60th District Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes attends a conference in San Bernadino, May 10, 2019. Sabrina Cervantes 7
Sacramento, California – A California state senator is considering legal action against the Sacramento Police Department, alleging her recent DUI arrest was a politically motivated effort to discredit and silence her. The arrest of Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, a Riverside Democrat and prominent member of both the Latino and LGBTQ+ caucuses, has ignited a complex battle of competing narratives—none of which the public can fully verify due to the ongoing withholding of key records.
The incident took place on May 19, when Cervantes was involved in a crash just blocks from the State Capitol. Surveillance footage appears to show that Cervantes was not at fault; the footage shows a white SUV running a stop sign and striking her state-owned black sedan. Police cited the other driver for the crash, yet it was Cervantes who authorities later accused of driving under the influence of a central nervous system depressant.
Within two weeks, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced it would not file charges. Lab tests revealed no intoxicating substances in Cervantes’ system, and the senator had maintained her innocence from the outset, asserting that officers “accosted” her at the hospital and that drug and alcohol tests would confirm she was sober.
Still, Sacramento police stood by their actions. In a statement, the department said officers had observed “objective signs” of impairment and acted professionally throughout the encounter. They noted that Cervantes initially declined sobriety tests, prompting a request for a judicial warrant for a blood draw—though she ultimately agreed to provide a sample voluntarily.
Now, Cervantes and her attorney, James Quadra, are preparing to fight back. Quadra alleges that the senator’s arrest was fueled by bias against her identity and political activism. “It’s to try to silence an active member of the Latino Democratic Caucus, of the LGBTQ+ caucus,” he told CalMatters. He also claims officers denied Cervantes the right to contact her attorney or spouse and intentionally leaked details to the media.
Despite the high-profile nature of the incident, Sacramento police have declined to release body camera footage, police reports, or the warrant affidavit used to justify the blood test—records that could either corroborate Cervantes’ claims or validate the officers’ version of events. The department cites an ongoing investigation as justification, despite the DA having dropped all charges and cited the other driver in the crash.
Transparency advocates say the secrecy is deeply concerning as the public is entitled to see what the police know and what they believed at the time.
Cervantes has publicly expressed support for complete transparency, asserting that the records would vindicate her and expose the arrest as unjust. But with state and local authorities shielding key documents from scrutiny, Californians are left with unanswered questions about the integrity of law enforcement—and the accountability of those who wield its power.
