2nd accused legislator steps down
State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh announced his resignation Friday, days after three women accused him of sexual misconduct, including a lobbyist who said he followed her into a restroom and masturbated in front of her.
The Democrat from Encino (Los Angeles County) is the second California assemblyman to resign within two weeks and the third lawmaker in the Capitol to face sexual misconduct accusations from multiple women.
Dababneh’s resignation is effective Jan. 1 and comes even though he denies all the allegations and says he believes an investigation will prove his innocence.
The most serious of the allegations against him came from Sacramento lobbyist Pamela Lopez, who said Dababneh pushed his way into a restroom with her last year and tried to get her to touch his exposed genitals as he masturbated.
“To be absolutely clear, the allegations made against me are not true,” Dababneh said in a statement. “However, due to the current environment, I, unfortunately, no longer believe I can serve my district effectively, as I have done for the last four years.”
After Lopez came forward, the Assembly hired an outside investigator to look into the allegations. Jean Hyams, Lopez’s
lawyer, said this week that Lopez had not decided yet whether to file a complaint with police since going public about the January 2016 incident at a Las Vegas party.
“Matt Dababneh’s resignation is yet another sign that the culture is changing,” Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood (Los Angeles County), said in a statement. “The Assembly will continue our work to hasten that change, to make the Legislature an institution where people are safe, survivors are helped and perpetrators are held accountable.”
Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles County), resigned from his seat on Nov. 27 amid several allegations of sexual misconduct. State Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia (Los Angeles County), was stripped of his chairmanship until an investigation into sexual misconduct is completed.
A second woman, Jessica Yas Barker, accused Dababneh of sexual harassment Monday, saying the incidents occurred when they worked as congressional staffers for Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles County).
Barker said Dababneh would routinely make inappropriate sexual comments, brag about sexual encounters with other women and keep a drawer of condoms he liked to show off. She also said he would comment on her appearance, refer to her as “Ellen” — a reference to comedian Ellen Degeneres — and tell her she dressed like a lesbian.
Both Lopez and Barker called on Dababneh to donate his “campaign war chest to organizations that champion women’s rights or fight violence against women” after they heard he was resigning.
“Mr. Dababneh stepping down is not enough,” Lopez said. “The reality is that he still has a huge campaign war chest that he can use to wield political power.”
A third woman who spoke to The Chronicle on condition that her name not be published said she left her job as a legislative staffer for Dababneh because the assemblyman would routinely make detailed sexual comments about other women that made her uncomfortable.
After the women came forward, several members of the Bruin Democrats at UCLA said on Twitter it was common practice to warn female interns to avoid Dababneh, a UCLA graduate.
The allegations against Dababneh came after hundreds of women signed an open letter Oct. 17 calling for an end to pervasive sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the state Capitol. The open letter led to a campaign called We Said Enough, which is working with the Legislature to reform its sexual harassment policies.
“This second resignation in a matter of weeks further demonstrates the pervasiveness of the problem and the continued need for confidential reporting, whistle-blower protections and appropriate due process so that victims no longer have to litigate their issues in the press,” the group We Said Enough said in a statement.