Tuesday, December 05, 2017 8:34:58 AM
Valley Assemblyman Matt Dababneh accused of sexually assaulting Sacramento lobbyist
December 4, 2017
Assemblyman Matt Dababneh on Monday became the latest Los Angeles-area state legislator to be accused of sexual impropriety.
Assemblyman Matt Dababneh was accused by two women Monday of sexual misconduct, becoming the latest Los Angeles-area state legislator to face allegations of harassment.
At a news conference in Sacramento, lobbyist Pamela Lopez said that Dababneh, a Democrat who represents the West San Fernando Valley, pushed her into a bathroom during a 2016 party at a Las Vegas hotel and masturbated in front of her. Former legislative staffer Jessica Yas Barker said Dababneh regularly made inappropriate comments when both worked for Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.
Dababneh put out a statement Monday afternoon denying Lopez’s charge.
“I affirmatively deny that this event ever happened — at any time,” the statement said. “I am saddened by this lobbyist’s effort to create this falsehood and make these inflammatory statements, apparently for her own self-promotion and without regard to the reputation of others. I look forward to clearing my name.”
But at least one San Fernando Valley elected official, Los Angeles school board member Kelly Gonez, called on Dababneh to resign.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-South Gate, said Dababneh would step down as chairman of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee while an investigation of the Lopez incident is investigated by an outside law firm hired by the Assembly Rules Committee.
The allegations came after weeks of rumors about Dababneh as cases of sexual harassment have come to light in California politics and other industries.
A week earlier, Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-Arleta, announced he was resigning immediately as harassment charges against him grew, and state Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Cerritos, was stripped of committee leadership positions pending an investigation of harassment allegations.
Also last week, Lopez testified at an Assembly subcommittee hearing on sexual harassment about an incident involving a state legislator. But she didn’t identify Dababneh as the legislator until Monday.
Lopez described the incident in a letter to Assemblyman Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova, and other lawmakers, including Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Burbank, chairwoman of the Assembly Rules Subcommittee on Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation Prevention and Response.
“On January 16, 2016, Mr. Dababneh and I were two of the many invited guests at a party to celebrate two mutual friends who were planning to get married,” Lopez’s letter read. “Most of the guests in attendance were political professionals, including many colleagues and associates I have known for years. I should have had no reason to fear for my safety.
“When I went to the bathroom after being at the party for a few hours, I felt the weight of a body push me into the restroom. I heard the door slam behind us. When I turned around, I saw that it was Matt Dababneh. He stood blocking the door and began to masturbate and move toward me, urging me to touch him.
“It was a terrifying experience. During the time he blocked me in that room, my instincts were focused on escaping without any physical contact and in a way that would not cause a scene. Before the ordeal ended, he told me not to tell anyone.”
Lopez wrote that she was moved to identify Dababneh after hearing members of the Assembly subcommittee say they were committed to protecting victims of sexual harassment from retaliation.
She said Dababneh, through his attorney, “has tried to silence me by threatening to sue me for defamation if I persisted in reporting this assault.”
In a letter to Assembly Rules Committee Chair Ken Cooley, Pamela Lopez accuses Assemblyman Matt Dababneh of sexual assault
pic.twitter.com/bVADzfCNhc
— Hillel Aron (@hillelaron) December 4, 2017
“As scary as it is for me to step forward,” Lopez said in a news conference at the Sacramento offices of her firm, K Street Consulting, “I can’t have it on my conscience that I didn’t do everything that I could do to stop him from hurting other women in the future.”
Lopez said she was considering whether to bring a criminal complaint to the police.
John Winer, a Woodland Hills- and Oakland-based attorney who represents sexual-harassment victims but hasn’t been involved in the cases involving California politicians, said that what Lopez accused Dababneh of doing would be a violation of California Penal Code 314 (indecent exposure) and could be the basis of a civil suit alleging sexual abuse.
Sitting beside Lopez at the press conference, Barker, now director of corporate relations for the independent TV network Ovation, described harassment and inappropriate behavior by Dababneh in 2008 when he was Sherman’s district director and she was on the congressman’s staff. Barker said he mocked her clothing, showed her the stash of condoms he kept in his desk drawer and bragged about his sexual prowess — pointing out “who he had slept with, who wanted to sleep with him.”
“It was pretty much an open secret in the San Fernando Valley that this was how Matt behaved,” Barker said.
Sherman said he was “surprised and saddened to learn that Ms. Barker felt uncomfortable during any of her time working in the district office,” and said he “had never seen to been told of any inappropriate behavior by Assemblyman Dababneh, or any disparagement of women.”
“I personally feel terrible that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable while working in my office,” Sherman said in a statement. “We are redoubling our efforts to make sure that my offices are safe and comfortable places for women and men to work.”
Dababneh, a 36-year-old San Fernando Valley native who is single, represents California’s 45th Assembly District, which includes Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Winnetka, Northridge, Reseda, Tarzana, Encino and the Ventura County community of Bell Canyon.
Dababneh was elected to the Assembly in a 2013 special election to replace Bob Blumenfield, who had resigned to join the L.A. City Council. Boasting endorsements from a few local Republican elected officials as well as Democrats, Dababneh narrowly defeated Republican Susan Shelley (now a columnist for this and other Southern California News Group papers).
Dababneh was elected to a full two-year term in 2014, defeating Shelley again, and re-elected in 2016, winning by a wide margin over Republican Jerry Kowal.
He had been chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee since 2015, and touted a consumer-protection agenda in his 2016 election campaign. Dababaneh also is author of Jordan’s Law, which takes effect in 2018, increasing penalties for conspiring with an attacker to film a violent felony; the bill was aimed at combating so-called cyber-bullying, in which attackers gain notoriety by posting video on social media.
News of the accusations against Dababneh drew a strong reaction from Gonez, who had been the first elected official to bluntly criticize Bocanegra after the first sexual harassment accusation in late October.
“The second representative from the San Fernando Valley accused of sexual misconduct in recent days, Dababneh’s story is an indictment not just of his own abusive conduct, but of a broader system in the state Legislature and the U.S. Congress that has tolerated the mistreatment of women for far too long,” said Gonez, who represents the northeast Valley. “That has led victims to fear retaliation and inaction, rather than trusting that they will be heard and that perpetrators will be held accountable.
“Assembly Member Dababneh should step down immediately so that the voters can select a new representative who will be an advocate for both men and women in the 45th District.”
Rendon, the Assembly leader, said in a statement that if Dababneh is found to have committed the assault, “I will ask for his immediate resignation and move for his expulsion if he refuses to resign.”
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Downey, and state Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, chairwoman and vice chairwoman, respectively, of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, called for findings of the investigation to be made public.
“If the investigation finds that these allegations are likely true, there must be swift and transparent consequences for this type of behavior,” their statement said. “Victims have shown incredible courage in coming forward and we are grateful for their fortitude in the face of retaliation and blame. We must create an environment that addresses the needs of victims who exist today and one that produces no more victims in the future.”
http://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/04/valley-assemblyman-matt-dababneh-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-sacramento-lobbyist/?utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Read+More&utm_campaign=Breaking+News%3a+Valley+Assemblyman+Matt+Dababneh+accused+of+sexually+assaulting+Sacramento+lobbyist
December 4, 2017
Assemblyman Matt Dababneh on Monday became the latest Los Angeles-area state legislator to be accused of sexual impropriety.
Assemblyman Matt Dababneh was accused by two women Monday of sexual misconduct, becoming the latest Los Angeles-area state legislator to face allegations of harassment.
At a news conference in Sacramento, lobbyist Pamela Lopez said that Dababneh, a Democrat who represents the West San Fernando Valley, pushed her into a bathroom during a 2016 party at a Las Vegas hotel and masturbated in front of her. Former legislative staffer Jessica Yas Barker said Dababneh regularly made inappropriate comments when both worked for Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.
Dababneh put out a statement Monday afternoon denying Lopez’s charge.
“I affirmatively deny that this event ever happened — at any time,” the statement said. “I am saddened by this lobbyist’s effort to create this falsehood and make these inflammatory statements, apparently for her own self-promotion and without regard to the reputation of others. I look forward to clearing my name.”
But at least one San Fernando Valley elected official, Los Angeles school board member Kelly Gonez, called on Dababneh to resign.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-South Gate, said Dababneh would step down as chairman of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee while an investigation of the Lopez incident is investigated by an outside law firm hired by the Assembly Rules Committee.
The allegations came after weeks of rumors about Dababneh as cases of sexual harassment have come to light in California politics and other industries.
A week earlier, Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-Arleta, announced he was resigning immediately as harassment charges against him grew, and state Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Cerritos, was stripped of committee leadership positions pending an investigation of harassment allegations.
Also last week, Lopez testified at an Assembly subcommittee hearing on sexual harassment about an incident involving a state legislator. But she didn’t identify Dababneh as the legislator until Monday.
Lopez described the incident in a letter to Assemblyman Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova, and other lawmakers, including Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Burbank, chairwoman of the Assembly Rules Subcommittee on Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation Prevention and Response.
“On January 16, 2016, Mr. Dababneh and I were two of the many invited guests at a party to celebrate two mutual friends who were planning to get married,” Lopez’s letter read. “Most of the guests in attendance were political professionals, including many colleagues and associates I have known for years. I should have had no reason to fear for my safety.
“When I went to the bathroom after being at the party for a few hours, I felt the weight of a body push me into the restroom. I heard the door slam behind us. When I turned around, I saw that it was Matt Dababneh. He stood blocking the door and began to masturbate and move toward me, urging me to touch him.
