Hernández, a West Covina Democrat, is currently under a temporary restraining order from his wife, with whom he is getting divorced.

At divorce proceedings on Wednesday, Susan Rubio, a Baldwin Park City Councilwoman, alleged that Hernández assaulted her more than 20 times during a three year period, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Given the serious and growing list of accusations, Assemblyman Hernández’s continued presence in the state Assembly brings dishonor to the entire California state Legislature,” Sen. Patricia Bates of Laguna Niguel said in a joint statement with Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine and Harmeet K. Dhillon, the vice chair of the California Republican Party.

Other calls for action

Last month, the top Democrats in the Legislative Women’s Caucus, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara and Asm. Cristina Garcia of Bell Gardens, called on Hernández to step down from his committee responsibilities, including his leadership post atop the Labor and Employment Committee, and to take a leave of absence until the legal matter with his wife is worked out.

Hernández has not been charged with a crime and he previously denied the allegations to media outlets and in court filings. His office did not respond to requests for comment.

This might hurt his run for Congress

According to the Times, Hernández’s attorney said in court that Rubio came forward with the allegations to hurt his political career. Hernández is termed-out of the Assembly and is running for Congress against incumbent Grace Napolitano, D-Norwalk.

“As a member of the California Congressional delegation, I urge Assemblyman Hernández to step down from his position and withdraw his name as a candidate for California’s 32nd Congressional District in light of the current accusations of serial abuse,” Walters said in the statement.    

Newest allegations

In court, Rubio gave detailed accounts of eight alleged incidents: One was of Hernández choking her with a belt, another was of Hernández dropping her to the ground and beating her with a broom and another was of Hernández threatening her with a knife after accusing her of having an affair, according to the Times.

“Domestic violence is a very serious issue in our society, not a ‘private matter’ to be brushed under the rug by a man holding public office,” Dhillon said.

Tepid response

The three women’s statement called on Democrats to “echo the demand” that Hernández step down. 

Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, previously told CalWatchdog that he would take further action against Hernández “if the allegations are more fully validated.” And on Thursday, a spokesman said there was no update. 

History

It’s not the first time Hernández has been accused of wrongdoing. In 2012, an ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, although charges were never filed due to insufficient evidence. 

That same year, Hernández was arrested for drunk driving in a state vehicle, but was acquitted by a jury on one charge, while the jury was hung on another. 

In 2015, allegations of political money laundering against Hernández were dropped by the Fair Political Practices Commission after two key witnesses were unable to testify — one had serious medical issues while the other had passed away. 

Photo credit: 401kcalculator.org

The state’s Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate unanimously voted to support a bipartisan bill cutting sales tax on menstrual hygiene products — like tampons and sanitary napkins — giving the effort a big boost.

The bill’s primary author, Assemblywoman Christina Garcia, has railed against taxing menstrual hygiene products as discriminatory, especially to low-income women. The Bell Gardens Democrat says removing the “tampon tax” would benefit underprivileged women who may not be able to consistently afford the products.

Detractors argue against carving out special exemptions, proposing instead to redirect the tax revenue to fund assistance programs to help those in need. But a Garcia spokeswoman on Tuesday told CalWatchdog a similar attempt to redirect “tampon tax” revenue to women’s charities backfired against a British conservative lawmaker and said this was just the first step in making these products more affordable.

“Our tax code needs to reflect the fact that we don’t live in a time where we should be taxing women for being born women,” said spokeswoman Elena Lee. “Changing where the money goes from the tax does not change the fact that the tax on tampons and pads is outdated.”

Conservatives Like Tax Cuts

The Board of Equalization, which supports the measure 4-0, projects the lost revenue if the bill passes to be around $20 million annually (less than $0.01 per woman per day). According to the bill’s coauthor, Asm. Ling Ling Chang, any tax cut is a victory for fiscal conservatives.

The Brea Republican, who is currently running for a state Senate, agrees with the bill on principle too, citing a loophole allowing a sales-tax exemption on candy as an example of an unfair tax code.

“Candy, frankly, is a choice,” Chang told CalWatchdog. “This is not a choice. This is a public health issue.”

Is There Really a Tax on Tampons?

Catherine Rampell, a Washington Post columnist, on Monday wrote the term “tampon tax” is “misleading,” as there’s not specific tax on menstrual hygiene products. Rampell argued against the carve out, adding she’s “skeptical of the idea that government is obligated to address every difference in every demographic group’s consumption bundle.”

“Maybe it seems unfair that in so many states Twizzlers don’t get taxed while tampons do,” Rampell wrote. “But the solution isn’t to dole out yet more tax breaks but to end the ones we have and direct more public funds to people who actually need assistance.”

The bill has a bipartisan group of 20 coauthors, including Speaker-elect Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount. That, plus Tuesday’s vote and favorable politics give the bill great momentum.

“Opposing the taxation of these items is a way to be both pro-feminist and anti-tax,” said John J. Pitney, Jr., a Roy P. Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. “And since the amount of forgone revenue is extremely small, the issue is a political winner, period.”