Welcome to California, where a Democrat assemblywoman and leader of the #MeToo movement can practically get away with sexual harassment and misconduct.
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia
You may have read about Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) who was accused back in February of sexual harassment by Daniel Fierro, a former legislative staffer. Fierro said Garcia ran her hand up and down his back and buttocks and attempted to grope his crotch during a legislative baseball game. Garcia took a three-month voluntary leave of absence until a recent court decision ruled that there was not enough evidence against her. However, the court did find that Garcia “commonly and pervasively” used vulgar language, had used staff to run personal errands and had “disparaged other elected officials.”
Fierro is appealing the court’s decision, claiming important witnesses were not called upon that could have collaborated his complaint. His attorney, Robin D. Dal Soglio, wrote a letter to the assembly addressing the issue:
“It is clear that several witnesses identified to the investigator were not interviewed who can testify to the fact that Ms. Garcia was inebriated and her presence after the end of the baseball game… [including] another witness to whom Mr. Fierro reported the groping incident shortly after it occurred.”
“Many of the witnesses can provide information in direct contradiction to Ms. Garcia’s public statement that she left the ballpark immediately after the game and, therefore, supposedly was not there at the time that Mr. Fierro asserts she entered the dugout and groped him.”
“Ms. Garcia’s inebriation at the time of the incident is directly relevant to determining the relative credibility of Ms. Garcia’s recollection (or lack thereof) of events that night.”
Garcia has pretended to be the poster child against sexual harassment. She was one of several women who signed a letter against the “pervasive culture of sexual harassment in Sacramento,” and claimed she had also been a “target.” In 2017, Time Magazine’s annual Person of the Year award went not to an individual, but to “Silence Breakers,” in a layout that included a picture of Garcia.
Fierro’s complaint is only one of many that has popped up since February. Let’s look at some of the other incidents that the #MeToo champion has been accused of.
Sleeping with the Enemy
Attorney Daniel Gilleon represented several ex-staffers and sent a letter to the Assembly Rules Committee. In the letter, he claims Garcia told her staffers that having sex with other elected officials “was a good way of getting information.”
Spin the Bottle
Apparently, the assemblywoman thought it was a good idea to play spin the bottle with fellow lawmakers. David John Kernick, a former employee of Garcia’s in 2014, filed a formal complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. He said he had been dismissed unfairly after questioning, “the propriety of Garcia asking staffers to play the game, which requires participants to kiss each other.”
“It was definitely uncomfortable,” Kernick reportedly said, adding, “But I realized it’s different for a man than for a woman… You know it’s inappropriate, but at the same time you may wonder, ‘How many women do you work for that act like that?’ You think … ‘Maybe she’s just really cool.’”
Drunken Groping
Fierro wasn’t the only male that Garcia allegedly attempted to grope. A prominent Sacramento lobbyist claimed that she tried to grab his crotch at a political fundraiser hosted by Governor Jerry Brown in May 2017. Apparently, Garcia was inebriated then, too.
Isn’t that hate speech?
While Garcia denies the above claims, she has admitted calling former Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez a “homo.”
“I did make that remark in a moment of anger,” Garcia told Bay Area public radio station KQED. Then she reportedly said: “I have no reason to lie about something that is true. However, in no way was my use of that term meant to belittle Mr. Perez for his sexuality.”
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) did not appreciate Garcia’s homophobic slur and publicly chastised her earlier this month. As punishment, Rendon stripped her of all committee assignments.
“It is incredibly difficult for her to be an effective representative,” said Jessica Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. “She can only do floor votes. She has no power in committees, which is where all the power is.” The poor dear.
Garcia has also been ordered to take sexual harassment and sensitivity training, but the woman has not been forced to resign, as so many others who have been accused of even less inappropriate behavior have. What makes her so special? Well, she’s in California, for one. She’s a Democrat. And, she’s a woman.
