In a memo sent on Friday, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said she was placing a censure vote on the agenda considering the new information.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio City Council voted Thursday to censure San Antonio Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, who was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated 49 days ago.
Thursday’s censure vote was announced Friday. Thursday, the censure vote passed with eight yes votes, one vote to abstain (Meza Gonzalez) and one vote to recuse (Teri Castillo).
Wednesday, it was revealed that the DWI case was refiled, stating Gonzalez’s blood alcohol content was at least twice the legal limit.
The District 8 councilwoman was arrested July 24 after a San Antonio police officer saw her driving slowly on I-10, drifting in and out of the shoulder. In the arrest warrant, it states that a traffic stop was conducted using different sobriety tests, which Gonzalez failed to pass.
Last month, Meza Gonzalez released a statement saying she regrets the disappointment she’s caused in the community, and she’ll take full responsibility moving forward and won’t stop working to represent her district. In an interview after the vote Thursday, she repeated her pledge to focus on her constituents.
This is the third city councilmember arrested for DWI in the last three years.
Former Councilman Clayton Perry was censured just over a week after police said he was involved in a November 2022 hit-and-run crash while driving home from a bar. He eventually pleaded no contest to his DWI charges and received deferred adjudication.
Marc Whyte, the current councilman for District 10, saw the same punishment in 2024 about two weeks after authorities said he was driving drunk on the north side and taken into custody. He took a plea deal last November in which he agreed to taking DWI classes and complete community service.
The mayor has suspended Gonzalez from duties until further notice or until more information on the incident is known.