Oakland City Councilman De La Fuente Arrested For Drunk Driving
OAKLAND (BCN) -- Longtime Oakland City Councilman and two-time mayoral candidate Ignacio De La Fuente was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Thursday night, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said.
A CHP officer pulled over De La Fuente at the Fruitvale exit on eastbound Interstate Highway 580 about 7:30 p.m. Thursday after clocking him traveling at about 80 mph in a 65 mph zone and seeing him make unsafe lane changes, CHP Officer Sam Morgan said.
The officer then gave De La Fuente field sobriety and driver coordination tests, which he failed, Morgan said.
De La Fuente was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence and was processed at the CHP's office at 3601 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, according to Morgan.
He was released to the custody of his wife, Elvia De La Fuente, and given a future date to appear in court, Morgan said.
De La Fuente's driver's license was taken away from him but he was given a temporary license that he can use until his case is adjudicated, Morgan said.
The councilman was driving alone in a 2006 Buick registered to him, according to Morgan.
De La Fuente, 61, was elected to the Oakland City Council in 1992 and ran for mayor in 1998 and 2006. He lost to Jerry Brown in his first race and to Ron Dellums in his second race.
He wasn't immediately available for comment Friday.
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