California State Senator Dave Min drove at nearly twice the legal limit, CHP report says

State Sen. Dave Min, a candidate for Rep. Katie Porter’s U.S. House seat, had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit when he was stopped and arrested by CHP troopers May 2 for suspicion of driving under the influence, records show.

Sitting handcuffed in the back of the CHP cruiser, Min, D-Irvine, expressed disbelief at the test result, according to video from inside the cruiser.

“0.15 man, I couldn’t even believe that s---, man. How many drinks is that usually?”

According to the arrest report, Min told officers that he consumed two beers — a Coors and an IPA — while dining on wild duck and egg rolls at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento, the site of a social event for firefighters and the construction industry.

When he was stopped by CHP after running a red light intersection of Ninth Street and Broadway — in a car owned by the Senate Rules Committee — Min told the officer that on a scale of one to ten, the effects of the drinks he consumed were a three.

The officer noted that Min’s eyes were red and watery, he had slurred speech and there was “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from within the vehicle,” according to the arrest report.

Two preliminary alcohol screenings both registered a 0.15% blood alcohol content. The legal limit to drive is 0.08%. Later breath tests revealed that Min had a 0.13% or 0.14%.

While sitting in the back of the cruiser, Min expressed concern about his colleagues learning of the arrest.

“And I assume this is all going to the Senate leadership and all that, too?” Min asked.

Reached for comment shortly after Min’s arrest, Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, said in a statement, ““Like Senator Min, we’re disappointed in his actions, but pleased that he’s taken responsibility and apologized.”

After his arrest, Min was taken to Sacramento County Jail, where he was booked and later released. The CHP has recommended misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and driving with a 0.08% or greater.

Shelly Orio, spokeswoman for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, said the report is currently under review and no filing decision has been made.

He is set to appear in court July 24.

Min was viewed as the frontrunner in the closely watched and hotly contested race to replace Porter in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Min had Porter’s endorsement. But on Monday, former Orange County Democratic Congressman Harley Rouda urged Min to drop out of the race.

The morning after his arrest, Min took to Facebook to issue an apology for driving under the influence, but vowed that he would not let that distract him from his work in either Sacramento or Washington, D.C.

When asked for comment, Min’s campaign referred The Bee to his previous statement on the arrest.

Min has not lost any endorsements since his arrest. In fact, he’s added to the list. Last week, Min was endorsed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the largest law enforcement association in California.

Video of Min’s arrest and details from his arrest report were first published by The Washington Free Beacon.