San Diego City Attorney’s Office Awarded OTS Grant

SAN DIEGO — San Diego City Attorney Mara W. Elliott on Monday, Nov. 13, announced a 50 percent increase in funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety to help pay for a specialized team of attorneys for the prosecution of those suspected of driving while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol within the city.

The city attorney's office will manage the $410,000 grant that will be used to offset the cost of an expected large increase in drugged and alcohol impaired-driving testing by the Sheriff’s Crime Lab, a news release issued by Elliot's office said.

"The preventable crime of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or the combination of alcohol and drugs remains a pervasive issue in our community," Elliott said. "This grant provides additional resources we will use to hold accountable those who drive while under the influence of marijuana or prescription medication."

Elliott says there’s a lack of public understanding around drugs and drunk-driving laws.

"Even without alcohol, the use of cannabis or prescription drugs (particularly those with a warning to refrain from driving or operating machinery) can lead to a driving under the influence (DUI) arrest and conviction," the news release explained.

According to the news release, Elliot’s specialized prosecution team was able to prosecute 272 misdemeanor cases of driving under the influence of drugs or a combination of alcohol and drugs in 2022, due to OTS funding that year. Overall, the City Attorney’s Office reviewed approximately 2,479 DUI cases and filed 2,040 DUI cases in 2022.

"This is the most effective way to save lives," Elliot said.

The San Diego City Attorney’s Drug DUI Prosecution Team is led by Assistant City Attorney Paige Folkman, Chief Deputy City Attorney Sangwon “Sam” Park, Supervising Deputy City Attorney Onu Omordia, and staffed by Deputy City Attorneys Anthony Esquibel, Janet Uson and John Mandio.

The Unit is funded, in part, by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Funding runs through September 2024.