#YouToo, Cristina Garcia? (Yes, #HerToo!)

I had heard diverse reports about Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens).

She had run for the 58th Assembly District as a political outsider, with no machine or establishment Democratic backing. The district is overwhelming blue to begin with, but she beat out the party-backed candidate in 2012, and she ran unopposed in 2014. In 2016, a pastor in the Downey area, Ramiro Alvarado, challenged her, but was crushed 75%-25%.

Here's the current district:

Her first claim to fame in the state capital was pushing legislation that would get rid of the sales tax on feminine products. It was a very popular bill, and a number of Republicans voted for it.

Unfortunately, the governor vetoed the legislation, arguing that the state and county budgets could not afford to lose the tax revenue. In 2016, she offered the same legislation, but with an added tax on liquor to counterbalance the lost revenue.

That bill died in committee, because the liquor and vice lobbies fought harder to ensure that their prime product wouldn't face a higher levy and lower sales.

Garcia would be featured in an LA Weekly article, making her out to be some kind of anti-establishment liberal super heroine. The truth is that she has become another establishment figure all to herself. Those are the reporters I have heard from fellow activists in the Bell-Bell Gardens region.

She then positioned herself in the fight against sexual harassment and turned herself into the one of hte many faces of the #MeToo and #TimesUp Movement.

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elisnore) had introduced a whistle-blower protection bill for legislative staffers every year for the last five years. The legislation never even received a hearing, in large part because of Kevin De Leon and Ricardo Lara (themselves without a doubt connected to sexual harassment and abuse, just like the other coterie of miscreants in Sacramento).

The uproar throughout the state of California against sexual harrassment in Sacramento has reached such a heated pitch, both houses passed the whistleblower legislation with minimal opposition, and Governor Brown signed it without hesitation.

Me Too -- Hypocrisy

And yet ... now she is under investigation for harassment against ... men! These allegations are serious and snowballing fast against her. I was really surprised about these allegations in large part because I had been informed that she was a lesbian. Perhaps she plays on both sides of the fence.

Here are some of the stories I have read.

Politco:

SAN FRANCISCO — California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia — whose high-profile advocacy of the #MeToo movement earned her national media notice — is herself the subject of a state legislative investigation in the wake of a report that she sexually harassed and groped a former legislative staffer.

Ouch! Politico has often gone out of its way to promote liberal lawmakers while denigrating conservatives and Republicans.

Now what do they do, now that their star woman-power activist is just another selfish, sexist pervert?

In December, when Time magazine announced that “Silence Breakers” who spoke out against sexual harassment were its Persons of the Year, Garcia’s face was prominently included in the art accompanying the cover story.

She was part of the silence, too!

Daniel Fierro speaks out

  

But Daniel Fierro of Cerritos told POLITICO that in 2014, as a 25-year-old staffer to Assemblyman Ian Calderon, he was groped by Garcia, a powerful Democratic lawmaker who chairs the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Natural Resources Committee.

This is really disgusting, but proves that men and women are both susceptible to committing crimes and engaging in sexual misconduct. It's time for men to step up against sexual harassment, as well as women. Sometimes it's even harder

"Me Too! ME TOO!"

Here are other stories about Garcia's storied harassment:

Fierro is not the only one claiming improper advances by Garcia. A prominent Sacramento lobbyist says she also accosted him in May 2017, when she cornered him, made a graphic sexual proposal, and tried to grab his crotch at a political fundraiser. He spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals.

Yes, ladies, men fear reprisals for speaking out against sexual harassment, too. Men and boys are also victims of sexual abuse, not just from older men, but women, too!

The lobbyist, who represents a major industry association, said that Garcia appeared to have been drinking heavily at a fundraiser hosted by Governor Jerry Brown for state Senator Josh Newman at the de Veres bar in Sacramento. He said he was heading out the door in part to avoid the assemblywoman — who had been increasingly “flirtatious” and had called him on a few occasions before for late night drinks which he repeatedly declined.

Because of the snowball effect against her perverse behavior, she has taken voluntary, unpaid leave:

A Los Angeles-area assemblywoman has voluntarily taken leave of her seat Friday after facing allegations of sexual harassment, an unusual twist of the gender dynamics shaping the misconduct controversies engulfing California's state Capitol.

It's interesting how the LA Times report tries to carry water for her, defending her, and even casting slight aspersions against the allegations.

The 40-year-old lawmaker now finds herself in a stark reversal of roles, from vanguard of California's political #MeToo movement who shared her own tales of being groped while in elected office to one of very few women to be publicly accused of sexual harassment. She was so prominent last fall that she appeared in a Time magazine photo collage portraying the "silence breakers" as part of its Person of the Year issue.

The 40-year-old lawmaker now finds herself in a stark reversal of roles, from vanguard of California's political #MeToo movement who shared her own tales of being groped while in elected office to one of very few women to be publicly accused of sexual harassment. She was so prominent last fall that she appeared in a Time magazine photo collage portraying the "silence breakers" as part of its Person of the Year issue.

Was the LA Times hoping to promote Garcia to higher office? If Tony Mendoza chose to resign from office, she would have no doubt jumped into the race. No question about it.

The real wonder is how did this woman
get away with sexual harassment for so long?

Fierro relates why he was reluctant to share about Garcia's shameful behavior:

Fierro told The Times he was initially wary of speaking out publicly due to the unusual nature of his complaint.

"I worried before [the story published] it would be treated or received differently because of the gender dynamics involved," Fierro said. "There is clearly a culture that affects both men and women in the Capitol that needs to be improved on and made stronger so the Capitol can do the good work that it has to do."

Isn't that terrible?! Men should not have to worry about pushback or man-shaming because he chose to blow the whistle on Garcia's piggish actions.

She needs to go! Sexual harassment cannot be tolerated ever, whether it's a man or a woman.

Here is her statement on the growing allegations against her:

(Sacramento) – Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) today released the following statement in response to allegations of sexual misconduct:

“Upon reflection of the details alleged, I am certain I did not engage in the behavior I am accused of.  However, as I’ve said before, any claims about sexual harassment must be taken seriously, and I believe elected officials should be held to a higher standard of accountability.  Therefore, I am voluntarily taking an immediate unpaid leave from my position in the State Assembly, including any accompanying committee assignments, so as not to serve as a distraction or in any way influence the process of this investigation.  I implore the Assembly Rules Committee to conduct a thorough and expeditious investigation, and I look forward to getting back to work on behalf of my constituents and for the betterment of California.”

###

The 58th Assembly District includes the cities of Montebello, Pico Rivera, Commerce, Bell Gardens, Downey, Norwalk, Bellflower, Cerritos and Artesia.

CONTACT: Teala Schaff, Communications Director, 916-319-2058

Senator Vidak Drafts Resolution, Demands Expulsion of Senator #MeToo Mendoza

State Senator Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) is taking the lead to get rid of handsy-grabsy Tony Mendoza.

He has been stripped of all his committee assignments, but Mendoza has been doubling down, refusing to leave office.

This needs to stop. He needs to go.

Sebastian Ridley-Thomas just resigned, claiming "health reasons."

Not good enough. He is part of the #MeToo culture. Sources have confirmed for me that he is bisexual or homosexual, must like Steve Bradford.

LA Times are reporting on this state senator's efforts:

.@SenAndyVidak drafts resolution to expel @MrTonyMendoza from state Senate (Full text here: https://t.co/82Nvj4muFG) pic.twitter.com/SkXCht2Hmi

— Allison Wisk (@allisonwisk) December 14, 2017

Here is the full text of the resolution:

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE- 2017-2018 REGULAR SESSION

SENATE RESOLUTION No. __

________________________________

Introduced by Senator Vidak
January 3, 2018

________________________________

Relative to the expulsion of Senator Tony Mendoza

________________________________

WHEREAS, on November 10, 2017 reports began appearing in the media about three former women staff members of Senator Tony Mendoza that complained about him sexually harassing them; and

