Public Official Pleads Not Guilty to DUI

Cástulo Estrada

Coachella Valley Water District leader pleads not guilty to DUI

INDIO — Cástulo Estrada, vice president of the Coachella Valley Water District, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Wednesday to driving under the influence.

The defendant entered not guilty pleas and there now is a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Dec. 21 in Dept. 2K at 10:30 a.m. in the Larson Justice Center.

Estrada was arrested Jan. 23 for driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher. Estrada is also charged with hit and run property damage. The charge stems from the same date. He was cited for DUI at the intersection of Calle Chillon and Avenida Navarro in La Quinta.

The defendant entered not guilty pleas to both charges. A pre-trial hearing is now scheduled for Dec. 21 in Dept. 2K at 10:30 a.m. at the Larson Justice Center.

Public Official Pleads Not Guilty to DUI

Rubén AríAztlán Pérez

College of the Desert Area 1 Trustee Rubén AríAztlán Pérez, of Coachella, was also scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday. His arraignment has been postponed to a later date.

Estrada was elected to the Coachella Valley Water District in 2014, he was re-elected in 2018 and appointed without opposition in 2022 to his current term, which ends in 2026. He is the Utilities Manager at the City of Coachella.

In addition to those two public positions, he is a Special District Member and sits on the LAFCO Commission. Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is a state-mandated regulatory agency established by the Legislature in 1963. LAFCOs were created to help implement State policy of encouraging orderly growth and development through the regulation of local public agency boundaries.

Estrada lives in the City of Coachella with his wife, Cindy, and two children.

 

Image Sources

  • Court gavel arraignment: Jennifer Horwitz Law