California Democratic mayor resigns after allegations that he attempted to meet underage boy for sexual acts

A California Democratic mayor has resigned after allegations surfaced online that he attempted to meet an underage boy for sexual acts. The accusations against the mayor were exposed in a video shared on social media that allegedly shows the mayor of Wasco being assaulted.

On July 24, a video was posted to a private Facebook group that allegedly involved Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia, according to the Independent. The San Joaquin Valley Sun reported that the post on Facebook accused Garcia of arranging to meet with a 15-year-old boy. However, Garcia had reportedly been speaking to a man posing as a minor to catch child sex predators.

'Based on Alex’s sexual orientation, it appears that this could have been some kind of hate crime or homophobic attack.'

The man, Davonn Bradley, told the Wasco Tribune that he met Garcia on the gay dating app Sniffies, where he allegedly posed as a "super young" minor.

"Plus, this is a man who came to meet a 15-year-old. He also brought weed, a pipe, a full bottle of alcohol, sex paraphernalia, and a bottle we looked up called 'poppers' with four to five pills floating at the bottom, which was very suspicious," Bradley told the outlet.

Garcia was allegedly confronted by Bradley and another man. The alleged altercation was captured on video and became physical at one point. Footage purportedly shows Garcia in a headlock by one of the men. The video reportedly shows Garcia being shoved and punched in the head multiple times.

Garcia's lawyer — Jared Thompson of the Bakersfield law firm of Humphrey & Thompson — said in a statement that the former mayor may have been "tricked" and "lured" so that the men could make a "homophobic attack." Garcia was the first openly LGBT elected official in Kern County.

"Based on the information we have available right now, it appears to be a situation where two individuals tricked Alex and lured him to a location in Bakersfield and then attacked him," Thompson stated. "The video that is circulating shows felony conduct on the part of the individuals, not Alex. Based on Alex’s sexual orientation, it appears that this could have been some kind of hate crime or homophobic attack. Essentially, we hope that any criminal investigation would focus on that.”

Bradley told the Wasco Tribune, "We didn't meet up with him to fight; we even told him we didn't want to hurt him. His claims are nonsense. He kept reaching into his bag as if he had a weapon. Naturally, anyone would defend themselves in that situation."

The City of Wasco said in a press release earlier this week: "The Wasco Police Department has been in communication with the City of Bakersfield, and the Bakersfield Police Department has attempted to contact the parties responsible for the social media posts."

On Tuesday, the Kern County Democratic Party demanded that Mayor Garcia resign.

A statement from the Kern County Democratic Party read: "We have been made aware of the recent allegations made against Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia. The Kern County Democratic Party unequivocally condemns any acts of violence, sexual assault, and harassment in any form, especially when involving an individual who cannot give consent, such as a minor."

"As such, the Kern County Democratic Party calls on Mayor Garcia to immediately resign from his position on the Wasco City Council, so that the city can focus on the work of serving its citizens without distraction," the statement said.

Neel Sannappa — vice chair of the California Democratic Progressive Caucus — also called for Garcia's resignation if he is guilty of the alleged crimes.

“Obviously, if he’s guilty of what he’s being accused of, he definitely shouldn’t serve,” Sannappa said, according to KGET.

After pressure from his own party, Garcia resigned on Thursday morning.

Garcia announced his resignation in a statement that read:

To the Citizens of Wasco,

As I have been healing following my recent assault, I am now finally able to speak with you to announce, with a heavy heart and profound regret, my resignation as Mayor and Council Member of the City of Wasco.

As many of you are aware, there is a situation that requires my personal and full attention. I want to assure you that the accusations made against me are mischaracterized and inaccurate and certainly do not reflect who I am or what I stand for. However, due to the controversy surrounding these allegations, I am left with no choice but to resign for the overall health and success of our great City to ensure that you can continue moving projects along and making positive changes with no distractions. I am thankful for all those who have stood by me and sent supportive messages during this time, as I have healed from my injuries and processed this difficult decision.

I have had the pleasure of serving as your Mayor for the better part of the past decade and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I thank you immensely for the privilege of servicing this wonderful community and I am deeply sorry that my term is ending under these circumstances. I am looking forward to witnessing the future of Wasco and all the new Council will have to offer, and I will continue to root for and support this city and its amazing citizens.

Thank you again,

Alex Garcia

Wasco City Manager Scott Hurlbert confirmed to KERO-TV that the Wasco City Council will appoint a new mayor and mayor pro tempore for the remainder of the current term at its next council meeting.

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