Mark E. Johnson, Contributor – Councilor Israel Rivera has some splainin’ to do after threatening to hold the city’s police budget hostage unless police give him ‘a pass’ on allegedly driving drunk.
Police dash cam and body cam footage show Rivera, currently serving as city council vice president in Holyoke, Massachusetts (pop. 37,838), sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle at the stroke of midnight on the night of December 20, 2025.
Councilor Rivera, who is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration from a public university, is initially seen in his parked car, wearing a red and white Santa cap. A State Police trooper walks up on his car, which is stopped on a sidewalk adjacent to a BRIDGE CLOSED sign and a row of jersey barriers and orange barrels.
“I’m a city councilor, everything is fine.”
Mr. Rivera gets tripped up immediately by the standard opening question to a DUI suspect, ‘where are you coming from tonight?’ He replies with a string of ‘ums’ and ‘uhs’ followed by words not clearly picked up by body cam mic. He explains that he parked on the sidewalk because ‘there is nowhere else to go.’ He then admits to running a nearby red light moments earlier.
Rivera agrees to participate in standard field sobriety tests, but as he attempts the test, he tells a cop “even if I was sober, I would not get that.”
As he is handcuffed and placed in the back of a cruiser, the visibly intoxicated politician asserts police ought to ‘work with him,’ give him ‘a pass,’ and use their ‘discretion’ to let him go about his merry drunken way.
When these pleadings fall on deaf ears, Rivera ups the ante substantially:
“I’m the one that makes your f—in’ budget, man … when it comes to me votin’ on your s–t, I’m gonna vote no, bro … Jesus f—ing Christ … Never again in my life will I approve your budget.”
During his free ride in the backseat of a police car, Rivera offers his views on the red-light and drunk driving charges as well as the arresting officers:
“it’s not that serious, bro … I swear to God I hate y’ll mother——s.”
Wants to help his fellow ex-cons get liquor licenses
Rivera’s biography is featured on the website families-first.org, sponsored by Families First Parenting Programs. The site lists Rivera’s wife Yamaris as a staff member. According to the site:
“At age 21, Rivera was sentenced to serve a five-year minimum mandatory bid with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections for drug-related charges …
“He hopes his life example will start to change societal attitudes about people who made mistakes in their youth but have matured into adults who are positive citizens. ‘If we allow formerly incarcerated people to be in society, we have to gradually allow them to fully take part in society.’
“For example, after a person is incarcerated, they often face legal discrimination when trying to improve their lives, he noted. ‘I know ex-felons that are now in a place where they would like to apply for a liquor license [emphasis added] to open a restaurant or apply for a lottery license to open a bodega, but they can’t because of their past.’”
Police unions are calling for Rivera’s resignation from city office. Rivera is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Monday, January 26.