WHEREAS, one woman - Jennifer Kwart - was 19 years old in 2008 when she worked as an intern in then-Assemblymember Mendoza's Norwalk District office; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Kwart reported that in 2008 then-Assemblymember Mendoza arranged for her to fly to San Jose during the 2008 Democrat Party Convention, "picked her up from the airport and took her to a hotel suite.  At his suggestion, they had drinks from the mini-bar;" and

WHEREAS, the Sacramento Bee has reported that Mendoza's campaign finance reports from 2008 verify "two charges of $409 and $703.20 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose for candidate travel, lodging or meals and a $134.50 payment to Southwest Airlines for spouse or staff travel, lodging or meals. The hotel is three blocks from the San Jose McHenry Convention Center," and

WHEREAS, Ms. Kwart reported that in the hotel room then-Assemblymember Mendoza began asking "her personal questions about her ex-boyfriends and her taste in men;" and

WHEREAS, Ms. Kwart reported that "she believed Mendoza implied he wanted to have sex with her;" and

WHEREAS, Ms. Kwart reported "Then and now, I feel like I was very trapped. I was in a place that I had never been to before. I didn't have a car and I didn't have a way out," and

WHEREAS, Ms. Kwart reported that she later "faked a phone call to excuse herself. She secretly called her mother and asked her to book a flight home immediately. She told Mendoza that her grandfather suffered a stroke and she would have to return to Los Angeles" and

WHEREAS, the Sacramento Bee reports that Kwart's mother "recalls advising her daughter on how to safely navigate the situation via texts and phone calls," and

WHEREAS, a second woman - Haley Myers - who worked for then-Assemblyman Mendoza in 2010 reported that "Mendoza repeatedly sent her text messages, some late at night with comments such as 'thinking of you' and ending with a smiley face. He singled out Myers, then 30 and married, to attend after-hours events with him, she said, including several occasions in which she found herself alone with Mendoza over drinks or dinner" and

WHEREAS, as reported by the Sacramento Bee, "In September 2010, Mendoza invited Myers to join him for a long weekend at a conference in Pebble Beach.  Myers said she was suspicious and asked for details about the work that would be expected from her on the trip. In response he (Mendoza) said accommodations were nice and described the resort town as beautiful, she said. She declined and mentioned that her and her husband were celebrating their anniversary" and

WHEREAS, Myers reported Mendoza's behavior to Rene Bayardo, then-Assemblymember Mendoza's legislative director who reported the matter to the Assembly Rules Committee; and

WHEREAS, Bayardo stated to the Sacramento Bee, "The behavior Haley described to me was alarming, and as a supervisor I had a legal and ethical obligation to report it;" and

WHEREAS, an Assembly Rules Committee staff member "agreed to tell Mendoza not to contact her (Myers) in a non-professional manner and that he could not retaliate against either (Myers or Bayardo);" and

WHEREAS, an Assembly Rules Committee staff member followed up with Myers afterward and described Mendoza as "perplexed and confused;" and

WHEREAS, a third woman - a 23-year old Senate Fellow assigned to Mendoza's Capitol Office  - was, during the summer of 2017, repeatedly invited by Mendoza to visit him at night in a home he then shared with Senator President pro-Tem Kevin de Leon, on the pretext of reviewing her resume; and

WHEREAS, two Senate Staff members that reported Mendoza's inappropriate behavior to the Senate Rules Committee have recently been fired; and

WHEREAS, the Senate Fellowship Director at the time who allegedly did not report Senator Mendoza's behavior has been put on "indefinite leave" by Sacramento State University; and

WHEREAS, Senator Mendoza's responses and statements about the reports of the three women have been vague, non-denials attempting to place blame on so-called misunderstandings, miscommunications and media seeking to generate advertising sales; and

WHEREAS, to this direct question from a Sacramento Bee reporter: "At a party at the Mix (a downtown Sacramento nightclub), did you (Senate Mendoza) tell the fellow in your office that she could come back to your house to go over her resume that night (August 31) this year (2017)?" Mendoza's response was "Generally speaking, I would offer assistance to any of our employees seeking higher-ranking positions in ours or other offices."

