Misconduct claims, union attacks cloud Democrat's campaign
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Once a leader of California's #MeToo movement and a shoo-in for re-election, Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia is campaigning for her political life under the cloud of a sexual misconduct investigation and against half a million dollars of blistering attacks from unions and a charter school group.
Investigators on Thursday cleared Garcia of the most serious allegation against her — that she groped a male legislative staffer in 2014. But it found Garcia frequently used vulgar language in violation of the Assembly's sexual harassment policies, prompting Speaker Anthony Rendon, a fellow Democrat, to sternly rebuke her and remove her committee assignments.