Assemblyman Hernandez was driving state car when arrested

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State Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) was driving a state car away from the Sacramento area without the required permission when he was arrested last month on suspicion of drunken driving, officials said Friday.

Hernandez was stopped by police in Concord at 2 a.m. on March 27 after officers saw his car weaving between lanes.

At the time, Hernandez was driving a Toyota Camry owned by the state and assigned to the Assembly’s vehicle pool. Such vehicles are not supposed to be driven out of the Sacramento area without permission, which Hernandez failed to get for his Concord trip, according to Jon Waldie, the chief administrative officer for the Assembly.

‘As a freshman he has been reminded of that,’’ Waldie said.

But Hernandez is still being allowed access to state cars, Waldie said. Hernandez declined comment through a representative on Friday.

Concord Police Chief Guy Swanger said at the time that Hernandez appeared to be intoxicated but refused to take a Breathalyzer test at the scene so was booked into Contra Costa County Jail and eventually released after taking a blood test to determine if he was drunk.

A decision on whether to file charges will await the test results, which are expected next month.

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-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento