Exclusive | California GOP leader faces ethics probes, under fire for tax vote

Heath Flora, the top Republican in the California Assembly, is facing two state ethics investigations and could be on the brink of a leadership fight after he infuriated his party by siding with Democrats to allow tax hikes across the state, The Post has learned. Several Capitol insiders told The Post that Flora is facing blowback after he and fellow Republican Assemblymember Juan Alanis voted for Senate Bill 762 last month, which will allow 13 cities and counties to ask voters to exceed California’s longstanding 2% local sales tax cap.“We’re disappointed by our state assemblyman and hearing from constituents,” Stanislaus County Republican Party Chairman Joel Campos told The Post.Flora received just 30.6% of the vote in the June primary election in Stanislaus County — the lowest level of support for any incumbent state legislator and all of the Republican parties within his district declined to endorse him.“Just seeing his expense reports, from golf courses throughout the entire state to Las Vegas Raiders trips to all the bars that he expenses, we don’t think this is appropriate behavior for the minority leader,” Campos said.Meanwhile, since the controversial vote, The Post has learned Flora is facing two state ethics probes by the Fair Political Practices Commission: one from October 2025 over behested payments, which are donations in which a government official acts as an intermediary; and a second investigation looking into a potential misuse of campaign funds.State records show Flora — who did not respond to requests for comment — has been on a tear seeking money from special interests since May 2023, acting as an intermediary on more than $1.15 million in behested payments.Many of these donations came from entities with business before the Legislature.

A complaint was filed in October 2025.“The problem with that [GOP minority leader] title is he just voted for a tax increase, so that title becomes a liability for us,” said a source wit...