County GOP calls Mathis ‘an embarrassment’
Issued resolution calling for his immediate resignation
In a unanimous vote, the Tulare County Republican Party Central Committee voted to draft a resolution asking Assemblyman Devon Mathis to “resign immediately.” The action is in response to multiple allegations of public and personal misconduct by the secondterm Assemblyman and Porterville native.
Tuesday’s resolution describes Mathis as “an embarrassment to his constituents,” largely because of allegations that he sexually assaulted one of his staff members. Accounts of his private conduct have been verified by multiple independent sources with documentation that is public record, and he may be facing criminal charges.
In addition to the allegations of sexual misconduct which first surfaced last month, the resolution states that multiple documented sources give accounts of his alleged alcohol abuse, outbursts of anger, and inappropriate behavior with young staff members.
The resolution condemns Mathis’ public actions as well, claiming that he “lied to members of the Central Committee and Republican elected officials regarding votes in the legislature and matters of public policy.” It also asserts that Mathis used a vulgar slang term when bragging about ignoring his constituents on the floor of the California Assembly.
Debra Gravet, chief administrative officer for the California State Assembly Rules Committee, has confirmed that an investigation into Mathis’ actions is underway.
The Sacramento Police Department announced last month that Mathis was being investigated for an alleged sexual assault in 2016 against a female member of his staff.
According to published reports, the alleged misconduct was first reported to law enforcement officials by Joseph Turner, a political activist who runs the conservative political blog American Children First.
Turner reported that sources had informed him that Mathis and several staff members had gone out drinking and returned to the home of one of the staff members. There, it was alleged, an inebriated female staff member had gone into a bedroom and passed out on the bed, and Mathis was alleged to have sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious.
The office of Assemblyman Mathis did not return a call from The Recorder prior to publication requesting comment on the resolution drafted by the TCRP and the investigations.