Posts Tagged: allegations

Capitol misconduct accusations gather momentum

On the ground floor of the rotunda in the state Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo: trekandshoot, via Shutterstock)

by CHUCK MCFADDEN posted 12.15.2017

The seemingly endless series of sexual harassment accusations swirling through the Capitol carries implications beyond the fates of individual lawmakers. The fallout from all of it might even endanger — temporarily — the Democrats’ supermajority and reverse the Legislature’s recent surge in approval among California voters.

Whistleblower targets OSHA office in San Francisco

A safety inspector on the job. (Photo: BillionPhotos, via Shuttterstock)

by STUART SILVERSTEIN posted 04.11.2016

FairWarning: The whistleblower claim filed last week with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel charges that the San Francisco regional office of OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program routinely dumped legitimate complaints. He contends his disclosures to senior OSHA and Labor Department officials -– all the way up to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez — “did not spark good faith corrective action.”

State Sen. Rod Wright, an Inglewood Democrat who once headed the powerful Governmental Organization Committee, was sentenced Friday to three months in jail and banned for life from holding public office for lying to the public and election officials about his true place of residence.

A deep dive into Senate culture

The California Senate, Sacramento. (Photo: Trekandshoot, via Shutterstock)

by CONNOR GRUBAUGH posted 08.05.2014

When the California state Senate reaches the end of its 2013-14 legislative session later this month, it will mark the end of a highly tumultuous period in the institution’s more than 150-year history. Allegations of bribery, corruption, international arms trafficking, racketeering, perjury, illegal drug use and nepotism among senators and Senate staff have marred the institution’s public image for more than a year.

*UC Berkeley’s handling of rape complaints draws fire

Students walk across the campus at UC Berkeley. (Photo: Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, via AP)

by MIA SHAW posted 07.25.2014

UC Berkeley – under federal investigation for its handling of sexual assault complaints and the target of a critical state audit – has a flawed system for dealing with rape allegations and an internal procedure that critics say shields assailants from criminal charges. The school is one of 55 campuses across the country being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for allegedly mishandling cases of sexual assault.

Lawmakers who seek or receive bribes face a boosted level of fines and penalties, under a plan that is getting renewed attention because of the scandals rocking the Senate. The proposal by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, a Bell Gardens Democrat, also bars the use of campaign funds to pay restitution fines in bribery convictions.