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The San Antonio City Council voted to censure District 8 Councilmember Ivalis Meza Gonzalez on Thursday over her July 24 DWI arrest after it became public that her blood alcohol content (BAC) level on the night was nearly twice the legal limit.
Meza Gonzalez made a public statement at the dais before the vote.
“Throughout this process, I have been clear in my commitment to take full accountability for my actions, and I will respect the decision of my colleagues on today's vote,” she said. “To my colleagues, thank you for respectfully listening to me… To the residents in District 8, I am deeply sorry for any disappointment this may have caused. My priority as your council member remains unwavering.”
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones called for the vote last week in a memo where she said “new information” led her to make the decision and to suspend Meza Gonzalez from her committee assignments.
That “new information” may have been the result of Meza Gonzalez’s BAC test, released publicly on Wednesday, which showed her BAC from the night of her arrest was .015.
The legal limit is .08.
Meza Gonzalez sat on the Audit Committee, Community Health Committee, and the Economic Workforce Development Committee. It is not clear how long she will be suspended from her role on these committees.
Meza Gonzalez is the third San Antonio City Council member to be charged with DWI in the past three years.
Former District 10 Councilmember Clayton Perry faced a vote of no confidence and took a leave of absence from the council over a drunken hit-and-run in 2022 and current District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte was censured in 2024 for a 2023 DWI where he had a BAC of .089.
Jack Quiroz is a local nurse and former EMT who spoke to the council before the censure vote. He repeated a statement that he originally read one year ago in front of the council after Whyte’s DWI arrest.
“I urge both the council member and others to think before they drink and consider the consequences of their actions, particularly the consequences they have on overworked, understaffed health care workers like myself and genuinely sick people whose care becomes delayed when accidents happen,” he said.
He called on Meza Gonzalez to resign or commit to not running for reelection, saying that would be a real display of taking accountability.
Quiroz was joined by Meza Gonzalez's District 8 recent council runoff opponent Paula McGee in calling for Meza Gonzalez’s resignation on Thursday.
Meza Gonzalez said she would not step back from her responsibility serving District 8 constituents in her statement.
Interim District 2 Councilmember Leo Castillo-Anguiano explained why he would support the censure resolution.
“We are called to elevate the best of our communities and fight hard for their success, and unfortunately, distractions like this one make it hard for us to do our job, because it takes away from the other important issues our residents expect us to address,” he said.
The council voted 8-0-1 on the censure. District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran was absent, Meza Gonzalez recused herself from the vote, and District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo abstained.
In a statement, Castillo said it was District 8 constituents who had the right to take action against their council member if they wished, potentially through a recall election, and called for due process.
“This is not an attempt to defend drunk driving, nor does it condone this behavior,” she said. “Rather, it is confidence that the justice system will hold Councilmember Meza Gonzalez accountable.”
The censure vote is a formal reprimand from the council, but does not carry any substantive penalties.
