Draft:Clarissa Cervantes

Clarissa Cervantes (born 1990) is an American politician who is a member-elect of the California State Assembly since 2024. The sister of politician Sabrina Cervantes, she was previously a member of the Riverside City Council from 2021 until 2024.

Political career
Prior to her election to the Riverside City Council, she was a field representative for councilmember Andy Melendrez. In 2021, she announced that she would be running for Riverside City Council for the 2nd Ward after Melendrez announced that he would be retiring by the end of the term. She went against five other candidates, and avoided a runoff election after earning 52.06% of the vote. She was sworn in on July 13, 2021, becoming the second Latina and second LGBTQ+ person to be elected to the Riverside City Council. In September 2021, Cervantes filed a libel lawsuit against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco after he claimed that she supported a protest that damaged a city courthouse.

In 2022, Cervatnes announced that she would be running to succeed Sabrina's seat in the California State Assembly after Sabrina announced her run for California State Senate. She declared victory over fellow Riverside Councilor Ronaldo Fierro to face Republican Leticia Castillo in the general election.

Personal life
Cervantes identifies as bisexual and queer and has a daughter.

In 2014, Cervantes was arrested for driving under the influence on California State Route 60. She pleaded guilty to charges of having a blood-alcohol level nearly double the legal limit and received a sentence of three years' probation and 10 days of electronic monitoring. She was also ordered to attend a DUI offender's class and was fined $2,541. After having the previous DUI charge dismissed by a judge in 2023, she was arrested again for another DUI weeks later. She pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor two months after her arrest and was placed on summary probation for 36 months.