California state senator cited for suspicion of impaired driving, says she wasn't intoxicated

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California state lawmaker denied having any alcohol and drugs in her system after Sacramento police cited her earlier this week on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Sacramento police responded at around 1:30 p.m. Monday to a report of a vehicle crash involving state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, department spokesperson Allison Smith said. Cervantes was taken by a private party to a hospital and treated for minor injuries, Smith said.

Smith said officers also went to the hospital as part of their investigation into the incident. They observed “objective signs of intoxication” and issued her a citation for suspicion of DUI, she said. The department later specified they believed Cervantes to be under the influence of drugs, not alcohol. Police did not conduct a breathalyzer test, Smith said.

Cervantes, a Democrat representing part of the Inland Empire, claims no wrongdoing. She said she was seeking care in an emergency room after a car struck her vehicle. She was then “accosted” by Sacramento police officers, who accused her of driving under the influence and detained her for several hours, she said.

Cervantes was elected to the state Senate last year after years serving in the Assembly. She previously chaired the Latino Legislative Caucus.

Cervantes said lab results she sought in the hospital showed she did not have alcohol or drugs in her system.

“This ordeal was deeply distressing and left me even more shaken," Cervantes said in a statement. “As a Senator, wife, and mother, I hold myself to the highest standard and expect others that serve our communities to do the same.”

The incident, which was first reported by Politico, follows several incidents in recent years in which a Democratic state lawmaker in California has been suspected of driving drunk by local authorities. U.S. Rep. Dave Min, who was a state senator at the time, and then-Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo were arrested in separate incidents in 2023 for driving under the influence. Both admitted wrongdoing.

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This story has been updated to correct that Sacramento police believed Cervantes to be under the influence of drugs, not alcohol.