Palmdale Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Alarcón arrested for suspected DUI in Glendale
Palmdale Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Alarcón was arrested on December 8 on suspicion of driving under the influence in Glendale.
Alarcón, 44, was pulled over around 3 a.m. after officers observed her "driving erratically" in downtown Glendale and making wide turns into opposing lanes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Officers conducted a DUI investigation and arrested Alarcón on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI. She was booked at the Glendale City Jail, where she was cited and released.
In a statement, Palmdale City Councilmember Laura Bettencourt said residents have raised concerns about Alarcón's arrest.
Palmdale Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Alarcón was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Glendale. / City of Palmdale
"The City of Palmdale acknowledges the seriousness of these alleged incidents, and the City Council will discuss this matter at its next meeting. We anticipate investigating these allegations and evaluating the applicability of the City’s code of conduct to provide guidance for our response. If these allegations prove true, I strongly condemn this behavior, and it is unacceptable for any member of our City Council or staff."
Palmdale City Council met on Wednesday, January 2024, which marked the first since the news of the mayor pro tem's DUI arrest.
Alarcón has since released the following statement in response to her arrest:
"Without question, I understand the severity of my actions and I apologize immensely to all of those whom I've disappointed, especially my family, my colleagues and my constituents. For me, this has been a lifelong battle and in this difficult time recovery is my sole priority."
This isn't Alarcón's first run-in with the law.
In October, she was arrested and charged with public intoxication in Ventura. Prior to that, she pleaded guilty in a misdemeanor DUI arrest Dec. 30, 2011, according to court records cited by The Times. The arrest occurred while Alarcón was stopped along Highway 18 in San Bernardino County.
The daughter of former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcón, she previously served on the L.A. Board of Public Works after being appointed by then-L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. She resigned as president of that board in early 2013 amid an investigation after her 11-year-old daughter was found by herself at City Hall one night in November 2012.
Alarcón was first elected to the Palmdale City Council in 2022 and was named mayor pro tem during the city's reorganization meeting last December.