“It was a terrifying experience. During the time he blocked me in that room, my instincts were focused on escaping without any physical contact and in a way that would not cause a scene. Before the ordeal ended, he told me not to tell anyone.”
Lopez wrote that she was moved to identify Dababneh after hearing members of the Assembly subcommittee say they were committed to protecting victims of sexual harassment from retaliation.
She said Dababneh, through his attorney, “has tried to silence me by threatening to sue me for defamation if I persisted in reporting this assault.”
In a letter to Assembly Rules Committee Chair Ken Cooley, Pamela Lopez accuses Assemblyman Matt Dababneh of sexual assault
pic.twitter.com/bVADzfCNhc
— Hillel Aron (@hillelaron) December 4, 2017
“As scary as it is for me to step forward,” Lopez said in a news conference at the Sacramento offices of her firm, K Street Consulting, “I can’t have it on my conscience that I didn’t do everything that I could do to stop him from hurting other women in the future.”
Lopez said she was considering whether to bring a criminal complaint to the police.
John Winer, a Woodland Hills- and Oakland-based attorney who represents sexual-harassment victims but hasn’t been involved in the cases involving California politicians, said that what Lopez accused Dababneh of doing would be a violation of California Penal Code 314 (indecent exposure) and could be the basis of a civil suit alleging sexual abuse.
Sitting beside Lopez at the press conference, Barker, now director of corporate relations for the independent TV network Ovation, described harassment and inappropriate behavior by Dababneh in 2008 when he was Sherman’s district director and she was on the congressman’s staff. Barker said he mocked her clothing, showed her the stash of condoms he kept in his desk drawer and bragged about his sexual prowess — pointing out “who he had slept with, who wanted to sleep with him.”
“It was pretty much an open secret in the San Fernando Valley that this was how Matt behaved,” Barker said.
Sherman said he was “surprised and saddened to learn that Ms. Barker felt uncomfortable during any of her time working in the district office,” and said he “had never seen to been told of any inappropriate behavior by Assemblyman Dababneh, or any disparagement of women.”
“I personally feel terrible that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable while working in my office,” Sherman said in a statement. “We are redoubling our efforts to make sure that my offices are safe and comfortable places for women and men to work.”
Dababneh, a 36-year-old San Fernando Valley native who is single, represents California’s 45th Assembly District, which includes Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Winnetka, Northridge, Reseda, Tarzana, Encino and the Ventura County community of Bell Canyon.
Dababneh was elected to the Assembly in a 2013 special election to replace Bob Blumenfield, who had resigned to join the L.A. City Council. Boasting endorsements from a few local Republican elected officials as well as Democrats, Dababneh narrowly defeated Republican Susan Shelley (now a columnist for this and other Southern California News Group papers).
Dababneh was elected to a full two-year term in 2014, defeating Shelley again, and re-elected in 2016, winning by a wide margin over Republican Jerry Kowal.
He had been chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee since 2015, and touted a consumer-protection agenda in his 2016 election campaign. Dababaneh also is author of Jordan’s Law, which takes effect in 2018, increasing penalties for conspiring with an attacker to film a violent felony; the bill was aimed at combating so-called cyber-bullying, in which attackers gain notoriety by posting video on social media.
News of the accusations against Dababneh drew a strong reaction from Gonez, who had been the first elected official to bluntly criticize Bocanegra after the first sexual harassment accusation in late October.
“The second representative from the San Fernando Valley accused of sexual misconduct in recent days, Dababneh’s story is an indictment not just of his own abusive conduct, but of a broader system in the state Legislature and the U.S. Congress that has tolerated the mistreatment of women for far too long,” said Gonez, who represents the northeast Valley. “That has led victims to fear retaliation and inaction, rather than trusting that they will be heard and that perpetrators will be held accountable.
“Assembly Member Dababneh should step down immediately so that the voters can select a new representative who will be an advocate for both men and women in the 45th District.”
Rendon, the Assembly leader, said in a statement that if Dababneh is found to have committed the assault, “I will ask for his immediate resignation and move for his expulsion if he refuses to resign.”
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Downey, and state Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, chairwoman and vice chairwoman, respectively, of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, called for findings of the investigation to be made public.
“If the investigation finds that these allegations are likely true, there must be swift and transparent consequences for this type of behavior,” their statement said. “Victims have shown incredible courage in coming forward and we are grateful for their fortitude in the face of retaliation and blame. We must create an environment that addresses the needs of victims who exist today and one that produces no more victims in the future.”
http://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/04/valley-assemblyman-matt-dababneh-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-sacramento-lobbyist/?utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Read+More&utm_campaign=Breaking+News%3a+Valley+Assemblyman+Matt+Dababneh+accused+of+sexually+assaulting+Sacramento+lobbyist
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