A southern California assemblyman punished by Democratic leaders over accusations of domestic abuse made an unexpected and feisty return to the state capitol Friday.
In a lively exchange with reporters in his office, Roger Hernandez (D-Baldwin Park) said high blood pressure kept him away from work.
It is a stressful time for Hernandez. In July a judge granted Hernandez's ex-wife a restraining order following her accusations he abused her during their marriage. He was then removed from his Assembly committees and stripped of his labor committee chairmanship. His campaign for Congress has also floundered.
In a wide-ranging interview, Hernandez said he believes the judge was wrong to grant the restraining order and strongly denied the allegations against him.
"I want to be really clear, domestic violence, in my opinion, is the worst thing," he said. "To me it's right at par with murder, child abuse."