California Democratic Party Investigates Sex Misconduct Allegations Against Chair
(CBS SF/AP) -- A Bay Area lawmaker is calling for the removal of the chair of the California Democratic Party who has been accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment, with the allegations prompting an investigation.
The allegations against Eric Bauman have come from anonymous accusers who allege Bauman "sexually harassed, and in some cases sexually assaulted, individuals during Party functions," according to a letter from Vice-Chair Daraka Larimore-Hall obtained by the Sacramento Bee.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) called the allegations against Bauman "shocking" and urged the party to replace him with Stanford law Professor Michele Dauber, who led the recall of former Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky.
The allegations of sexual assault that @DarakaKenric is filing against @EricBauman are shocking. CalDems should replace him with @mldauber who is one of the nation's foremost scholars on sexual harassment & led the Persky recall campaign. We need a bold feminist to lead for 2020.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 24, 2018
On Friday, Larimore-Hall began initiating proceedings to have Bauman removed and also called for Bauman's removal as party chair.
Bauman, a former nurse and health care consultant, was a longtime Los Angeles County Democratic party leader before becoming a senior adviser in the Assembly Speaker's Office. On Saturday Bauman said in a statement he looks forward to putting the allegations behind him and the party.
Bauman was elected chair in 2017 after a contentious battle over the party's direction.
© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.