He heads back to ballots, but not as ‘senator’
Ousted lawmaker may not use former title in his bid to reclaim seat, State secretary says.
SACRAMENTO — The California secretary of State has rejected Tony Mendoza’s proposed ballot designation of “state senator” in the June election, saying it is deceptive because he resigned from the Senate last month amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Mendoza, a Democrat from Artesia, stepped down under threat that the Senate would expel him after an investigation concluded that he made six female aides uncomfortable with a pattern of “unwanted flirtatious or sexually suggestive behavior.”
“As such, your proposed ballot designation of ‘State Senator’ is misleading,” Rachelle Delucchi, an elections counsel for the secretary of State, wrote in a letter to Mendoza.
The letter gives him until Tuesday to come up with an alternative ballot designation or else the ballot will have the words “no designation” under his name when it is finalized Thursday.
Mendoza has denied wrongdoing and is running in a special election in June to serve the remaining months of his term, while also being a candidate in June for a new four-year term. He did not respond to a request for comment on the ballot designation issue.
In a statement sent to supporters in recent days, Mendoza said he has been a target of “Sacramento special interests and establishment leadership” and the Senate leadership “circumvented its own process” by not taking the allegations to the Senate Ethics Committee.
“I have great remorse for making anyone feel uncomfortable or awkward,” Mendoza said in the message on social media. “Those were not my intentions and I am deeply sorry. After months of reflection, I am guilty of being a part of a male dominated Sacramento culture of power and privilege.”
He said he looks forward to discussing the issue during the campaign and clearing his name.
The other candidates running to represent the 32nd District in a new, fouryear term are Democrats Bob J. Archuleta, Rudy Bermudez, David Castellanos, Vanessa Delgado, Vivian Romero and Vicky Santana; and Republicans Ion Sarega, Ali S. Taj and Rita Topalian.