Asm. Cristina Garcia to Take Unpaid Leave of Absence From Position and Committee Assignments

Asm. Cristina Garcia Responds to Allegations of Misconduct

(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.”

Senator Connie Leyva who blasted Garcia in a statement yesterday, stopped short of calling for Garcia’s resignation, unlike her calls for Sen. Tony Mendoza to resign.

When contacted by HMG-CN, Leyva stated, “Senator Leyva asked Senator Mendoza to resign since they are both members of the California State Senate and she has the ability to participate in a vote to expel another Senator, if that vote is necessary.”

For months Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell) has been slamming State Senator Tony Mendoza for alleged sexual improprieties on former staffers.

Garcia has asked Mendoza to resign and has given several vitriolic quotes to the Sacramento Bee in regards to Mendoza’s alleged improprieties.

But now the shoe is on the other foot.

POLITICO broke a story yesterday, which HMG-CN knew about for months but could not get sources to come forward.

It took a national news organization such as POLITICO to bring the source out, and he is a Cerritos resident.

Danny Fierro was identified as the source in an article yesterday saying that Garcia groped him at the annual Assembly softball game in Sacramento.

Fierro said that Garcia appeared drunk came up and started stroking his back, then squeezed his butt, finally attempting a “reach around” to grab his crotch.

Fierro said in the article that he never reported the incident, which occurred years before the current #MeToo movement and new whistleblower legislation was formed to protect staffers.

Another staffer, who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, is claiming harassment, once again with Garcia attempting to grab his crotch at a political fundraiser.

He said he could “smell the booze on her breath and that she was really far gone.” The lobbyist said, “she looked at me for a second and said I’ve set a goal for myself to fuck you.“

Attempts to contact Garcia went unanswered.