The newly elected city councilwoman said she was back at work and taking accountability after the July arrest.
SAN ANTONIO — Two weeks after she was arrested on suspicion of DWI, newly elected City Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez said in a new statement that she was taking responsibility for her actions as the legal process continues to unfold.
The District 8 council representative also said this isn’t the first time she’s been arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated. Meza Gonzalez said she was previously charged in 2010 before being “acquitted by a jury of my peers.”
“Subsequently, I had the record expunged, as is the right of anyone who is actually innocent,” she said.
Meza Gonzalez was arrested around 11 p.m. on July 24, when a San Antonio police officer pulled her over on the near-northwest side when he noticed she was driving at a slower speed and drifting into the shoulder on Interstate 10, according to an arrest warrant.
During the traffic stop, the officer asked Meza Gonzalez if she had been drinking, which she denied, the warrant states. She said she was coming from the Centre Club downtown.
The officer observed “watery, glossy eyes,” records say. She was eventually taken into custody and bonded out the following morning; she didn’t appear at a scheduled City Council meeting Friday afternoon.
“I know we’re held to a higher standard, and my actions failed to meet that,” Meza Gonzalez said in a statement after her arrest. “I deeply regret the disappointment this has caused my constituents, my colleagues, and my family. As this matter moves forward, I’ll take full responsibility, and I will not stop working to make sure my constituents are well represented.”
On Wednesday, Meza Gonzalez said she had been back to work for the last week, adding “I won’t waver in my dedication to the important work of city government.”
Meanwhile, court records indicated she’s due to be arraigned on Aug. 25.
Two other City Council members have had run-ins with the law involving DWI in recent years. That includes Clayton Perry, who was elected to City Council in 2017; he pleaded no contest to DWI charges related to hit involvement in a hit-and-run after police said he struck a vehicle while driving home after a night of heavy drinking in November 2023.
Councilman Marc Whyte was temporarily suspended council following his DWI arrest in December 2023 on the north side of San Antonio after police say he showed signs of intoxication after being pulled over himself. He ended up taking a plea deal in the case.