The California Legislature released information Thursday saying that it had investigated 31 sexual harassment allegations since 2006, after the Los Angeles Times in October reported on allegations of "pervasive" harassment in the state Capitol.
The California Senate disclosed 15 investigations and the Assembly disclosed 16, according to the the Los Angeles Times.
The documents released were not specific, did not provide dates or details about the complaints, or explain any results of the investigations, the LA Times noted.
The document does not differentiate between complaints and investigations, so details about how legislative officials handled abuse allegations are not clear. Neither house has explained how officials decide which complaints to dismiss and which ones become formal investigations, the LA Times reported.
The lack of details in the disclosure makes it difficult to determine whether 31 allegations is an accurate count of the seriousness of the allegations or if it plays down the scope of the harassment issue, according to the LA Times.
Both houses provided the newspaper with documents that showed 15 personnel settlements that resulted in more than $1 million in payouts.
The Assembly reported 2009 as its busiest year of investigation, with four cases. In the Senate, three cases were investigated in 2009 and in 2015, the LA Times reported.
In October, the LA Times reported on a letter from female lawmakers, staffers, and lobbyists detailing harassment issues in the California Legislature.
"Why didn't we speak up? Sometimes out of fear. Sometimes out of shame. Often these men hold our professional fates in their hands," the letter said, according to newspaper.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.