In summary
Both leaders of California’s Legislature have agreed to release records about certain investigations of sexual harassment in the state Capitol.
Both leaders of California’s Legislature have agreed to release records about certain investigations of sexual harassment in the state Capitol.
“The Senate and the Assembly will release documents related to sexual harassment claims that have been substantiated against a high-level legislative employee or legislator for which discipline has been imposed or allegations have been determined to be well-founded,” Senate leader Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a joint statement released Friday.
“The documents to be released will be the claim filed and the letter provided to the accuser or the accused wrapping up the investigation and providing information about the final outcome of the investigation. All documents will redact the personally-identifying information of the accuser and any witnesses for privacy reasons.”
De León has instructed his staff to release the records within the next two weeks, his chief of staff said. Rendon’s office gave a less precise timeline, saying they are working to compile the information and will release it in the coming weeks.
The announcement comes as a wave of sexual misconduct allegations roils the statehouse, leading two assemblymen to resign and a state senator to take a leave of absence. Since October, when nearly 150 women signed an open letter complaining that California politics is rife with a pervasive culture of harassment, reporters have been requesting documents held by the Legislature about its investigations into workplace complaints.
The Legislature initially refused to release such information, arguing that the law does not require disclosing it. But the law does not forbid the Legislature from releasing the records, a case I made in letters to legislative leaders in November. Transparency about substantiated cases of abuse, I wrote, is in the public interest.
De León said last month that he would release the information, while Rendon’s position was unclear until today.