While Kern County Democrats ramp up calls for Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia to resign after allegations surfaced that Garcia planned to meet with a minor for sex, one high-profile backer is staying silent: his former boss, ex-Asm. Rudy Salas (D–Bakersfield).
Republicans have accused Salas – who is running for Congress – of trying to protect his former staffer by not urging him to resign.
The backstory: A video circulated on social media alleging that Garcia had arranged to meet with a 15-year-old boy for sex.
- Garcia’s social media accounts were taken offline shortly after the allegations were made.
- A post on Facebook alleged that Garcia came to “do horrific things to the kid.”
- The Kern County Democratic Party called on Garcia to resign on Tuesday in light of the allegations.
- The Bakersfield Police Department is currently investigating the allegations.
The big picture: Garcia has a history with Salas, having moved back to Kern County in 2015 to work for the Assemblyman as a field representative.
- He left Salas’s office a year later to run for Wasco City Council.
- “He helped me come back to Kern County,” Garcia told the Bay Area Reporter regarding Salas.
- Salas has also appeared with Garcia a number of times, including at the Wasco Rose Parade in 2017 and the Stuff the Bus event that Salas sponsored in 2018.
What they’re saying: “Self-serving Sacramento politician Rudy Salas’s deafening silence on his former staffer’s behavior speaks volumes about his character and judgment,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Spokesperson Ben Petersen. “While other Democrats have called for the mayor’s resignation, Salas cowers and hides, proving he’s more interested in protecting his cronies than keeping Valley families safe.”