WHEREAS, Senator Mendoza has clearly violated at least 10 "Senate Standards of Conduct:"

• "First - Each Senator shall conduct himself or herself so as to justify the high trust reposed in him or her by the people and to promote public confidence in the integrity of the Senate;
• Second - A Senator or officer or employee of the Senate shall not engage in unethical conduct or tolerate such conduct by others;
• Third (c) - A Senator shall not use the prestige of his or her office, and an officer or employee of the Senate shall not use the status of his or her position, for material or financial gain or private benefit;
• Fourth (d) - Each Senator shall fairly characterize the issues confronting the Legislature and accurately inform the public regarding the conduct of his or her office;
• Fifth - Each Senator and each officer or employee of the Senate has an obligation to the public and to his or her colleagues to be informed about, and abide by, the rules that govern the proceedings of the Senate and the Legislature;
• Sixth - Each Senator, and each officer or employee of the Senate, acting in a position of leadership shall exercise his or her power and carry out his or her responsibility so as to enhance reasoned and visible decision-making by the Senate;
• Seventh - Each Senator has an obligation to treat each officer or employee of the Senate with fairness and without discrimination, and to ensure that each officer or employee performs only those tasks for which there is a legislative or governmental purpose;
• Eighth - Each officer or employee of the Senate has an obligation to perform his or her properly assigned duties using his or her best judgment with diligence and a duty of loyalty to the Senate as an institution;
• Tenth - Each Senator and each officer or employee of the Senate shall uphold the Constitution of California and the Constitution of the United States, and shall adhere to the spirit and the letter of the laws, rules, and regulations governing officeholder conduct;
• Eleventh - Each Senator and each officer or employee of the Senate shall conduct himself or herself in the performance of his or her duties in a manner that does not discredit the Senate.

WHEREAS, serving in the California Legislature is not a right, but rather a privilege and honor entrusted to us by the voters of California;

WHEREAS, Senator Mendoza has violated that trust by repeatedly using his office in both houses of the Legislature to target and prey upon women working for him;

WHEREAS, women working in, volunteering in or visiting the Capitol and District offices of California legislators, have a right to feel safe and a right to have protections against retaliation if they have concerns or complaints about their treatment;

WHEREAS, Senator Mendoza has demonstrated through his actions that he does not truly comprehend the serious predicaments he has placed these women in and damage he has done to them and to the reputation of the Legislature;

WHEREAS, Senator Mendoza has compromised his ability to provide effective representation for the residents of the 32nd District;

WHEREAS, the Assembly co-chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus has stated she will no longer work with Senator Mendoza;

WHEREAS, The oath of office that state Senators swear to uphold upon taking office reads as follows: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter"; and

WHEREAS, Subdivision (a) of Section 5 of Article IV of the California Constitution provides as follows: "Each house shall judge the qualifications and elections of its Members and, by roll call vote entered in the journal, two thirds of the membership concurring, may expel a Member"; and

WHEREAS, The California State Senate convenes in a chamber under a portrait of George Washington - a symbol of dedication and integrity; and

WHEREAS, Senator Mendoza has had, since November 10, 2017, the option of resigning from the Senate but has not done so; and

WHEREAS, The Senate leadership has had, since November 10, 2017, the option of requesting Senator Mendoza to resign from the Senate but has not done so; and

WHEREAS, under the power and authority conferred by the California Constitution, the full Senate can, by a two-thirds vote of the membership, expel a Senator; now, therefore, be it

Touhcy, Feely Tony

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, two-thirds of the membership concurring, that pursuant to the authority conferred by Section 5 of Article IV of the California Constitution, Senator Tony Mendoza, representing the 32nd Senate District, is hereby expelled from the California State Senate for violating several Senate Standards of Conduct cited above, effective immediately.