California Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) says he won't seek re-election after allegations were made that he sexually harassed a colleague.
The Los Angeles Democrat is the first political casualty in a wave of sexual harassment allegations at the Capitol.
Legislative staffer Elise Flynn Gyore says Bocanegra put his hands inside her blouse at an after-work event at a Sacramento nightclub in 2009. At the time, Bocanegra was chief of staff to then-Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes. He was later elected to the Assembly in 2012.
Gyore is now chief of staff for Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside).
The Los Angeles Times reported an investigation was conducted at the time and found “it is more likely than not that Bocanegra engaged in behavior that night which does not meet the Assembly’s expectations for professionalism," according to a letter from the then-chief administrative officer.