California State Assembly
During his tenure in the Assembly,Ridley-Thomas chaired the Elections &Redistricting and Revenue &Taxation committees, [1] as well as the Select Committee on Mental Health. [2] He was also a member of the Assembly Appropriations,Rules,Joint Rules,Health,Water,Public Safety,Local Government,Public Safety,Public Employment &Retirement,and Labor &Employment committees. [3]
Sexual harassment allegations and resignation
On December 27,2017,Ridley-Thomas announced that he would resign from the State Assembly on December 31. He cited unspecified health problems in his statement and said he would need "an extended period of time to recuperate. [4]
In August 2018,the Los Angeles Times reported that Ridley-Thomas was "the subject of two sexual harassment complaints at the time he stepped down from the Legislature." [5] An Assembly investigation released on January 16,2019 concluded that Ridley-Thomas likely made an unwanted sexual advance toward a female Capitol staffer two years prior. [6]
On October 13,2021,the United States Attorney for the Central District of California announced that a federal grand jury had indicted Ridley-Thomas's father and former USC Dean of Social Work Marilyn L. Flynn for "a bribery scheme in which [Sebastian Ridley-Thomas] received substantial benefits from the university in exchange for [Ridley-Thomas's father] supporting county contracts and lucrative contract amendments with the university..." [7] [8] [9]
Mark Ridley-Thomas is an American former politician and convicted felon. He spent three terms on the Los Angeles City Council from the 8th district from 1991 to 2002, and again for the 10th district from 2020 until his expulsion from the council in 2022. He was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 2nd Supervisorial District from 2008 to 2020, a California State Senator representing the 26th district from 2006 to 2008, and was a California State Assemblyman representing the 48th district from 2002 until 2006. He was Chairman of the Assembly Democratic Caucus.
Frederick Napoleon Howser was an American politician and attorney. From 1947 to 1951, he was the 22nd Attorney General of California.
Herman J. "Herb" Wesson Jr. is an American politician who served as a councilmember representing the 10th District for three terms between July 1, 2005 and December 14, 2020, and again on an appointed basis from March 22, 2022 until August 25, 2022. He was also the President of the Los Angeles City Council and Speaker of the California State Assembly.
Antonio Mendoza is an American politician who served in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represented the 32nd Senate District, which encompasses Buena Park and the Gateway Cities of Los Angeles County. In January 2018, the State Senate voted to suspend him for 60 days to investigate allegations of sexual harassment. He could not vote on legislation during that period, while contesting the suspension. Before a vote for expulsion was to be taken by the State Senate due to the released findings of an investigation that determined he likely engaged in a pattern of unwanted advances and sexually suggestive behavior toward six women, including four subordinates, over the last decade, Mendoza resigned on February 22, 2018.
The 2009–2010 session was a meeting of the California State Legislature.
Paul Pringle is an American investigative journalist for the Los Angeles Times and author of the 2022 book Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels.
Holly J. Mitchell is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Los Angeles's 10th City Council district is one of the fifteen districts in the Los Angeles City Council. It is currently represented by Democrat Heather Hutt since 2022, after previous member Herb Wesson was barred from serving on an interim basis in place of suspended member Mark Ridley-Thomas.
Thomas Donald Shepard was an American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council between 1961 and 1967. He left office when he was convicted of receiving a bribe, and he served time in state prison.
The 2013–2014 session was a session of the California State Legislature. The session first convened on December 3, 2012, and adjourned sine die on November 30, 2014.
Steve Fox is an American politician and former member of the California State Assembly. A Democrat, Fox represented the 36th district, encompassing much of the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley, as well as small portions of Kern County and San Bernardino County. Prior to being elected to the state Assembly, he worked as a public school teacher, an attorney, and trustee of Antelope Valley College. Fox formerly served as a governing board member of the Antelope Valley Hospital. Fox ran for Assembly in 2008 as a Republican and lost the Republican primary to Steve Knight, who went on to win the general election. Fox later switched his political affiliation and became a Democrat.
Bill Brough is an American politician who served three terms in the California State Assembly. A Republican, he represented the 73rd district, encompassing southern Orange County. Prior to being elected to the state legislature, he was a Dana Point City Councilman. Previously, Brough served as chief of staff to California State Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, White House liaison at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the George W. Bush administration, and aide to former congressman Christopher Cox. In 2016, he founded the California Legislative Irish Caucus.
Sydney Kai Kamlager-Dove is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 37th congressional district since 2023. A Democrat, she previously served in the California State Senate, representing the 30th district. She has also served in the California State Assembly and as a trustee for the Los Angeles Community College District.
The 2017–2018 session was a session of the California State Legislature. The session first convened on December 5, 2016, and adjourned sine die on November 30, 2018.
The 2018 California State Senate elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with the primary election being held on June 5, 2018. Voters in the 20 even-numbered districts of the California State Senate elected their representatives. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including for governor and the California State Assembly.
Jovan Vavic is the former head coach of both the University of Southern California (USC) men's and women's water polo teams. In 2012, he was interim head coach of the United States men's national water polo team. While coaching USC he won the National Coach of the Year award 15 times, and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year award 13 times. He was fired by USC in March 2019 in the wake of his indictment in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. After his indictment, Vavic was arrested on charges of accepting at least $250,000 in bribes. In April 2022, he was convicted of fraud and bribery. However, the conviction was later overturned and a new trial ordered.
The 2020 California State Senate election was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, with the primary election scheduled for March 3, 2020. Voters in the 20 odd-numbered districts of the California State Senate elected their representatives. The elections coincided with the elections for other offices, including for U.S. President and the state assembly.
Heather J. Hutt is an American politician who is currently serving as an appointed councilmember representing the 10th District of Los Angeles since April 11, 2023, previously serving for a temporary vacancy from September 2, 2022 to March 30, 2023. She was previously a candidate for California's 54th State Assembly district in 2021 and served as a California State Director for then-Senator Kamala Harris from 2019 to 2020.
Marilyn Louise Flynn is the former dean of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
