San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones told the Express-News Wednesday that she won’t take any immediate disciplinary action over District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez’s recent DWI charge.
“There has been nothing that has been shared with me that would give us cause to act now,” Jones told the daily. “We just don’t have enough information. And if other information comes about — if there’s something that comes out contrary to what she’s said — then that’s different.”
Jones’ comments came the same day Gonzalez publicly acknowledged a previous DWI charge in 2010 that she’d had expunged from her record. In a statement, the councilwoman said was acquitted by a jury of her peers in the case and had it removed from her record, “as is the right of anyone who is actually innocent.”
“Accountability means owning your actions — standing up for yourself when you’re innocent, and taking responsibility when it’s called for,” Gonzalez said. “I will take full accountability for my actions on July 24, 2025, as this process moves forward. And I won’t waver in my dedication to the important work of city government.”
A member of SAPD’s DWI task force arrested Gonzalez last month, writing in an arrest reported that the councilwoman was spotted swerving between lanes on I-10. Reportedly, Gonzalez was driving home from downtown’s members-only Centre Club.
In the arrest report, the officer reported an odor of alcohol coming from inside Gonzalez’s vehicle and added that the suspect’s eyes were glossy. During field a sobriety test, Gonzalez took more than twice as many steps as the officer instructed, according to police documents.
Gonzalez was booked into Bexar County Jail on a DWI charge and brought before a judge the following morning. The court proceeding was streamed via the county’s website.
In emails with Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and Judge Ron Rangel, Jones called the footage an “unprecedented leak,” according to records obtained by KSAT.
However, Sakai told the mayor the county has live-streamed appearances before magistrates since 2020 and is in compliance with state law, the TV station reports.
Gonzalez, who took office in June, is the third council member in three years to be charged with suspicion of driving drunk. The other two are District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte and his predecessor, Clayton Perry.
Former Mayor Ron Nirenberg took swift action against both Perry and Whyte, temporarily stripping both of committee assignments following their arrests.
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This article appears in Jul 23 – Aug 6, 2025.
