Embattled Alameda County Supervisor Lockyer Resigns
HAYWARD (CBS / AP) -- Embattled Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer told her colleagues in a letter Friday that she is resigning from office effective immediately.
Lockyer, who has been in a substance abuse treatment program, said she isn't able to be a good mother to her child and represent her 325,000 constituents in District 2 "while also trudging the waters of early recovery from addiction and the aftermath of interpersonal violence."
Lockyer, 40, who is married to California Treasurer Bill Lockyer, apparently is referring to an incident at a motel in Newark on Feb. 3 in which she alleged that an ex-boyfriend assaulted her.
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office initially investigated her allegations but then turned the probe over to the California Attorney General's Office because Lockyer formerly worked for an agency connected to the district attorney's office.
Most recently, an e-mail sent from her account to a Bay Area News Group reporter claimed her husband had given her drugs. Bill Lockyer's office denied those allegations.
Before she was elected to the Board of Supervisors in November 2010, Lockyer worked for the Alameda County Family Justice Center, an agency in which the district attorney's office and other county departments work together to provide a variety of services to victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and sexual abuse and exploitation.
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
Her District 2 seat encompasses Hayward, Newark and Union City and parts of Fremont and Sunol.
Lockyer announced Feb. 14 that she was at a wellness and recovery center.
According to her chief of staff, Ruben Briones, Lockyer missed six regular board meetings and several board retreats while she was in the treatment program.
On March 20, Lockyer participated in her first board retreat in many weeks and on March 27 she participated in her first regular board meeting in weeks. Lockyer has regularly participated in board meetings since then.
In her letter, Lockyer said, "In Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, days of sobriety are counted. In motherhood, the number of days with a healthy level of stress and tears should be too."
She said, "While I can boast 77 days of sobriety to this day, I can barely count to 10 in the latter category."
Lockyer said, "For this, I owe my family, constituents, staff and colleagues a huge apology. Reality is, I set my personal goals in recovery too high and too quickly. I got myself in a place called addiction all by myself."
She said, "A decade of non-stop trauma, pain and loss are my personal excuse. But this time, this recent trauma, is just too much and something I can't ignore."
Lockyer said, "For my child, and in the spirit of Mothers' Day and National Victims' Rights Week, I hereby announce my resignation from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in order that I may focus on the well-being of my child, recovery from chemical dependency and interpersonal violence and transitioning to work in the private sector."
She added, "It has truly been an honor serving as supervisor for the constituents of District 2 and for this I am eternally grateful."
She signed her letter "Nadia Davis-Lockyer." Davis is her maiden name.
Lockyer's colleagues have two months to try to agree on a temporary replacement for her. If they can't agree on anyone then it would be up to Gov. Jerry Brown to name a replacement.
The seat will then be contested at the next general election.
Supervisor Keith Carson, the board's longest-serving member, said he and his colleagues haven't received Lockyer's letter so he doesn't want to comment on her announcement.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
