Three Democratic activists from the San Fernando Valley are stirring up trouble for Democratic Assemblywoman Patty Lopez and are reportedly planning formally to ask her to resign from her seat “in the near future.”
In a letter to a political ethics watchdog group, the Fair Political Practices Commission, Graciela Nakamura, Alejandro Morales and Rosemary Jenkins contend that Lopez intentionally deceived voters. They write that it “cannot be ignored nor allowed to continue,” according to the Sacramento Bee. A packet consisting of 200 pages, including a letter detailing all of Lopez’s alleged misconduct, was reportedly hand-delivered to all of her colleagues.
Some of the complaints in the letter filed by the Democratic activists suggested that Lopez misrepresented her experience on her ballot designation, and included a reference to Lopez’s collusion with Republicans. They said she shielded the contributions she received from “fringe elements of the Republican Party,” which they contend did not provide voters with “the opportunity to have the vital information required by the Political Reform Act to make informed decisions,” the Bee notes.
Lopez responded by saying she has every right to seek advice and assistance from Republicans and suggested that the trio’s behavior is politically-motivated, suggesting that they are linked to Raul Bocanegra, a fellow Democratic rival whom she unseated in a surprise victory this past November.
She issued the following statement to the Bee regarding the pending calls for her resignation:
If they give me a good reason to resign, I will. But people put me in this position. I didn’t do it myself. I have a lot of people who support me and they say, ‘Don’t listen to them’. The only way we can move forward on the issues that are important to my district …is to stay and to work. They know my heart and soul is for the people.
Under California’s top-two or “jungle” primary system, appeals to voters across party lines have become more common, particularly in general election races featuring two candidates from the same party.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz
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