State Rep. Wendy Carrillo pleaded no contest Friday to DUI.

Carrillo, a Los Angeles Democrat running for a hotly contested East Side City Council seat, was arrested on Nov. 3 after crashing into two parked cars in northeast Los Angeles. Her blood alcohol level was at least twice the legal limit, Los Angeles police said.

The plea agreement requires Carrillo to participate in a three-month driving under the influence program. Her driver's license will be restricted to allow her to drive only for her job and program.

Carrillo was not present in Metropolitan Court when his attorney, Alex Kessel, entered his plea to the misdemeanor charge. Deputy city official. Adam Micale agreed to drop a second-offense driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher charge.

In addition to the three-month state licensing program, Carrillo must attend Mothers Against Drunk Driving classes and perform 50 hours of community service. She also must pay about $2,000 in restitution.

Carrillo has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings since his arrest, Kessel said.

He said the plea deal was typical and his client “gained no benefit from the norm.”

“Today, Representative Carrillo, through his attorney, swore that he will not contest the charges he faces,” a statement released by Carrillo's office said. “From her first day, she accepted responsibility for her own actions and was committed to following her judge's orders.”

Outside court, Kessel told reporters that Carrillo had wanted to “accept responsibility” since that night.

“This incident is an anomaly in her life and will not preclude the good work she has done for the people of California and, in turn, the city of Los Angeles,” Kessel said.

Mikale declined to comment.

In the cell phone video I obtained, fox 11After responding to the scene on Monterey Road around 1:30 a.m., Carrillo appeared to have slurred speech and momentary loss of balance as two officers conducted a field sobriety test.

“Sorry, I sneezed and lost.” [control] It’s about the car,” she told the officer.

Before the inspection was completed, one of the officers told a bystander that “in the interest of transparency,” the LAPD prohibits these types of investigations when senior officials or elected officials are involved. He explained that his policy is to allow public events.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore ordered a review of the body-worn video, but said the officers' actions were “not inappropriate.”

One witness at the scene of the car accident said he heard a loud bang at the moment the collision occurred.

The witness, who declined to be named due to privacy concerns, said Carrillo's car struck another car, which then struck Carrillo's car. The man said he spoke with Carrillo, who then called 911. “She had very slurred speech and she was very disoriented,” the witness said.

Kessel said the topic of sneezing did not come up in his conversation with Carrillo.

“She was perfectly fine, but there were some road issues,” Kessel said, defining those issues as “curves in the road” and slow hours.

“When it comes to drinking and driving, she knows she shouldn't do it,” he said. “However, she accepted responsibility because there was a measurable amount of alcohol in her system. And she should not have been drinking while driving. And she was 100% aware of that. I am.”

Kessel said that until that night, Carrillo had never been in trouble with the law.

“I don't think it would make a difference in the court process if she had a personal issue with alcohol, because she had alcohol in her system on the night in question,” he said. “And I think she's addressing that. She's not here to comment on her personal life.”

Carrillo, 43, was booked into the jail at 4:07 a.m. and released that afternoon wearing a black suit and flip-flops.

When a Times reporter asked her if she had been drinking and driving that night, she replied, “Sorry, I'll give you a ride.”

Carrillo's opponents in the race to represent City Council District 14 include incumbent Kevin de Leon and Rep. Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), who faced calls for his resignation following last year's audio scandal. included.

Another candidate, senior social worker Nadine Diaz, said Friday that the program Carrillo will complete as part of his plea deal is a “start” but that Carrillo should withdraw from the race to focus on his health. he said.

“I hope she gets help regarding this situation. I think it's serious,” Diaz said. “And I think at this point she needs to be evaluated on her plan of action regarding running for mental health reasons and self-care.”