Westminster Councilman facing Drunk Driving charges.

Westminster Councilman Andy Quach is fighting for his political career following his arrest for DUI in Westminster, Orange County this month. Some have called for Quach to step down. Quach has publicly apologized for the incident which involved an accident on August the first. Quach allegedly collided with another car, struck a concrete wall and severed a power pole. His blood alcohol level was reportedly 0.26%. Driving with a blood alcohol level of over 0.20% requires greater penalties including a nine month alcohol education program, instead of the minimum three month program. A DUI involving an accident in Orange County can lead to county jail time.

Some have publically supported Quach claiming that this is a personal matter, not affecting his duties as a City Council Member. This raises an interesting issue of personal as opposed to professional responsibility as many people arrested for DUI worry about how a conviction could be seen by present or future employers. Our experience is that a DUI can result in loss of employment, depending on the nature of the employment and the employers policies.

Gold & Witham is a specialist DUI Defense Law firm handling drunk driving cases in Southern California.