Fowler City Councilman Daniel Parra allegedly assaulted a city councilwoman from the Bay Area during a trip to Tampa.
Parra, who is also the City Manager of Orange Cove, faces a misdemeanor criminal charge in Florida for battery.
The big picture: The criminal charge was filed against Parra in the Hillsborough County Clerk in Florida on March 10.
- Parra issued a written plea of not guilty on Wednesday and has his arraignment scheduled for March 31 in Florida.
- San Leandro Vice Mayor Xouhoa Bowen alleged that Parra assaulted her at a National League of Cities event last November.
What she’s saying: Bowen briefly discussed the incident during a San Leandro City Council meeting earlier this week.
- “On November 13, 2024, while I was attending an event at the National League of Cities annual conference in Tampa, Florida, Daniel Parra, a member of the City of Fowler city council, physically violated me,” Bowen said. “Mr. Parra is an immediate past president of the League of California Cities. I filed a report with the City of Tampa Police Department. The Tampa Police Department commenced a criminal investigation into Daniel Parra’s actions.”
- Bowen added that there is also a separate administrative investigation conducted by the National League of Cities.
- “I want to send a very clear statement that such reprehensible behavior is absolutely unacceptable and will be held to account,” Bowen said. “The safety of everyone should be paramount, and with the support of my family, my colleagues and the city, we denounce this behavior. Finally, I want to say to the women and others holding public office who have experienced bodily violations and acts of harm that you are not alone, nor are you powerless.”
Zoom in: According to the police report that was included in the court filing, Bowen and Parra were at a social gathering at a cocktail bar in Tamp called Hotel Bar.
- “While at a social gathering, I saw defendant and greeted him. We spoke while casually dancing. Defendant made [a] sexually suggestive comment about my appearance. Defendant leaned in and kissed me on the lips without my consent and without warning. Our interaction ended immediately and defendant left the bar shortly after I left in a state of shock,” Bowen wrote in the report.
- The report stated that Bowen and Parra know each other through a professional relationship and that she identified him in video surveillance footage.
Read the police report:
