Board hears petition from LMFT Jessica Hinojosa after 2021 DUI; record closed and decision deferred

Newport Beach, Aug. 21, 2025

The California Board of Behavioral Sciences heard a petition Aug. 21 from Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Jessica Hinojosa asking for early termination of probation imposed after a DUI in April 2021. Administrative Law Judge Abraham Levy presided; Deputy Attorney General Blair MacGregor presented six exhibits, which the parties admitted into the record.

Jessica Hinojosa, 35, testified under oath that the April 19, 2021 incident occurred after a restaurant dinner where she said she drank to cope with grief over her father's death; she acknowledged striking two parked cars and said there were no injuries. Court and hearing materials in the record indicate her blood alcohol concentration that night was about 0.20. Hinojosa said she has been sober since the incident and that she completed the court-ordered traffic and education programs and additional therapy.

Hinojosa told the board she attends AA telehealth meetings twice a week but does not currently have a sponsor and has not worked the 12-step program. She described ongoing faith-based supports in Fresno, including a women's Bible study and a mentor who wrote a supporting letter in the packet. She said family and church have been primary supports since she returned to Fresno after the incident.

Board members probed multiple items: why she characterized the DUI as an isolated incident despite the high BAC, her timeline of therapy and AA participation, whether she had a sponsor and whether she had completed grief-specific therapy. Hinojosa said she joined a grief support group at her church and credited faith-based counseling and weekly spiritual work for much of her healing. She said she continues to see a licensed therapist twice monthly and planned to continue reduced-frequency therapy if probation ended.

Deputy Attorney General MacGregor commended Hinojosa for compliance with court and probation requirements but highlighted three concerns recorded in the hearing: the underlying BAC of 0.20 (which the attorney general said correlates with alcohol use disorder), the absence of a long-term AA sponsor or completed step work in the record, and limited documentary material showing extended insight into alcohol use beyond statements about faith-based supports and remorse. The attorney general said he had no specific recommendation and left the outcome to the board's judgment.

Hinojosa told the board she is seeking early termination so she can take on additional roles in her church, pursue academic work toward a doctorate and remove what she described as financial burdens associated with continued probation monitoring. Her probation is slated to end in January 2026.

Judge Levy closed the record and deemed the matter submitted. The board did not vote at the hearing; a written decision will be issued later.

Why this matters: The board must weigh evidence of compliance and rehabilitation against public-safety considerations and the strength of ongoing recovery supports before altering a probation order.

What's next: The record is closed; the board will issue a written determination and notify the parties.