Replacements were named Monday night for four committees on which Carpinteria City Councilman Joe Armendariz had represented the city.
The City Council’s action came in the wake of Armendariz’s no-contest plea earlier this month to charges of driving under the influence in connection with the crash of his vehicle on Highway 101 near Padaro Lane on Dec. 2, 2011.
Test results showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.18 at the time of the wreck, more than twice the legal limit, according to police. It was his second arrest on suspicion of DUI since he has been on the City Council.
Armendariz has said he intends to serve out the rest of his term, ending this year, and will not seek re-election.
The council does not have the authority to remove him from his seat, but in February revoked Armendariz’s committee assignments, publicly reprimanded him for his conduct and asked him to resign, which he refused to do.
The council replaced Armendariz as the city’s representative to the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, the School Board Committee and the Fire District Board.
Mayor Al Clark will serve on SBCAG’s board now, and Kathleen Reddington will serve as the city’s representative for the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority. Greg Carty will serve on the School Board Committee, and Brad Stein will join the Fire District Board in Armendariz’s place.
With little fanfare from other council members and no public comment, the council approved the appointments on a 4-0 vote, with Armendariz abstaining. He did not comment on the vote.
Armendariz is scheduled to be sentenced for the DUI charge on April 2 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, and his attorney said a standard disposition for a second DUI in county is three years of probation and 45 days in jail.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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