2 L.A. City Hall staffers arrested on suspicion of DUI: 1 drove city-issued car, another hit Metro bus

Two aides at Los Angeles City Hall were arrested over the weekend on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said.

A car driven by Fredy Ceja, a spokesman for City Councilman Gil Cedillo, collided with a Metro bus near 6th and Spring streets in downtown L.A., according to an LAPD source who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Ceja, who was driving a personal vehicle, was arrested shortly after midnight and is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, LAPD Officer Aareon Jefferson said.

More than an hour later, Fredy Torres, a field deputy for City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, was arrested near 43rd Street and McKinley Avenue in South L.A., according to arrest records.

Torres had spent the evening running errands in a city-issued vehicle in preparation for a tree-planting event that was held Saturday, according to Solomon Rivera, chief of staff for Harris-Dawson.

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For the record:

An earlier version of this story said Torres was preparing for a job fair held Saturday. He had been preparing for a tree-planting event.

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Torres was less than a block away from his home when he was questioned by police and arrested, Rivera said.

Ceja, 36, and Torres, 27, were each booked on a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Torres was released about noon Saturday, according to jail records.

Neither man could be reached for comment.

Cedillo said in a statement that Ceja’s arrest occurred off-hours and did not involve any city resources.

“In regards to his employment, this is a personnel matter and the privacy rights of all employees must be respected,” Cedillo said. “I assure you, this will be handled appropriately once we are aware of all the details.”

A man matching Ceja’s name and date of birth was arrested by the LAPD near the southbound 101 Freeway in December 2009 on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to jail records reviewed by The Times. He was later charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving, and he pleaded no contest in 2010 to reckless driving, according to court records.

At a May 3, 2010, sentencing, he was given 36 months probation and 30 days in L.A. County Jail, according to court records.

In 2006, a man matching Ceja’s name and date of birth pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to six days in L.A. County Jail, according to court records. In 2003, a man matching Ceja’s birth date and name pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to a three-year probation term.

A man matching Torres’ name and date of birth was charged with public intoxication in 2009; the charge was later dismissed, according to court records.

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