California District 52 Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) was arrested on Nov. 3 in Montecito Heights for suspicion of drunk driving, according to The Los Angeles Times. In Carrillo’s released statement, she apologized for her actions, which fell short of the expectations of being a public servant. Carrillo is currently running to replace Kevin De León as the LA City Council member for District 14. According to Hans Johnson, President of East Area Progressive Democrats (EAPD), this incident could have a lasting impact on Carrillo’s candidacy.
“It is noteworthy that based on some of the eyewitness video, it does not look as if she was truthful — even in the aftermath of the collision with a parked car — in describing the circumstances leading up to that collision,” Johnson said. “It is sad that Wendy Carrillo appears not to be able to tell the truth even when she runs into it.”
According to Johnson, it was reported Feb. 2020 that Carrillo had also engaged in sexual misconduct. Johnson said that EAPD has never endorsed Carrillo and that her recent arrest does not encourage positive political leadership that CD-14 is in great need of.
“We do not need elected officials focused on their problems with the law, putting court appearances dealing with a self-created crisis from a drunk driving arrest and colliding with parked vehicles,” Johnson said “It is just very upsetting to see yet another elected official who is trampling on the needs and the duty of our community, and the duty as an elected official to put that work and that responsibility first.”
Johnson said that in addition to putting her in a frivolous position, Carrillo’s arrest diminishes the effectiveness of clubs like EAPD which advocate for issues beyond a local level.
“All of the work that we do at the community level to address issues and all of the partnerships that we are sometimes able to develop with our elected officials is lost, it evaporates, it is tainted and it sometimes is erased,” Johnson said. “That is harmful to a community and degrades the quality of life in a community. It also degrades the quality of representation, when that historical record is either lost or tainted by the corruption or the self disqualification of an elected official.”
Worsening her chances of election ahead of the CD-14 election in March, Johnson said that Carrillo’s actions follow a pattern among CD-14 elected officials such as incumbent De León who partook in racist audio tapes leaked Oct. 2020
“How sad that yet another elected official who has professed to be different from their predecessor and has shown herself to be yet another disappointment, someone who fits in that long, sad cast of wrongdoers instead of someone focused on serving the people’s needs, and doing so with the highest of character,” Johnson said.
According to Occidental politics professor Regina Freer, who teaches a course on LA politics, Carrillo was a serious contender in the race before the incident.
“She has some name recognition, which obviously was helpful,” Freer said. “Although [she’s] not an incumbent in this office, [her incumbency in the assembly] has kind of working in her favor… and [Carillo] was really viewed kind of as a rising star.”
While Freer said the City Council tends to be a path for many politicians, Carrillo’s arrest can loom a dark shadow on her road ahead.
“If the DUI arrest stood alone, I think there is probably enough time for a recovery. But it does not stand alone because the district is already a source of controversy around De León, and the tapes and his behavior, so there is an overarching concern about LA City Council being append to a lot of controversy and corruption,” Freer said. “I think there is a level of voter frustration and fatigue with controversy, so a candidate who can present themselves as controversy-free or relatively so really has an advantage.”
NELA resident Myron Santos said he highly disapproves of Carrillo’s recent behavior, following a more prominent trend in CD-14.
“This is the third strike,” Santos said. “She is doing the thing that Kevin de León is doing, whether they commit a blatant flagrant offense, they are digging their heels in and not doing the responsible thing by resigning.”
According to Santos, Carrillo’s recent DUI should give her a reason to revoke her candidacy.
“If you drive drunk, it doesn’t matter what you do. You need to step away,” Santos said.
As a community member, Santos said Carrillo’s actions speak volumes about the type of leader CD-14 needs.
“A person making it an actively unsafe area, but also representing it is so gross; this area certainly deserves better,” Santos said. “It needs somebody that reflects its priorities and responsibilities.”
Henry Dorosin contributed to reporting for this article.
Contact Olivia Fishman ofishman@oxy.edu
