RECKONING

California Democratic Party Chair Resigns Over Sexual-Misconduct Allegations

Eric Bauman was accused of making “sexually explicit comments in the workplace.”

Eric Bauman, the California Democratic Party chairman, announced Thursday he would resign from his position after being accused of workplace sexual misconduct, the Los Angeles Times reports. “...it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” Bauman reportedly said. The Times published a story Wednesday which featured 10 party staffers and activists who accused Bauman of making “sexually explicit comments in the workplace” and touching individuals “in professional settings.” After the report came out, top Democrats like California’s governor-elect, Gavin Newsom, called for Bauman to step down. Bauman took a leave of absence on Saturday after a letter from state party Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall reportedly accused him of “unspecified misconduct” that involved an “escalating pattern [of] dehumanizing behavior.”