San Antonio City Council District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez was arrested late Thursday on a driving while intoxicated charge, according to a warrant obtained by KSAT.
Gonzalez, who was elected to the seat in the June 6 runoff, was pulled over on Interstate 10 after leaving a downtown club, the warrant states.
According to the warrant, a San Antonio police officer initiated a traffic stop on Gonzalez’s vehicle after she was seen driving at a slower speed than other vehicles and failed to remain in a single lane along I-10 at Hildebrand Road.
The officer asked Gonzalez if she had been drinking, and she denied it, according to the warrant. Gonzalez said that she was coming from the Centre Club in the downtown area.
During a sobriety test, the warrant said that Gonzalez had “watery, glossy eyes” and had a “moderate odor of intoxicants.” SAPD-issued documents state that Gonzalez also slurred words.
After Gonzalez was placed into custody, the warrant said that the officer requested a sample of Gonzalez’s breath or blood, and she refused.
Court records indicate that Gonzalez was booked Friday morning into the Bexar County jail on a $1,000 bond, where she remains currently.
Gonzalez won the District 8 city council seat in the runoff election after capturing 57.35% of the vote. She said that her top priority was to ensure a smooth transition in the district by addressing any ongoing issues that residents have with the councilmember’s office.
Gonzalez previously worked at the San Antonio River Authority and most recently served as chief of staff for former Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
She’s the third San Antonio City Council member to be arrested for driving while intoxicated in the past three years.
On Nov. 6, 2022, then-District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry was arrested after San Antonio Police investigators said Perry drank 14 drinks in a four-hour period at a North Side bar, drove into another car at an intersection, fled the scene and was later found in his backyard.
On Dec. 29, 2023, current District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte was pulled over after San Antonio police said he was speeding on Northeast Loop 410 and didn’t properly signal a lane change.
Whyte admitted to having three drinks over the course of the evening and was arrested after undergoing a battery of field sobriety tests. He was arrested on a DWI charge and later pleaded guilty to a non-DWI charge.
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