California Dem lawmaker was racist to staff, gave unwanted hug to staffer who also got body-checked by colleague: suit

A California Democratic lawmaker is accused of allowing rampant racial discrimination against her black employees — including a whistleblower who was allegedly “body-checked” by a colleague she reported for doing campaign work on taxpayers’ dime.Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías, a freshman Democrat from Concord, is accused of retaliating against her former district director, Pa’tanisha Davis Pierson, after she reported suspected campaign misconduct to the state Assembly’s human resources department.The lawsuit, filed last week in Contra Costa County Superior Court, also accuses the lawmaker’s office of racial discrimination, alleging black employees were routinely mistreated, handed undesirable assignments and bullied out of their jobs.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story “Black employees were assigned less desirable and more time-consuming work than non-Black employees,” the complaint alleges.Davis Pierson also claims black interns received less recognition than their non-black colleagues and that she witnessed black employees “being yelled at and pressured or driven from their positions.”The alleged retaliation began after Davis Pierson reported on Sept.29, 2025, that field representative Jessica Cisneros was performing campaign work for Ávila Farías during state-paid working hours from inside the lawmaker’s taxpayer-funded district office.Within weeks, Davis Pierson claims, the lawmaker began stripping her of supervisory responsibilities and isolating her from colleagues.But the alleged harassment soon turned violent, according to the lawsuit.On Nov.

13, 2025, Cisneros — the same employee Davis Pierson had reported for suspected campaign misconduct — allegedly confronted her in a hallway at the district office.“Staff member...