SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on allegations of misconduct against California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia is facing fresh allegations of misconduct involving discussions about sex and drinking alcohol in her office.
San Diego lawyer Dan Gilleon filed a formal complaint Wednesday detailing the allegations with the Assembly Rules Committee. He filed it on behalf of four anonymous former members of Garcia’s staff.
Gilleon says the staff members will cooperate with an investigation but do not want to release their names publicly for fear of retribution. He says none still work in the Legislature.
Garcia says she will address each issue individually when the investigations are closed. She says in a Facebook post she is confident she has treated her staff “fairly and respectfully.”
She took an unpaid leave of absence starting Friday after an allegation surfaced that she had groped a former male legislative staffer. She denies his claim.
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3 p.m.
California’s Legislative Women’s Caucus has named a new acting chair after sexual misconduct allegations prompted its outspoken leader to take a leave of absence.
Democratic Assemblywoman Susan Eggman of Stockton is the interim chair of the group of women lawmakers that focuses on passing policies benefiting women and families.
The caucus’s Wednesday vote comes after last week’s news that Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, the prior chair, is the subject of an investigation for allegedly groping a male legislative staffer. Garcia, who denies the claims, is on an unpaid leave of absence.
San Diego lawyer Dan Gilleon is planning a press conference Wednesday to announce additional misconduct allegations against Garcia by some of her former employees. Gilleon says he’ll deliver a letter to the Assembly Rules Committee outlining the claims.
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