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Home Communities Cristina Garcia Leads Vote Totals in Primary Challenge from Margaret Villa

Cristina Garcia Leads Vote Totals in Primary Challenge from Margaret Villa

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Cristina Garcia Leads Vote Totals in Primary Challenge from Margaret Villa
Cristina Garcia

California Assembly Member Cristina Garcia (D) who represents the 58th Assembly District appears to have survived a challenge from a little known candidate who was running a grassroots campaign as a Green Party Candidate, but also endorsed by the Peace and Freedom Party. Critics of Garcia were turned off by allegations that she received large donations from landlord and developer lobbyists and they claim she abstained on a state rent cap. Her challenger, Margaret Villa, an airline employee, in contrast supports more progressive causes such as rent control, medicare for all and the Green New Deal.

Garcia isn’t a newcomer to controversy. The Daily News pointed to Garcia being one of more than half a dozen California Democratic lawmakers from Los Angeles County that have been accused of sexual harassment since 2017, after the Harvey Weinstein scandal drew attention to the issue and the #MeToo Movement was born. Garcia’s clouded past caused her to lose four seats on the four committees she chaired, as a rebuke from California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. Even though an investigation found that most of the claims were unsubstantiated, she was able to pull off a victory. Her challenger then was Mike Simpfendorfer, a Republican who tried to capitalize on her troubles and the fact that Garcia had reportedly received a $26,000 in-kind donation in 2018 from the California Democratic Party for her reelection bid, regardless off the previous investigation into her conduct. Deposed Chair of the California Democratic Party Eric C. Bauman defended the donation, explaining it was to conduct a “poll to see where the race stood in light of the circumstances.” Bauman himself resigned in 2018, after facing accusations of sexual misconduct.

Politico reported in 2018 that a lobbyist accused Garcia of sexual harassment and approached him at a fundraiser where he claimed she had been “drinking heavily” and made an obscene proposition and inappropriate gesture and intrusion towards his personal space. Jessica Levinson, professor of law and ethics at Loyola Law School at Los Angeles and then president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission told Politico: “Hypocrisy knows no bounds and no partisanship, it crosses all party affiliations.” Garcia was also accused of drinking heavily while in her own office in Sacramento and with staff members.

Voter’s Edge website says Garcia had raised nearly $340,000 with he contributors being Cecilia Aguiar-Curry for Assembly 2020, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, SEIU California, the California State Pipe Trades Council, and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians. Villa did not accept any money from lobbyists or corporations. Villa’s DonorBox website shows that she has received $1,531 from public donations. The Long Beach Press-Telegram has reported that while Garcia has received more than 50% of the vote so far, it is not known how many votes have actually been counted so the numbers may change.

California’s 58th Assembly District represents the communities of Artesia, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Cerritos, Commerce, Downey, Montebello, Norwalk and Pico Rivera.

Stay tuned to WatchOurCity.com for updates on these election results and other races from the March 3, 2020 California Primary Election.

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