SACRAMENTO, Calif._California Assemblyman Matt Dababneh said Friday he is resigning from office at the end of the month, a decision that comes four days after he was publicly accused of masturbating in front of a lobbyist and other inappropriate behavior.
Dababneh, a Democrat, has strongly denied the allegations and told the Los Angeles Times that his resignation should not be construed as a tacit admission of wrongdoing.
"My stepping down isn't out of guilt or out of fear. It's out of an idea that I think it's time for me to move on to new opportunities," Dababneh said in an interview. He said that in the current environment, "it'd be very hard for me to represent my district and be able to pass the type of legislation that would be meaningful."
Dababneh is the second legislator in two weeks to resign because of allegations of sexual misconduct. Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra stepped down last month after multiple women accused him of making unwanted sexual advances. Meanwhile, state Sen. Tony Mendoza has been stripped of leadership posts as he faces an investigation into alleged improper behavior with female staffers.
"Assemblymember Dababneh's resignation is yet another sign that the culture is changing," Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Democrat, said in a statement. "The Assembly will continue our work to hasten that change, to make the Legislature an institution where people are safe, survivors are helped, and perpetrators are held accountable."
Dababneh, 36, was first elected to the Assembly in 2013, representing a strongly Democratic district in the west San Fernando Valley that includes Encino, Tarzana and Calabasas. Before running for office, he worked for U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., in the congressman's district office for eight years.
As a legislator, he occupied an influential perch as chairman of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee. He temporarily stepped down from that position on Monday, hours after Sacramento-based lobbyist Pamela Lopez publicly alleged Dababneh followed her into a bathroom, masturbated in front of her and urged her to touch him during a January 2016 party in Las Vegas.
Another woman, Jessica Yas Barker, alleged that Dababneh routinely spoke of his sexual exploits and made disparaging comments about women while she worked as his subordinate in Sherman's office from June 2009 until December 2010.
Dababneh said both allegations are false. He said he would participate in an ongoing Assembly investigation into Lopez's allegation that will be conducted by an outside company.
"I look forward to a report coming out," Dababneh said. "I was not the one that engaged in that type of activity."
Dababneh's attorney sent Lopez a cease-and-desist letter before her public accusation. The lawmaker said he has not decided if he will sue Lopez for damages as stated in the letter, saying he first wants to see the results of the investigation.
The assemblyman faced mounting political pressure on the heels of the women's public accusations. The local Democratic Party in the San Fernando Valley called for Dababneh's immediate resignation earlier this week, as did Kelly Gonez, a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education.
Samantha Stevens, a political consultant and former legislative staffer, said Thursday she would challenge Dababneh in the 2018 election and included a dig in a statement announcing her run at the "frat-house reputation" of the Capitol. Andra Hoffman, a Los Angeles Community College trustee, is also eyeing the seat.
