San Diego County supervisor facing sexual harassment and assault lawsuit to resign

Nathan Fletcher — the Democratic San Diego County supervisor who abandoned his bid for a California Senate seat he seemed sure to win days before being named in a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit — said late Wednesday that he would resign from the county Board of Supervisors.

The announcement came hours after he acknowledged inappropriate behavior with a former Metropolitan Transit System public relations officer who accused Fletcher of kissing and groping her in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in San Diego Superior Court.

Fletcher, who said late Sunday he was ending his Senate bid and entering treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse, denied the assault and harassment allegations but resigned Tuesday from the MTS board, which oversees the San Diego trolley and bus system and which he had chaired.

But the scandal did not dissipate throughout the day Wednesday, as political adversaries criticized his behavior and called for his resignation from his supervisor’s seat.

Watchdog

Nathan Fletcher accused in lawsuit of sexual harassment and assault, steps down from MTS board

Two days after ending his state Senate campaign, Fletcher stepped down from the board of the Metropolitan Transit System, where his accuser had worked until her February firing.

March 29, 2023

“The strain on my wife and family over the past week has been immense and unbearable,” Fletcher wrote in a statement posted on Twitter just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. “A combination of my personal mistakes plus false accusations has created a burden that my family shouldn’t have to bear.”

At least two staffers in his county office resigned Wednesday as a result of the accusations, even though Fletcher broadly denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

In his resignation message, Fletcher thanked his supporters and constituents.

“I am proud of what we accomplished together,” he said. “My decision today is solely based on what is best for my family.”

Fletcher’s wife, former state Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, declared her support for her husband in a social media post.

“I love my husband,” Gonzalez said on Twitter. “He has acknowledged his mistakes & I believe his name will be cleared of false accusations. Still, I asked him to resign to lessen the strain on our family.”

Fletcher said the resignation would become effective as soon as he returns from his treatment at an out-of-state facility, but no timetable was mentioned.

Figueroa said in her lawsuit that Fletcher began interacting with her on social media in 2021. Within several months, she said, he began inviting her to private meetings and kissed and groped her against her will.

Fletcher announced last month that he would seek to succeed Sen. Toni Atkins in the state Senate, and he became the immediate favorite in the 2024 campaign.

He said Sunday he was ending his campaign to focus on his recovery.