary, we allow them to do the investigation in a private area.”

“It does not change the fact that she has been drinking. She has been involved in a crash.”

A summary of the arrest by Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Kelly Muniz, to the Times, alleged that Carrillo’s blood alcohol content was “double the legal limit or more” at the time of her arrest, leading her to be booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center.

The state representative has championed zero bail reform in California, which ultimately benefited her as she was released without bail at around 4:00 a.m.

Carrillo rushed to release an apologetic statement.

“As a public servant, I am aware that I must adhere to a higher standard that demands personal accountability for my conduct, and I accept responsibility for my actions,” the statement obtained by ABC7 reads. “I sincerely apologize to my family, constituents, colleagues and staff for any actions of mine that have fallen short of that expectation. I intend to seek the necessary help and support.”

If the assemblywoman is charged and convicted, she could face a more severe punishment than if she committed a typical DUI since it involved a collision and high blood alcohol content, according to criminal defense attorney Lara Yeretsian.

“Does that mean she’s going to serve time? Most likely not,” Yeretsian said to the Times. “However, she may have to complete a longer first-time DUI offender program and have more terms and conditions of probation.”

The Democrat politician has been in the state legislature since 2017 and has worked closely with Newsom, including taking a 2019 trip with him to her home country of El Salvador.

The progressive governor endorsed her reelection to the assembly in 2022, calling her a “tireless champion for working people, families and safe COVID economic recovery efforts” with whom he has “worked closely.”

Carrillo became the first “former illegal immigrant” to be elected to California’s State Assembly after fleeing El Salvador with her family when she was five years old. She gained citizenship soon after her twenty-first birthday, she said in an interview with Forbes. 

The lawmaker’s arrest lands her in a group of fellow California Democrats who have also recently been arrested for drunk driving.

State Sen. Dave Min (D-CA), a candidate for California’s 47th congressional district, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence back in May.

Two months later, Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes was also arrested for DUI, just weeks after convincing a judge to dismiss her previous drunk driving conviction from 2015. 

Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-CA) introduced a bill to temporarily ban state lawmakers with DUI convictions from operating state cars while in the capital city of Sacramento, the Times reported. It was rejected by the Democrat-controlled legislature, but Essayli is calling for it to be reintroduced following Carrillo’s blunder.

“This behavior is emblematic of the supermajority Democrat party in Sacramento. They are literally drunk with power and believe they are above the law,” he wrote on X.

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