A Riverside County legislator is calling for an ethics investigation into a state senator accused of soliciting bribes from a cannabis company in Baldwin Park and accepting fraudulent campaign contributions.
Assemblymember Bill Essayli, R-Corona, sent the request for an investigation to the speaker of the Assembly and speaker pro-tem of the Senate on Dec. 12 following the unsealing of a plea agreement with former Baldwin Park City Attorney Robert Tafoya, who secretly pleaded guilty to federal bribery and tax evasion charges last year.
“Although the plea agreement does not specifically name the individual legislator, there is sufficient information contained within the record to warrant an immediate investigation by the Assembly and Senate Ethics Committees to identify the person described in the plea agreement and to consider any and all appropriate disciplinary action,” Essayli wrote.
“The Public Trust placed in every Member of the California Legislature must not only be protected against clear criminal violations, but must also be safeguarded against any appearance of impropriety.”
Sen. Susan Rubio unnamed
The unnamed state senator, described as “Person 20” in a plea agreement, matches the description of state Sen. Susan Rubio, D-West Covina. Rubio served as a Baldwin Park councilmember during the time period in question. “Person 20” is described as someone with the power to fire Tafoya and who won a primary for state elected office in June 2018. Though fellow Councilmember Monica Garcia ran in that same race for state Senate, she lost to Rubio in the primary.
Rubio was reelected in 2022 to the 22nd Senate District, which extends from El Monte on the west to Ontario in San Bernardino County on the east.
Matt Z’berg, a spokesperson for Rubio, stated the Department of Justice spoke with Rubio about Tafoya more than a year ago and assured her “she was not a target in the government’s investigation.” Rubio cooperated fully and is not in…
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