Coachella Valley Water District board member guilty of DUI

Coachella Valley Water District Board Vice President Cástulo Estrada has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence stemming from a January 2023 incident.

Prosecutors had accused him of fleeing the scene after a crash that caused property damage, but a hit-and-run charge was dismissed as part of his plea.

The plea to one misdemeanor charge in mid-June brings to a close a yearlong court proceeding that began when he was charged in June of last year. A judge sentenced Estrada to 52 days in the county jail, court records show. But 48 of those days are to be served in a work release program and he has already been credited with serving the additional four days in jail, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

The terms of his plea also include a 36-month probation, during which time he cannot drive with any measurable amount of alcohol or drugs in his blood. He must also pay a $1,703 fine along with other fees.

As part of the plea, Estrada admitted his blood-alcohol content was at least .20% and was ordered to complete a nine-month first offender DUI program.

Earlier coverage:CVWD vice president charged with DUI, hit and run

A Riverside County sheriff's deputy cited Estrada for a DUI at the intersection of Calle Chillon and Avenida Navarro in La Quinta. The DA's office subsequently charged Estrada with three misdemeanors, two of which were dismissed as part of the plea.

Estrada was first elected to the CVWD board in 2014 and was reelected in 2018. He works as the utilities manager for the city of Coachella.

He was previously arrested for public intoxication in 2020, but never charged. At the time, he described the incident as a mistake that should not reflect the work he does as a public servant.

Sam Morgen covers the city of Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.