Democratic Primaries

Eugene

(61,899 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2019, 07:43 PM Mar 2019

Kamala Harris takes responsibility for California sexual harassment payouts

Source: Associated Press

Kamala Harris takes responsibility for California sexual harassment payouts

Associated Press in Los Angeles
Sat 2 Mar 2019 14.27 GMT

The California department of justice paid more than $1m to employees who alleged they faced sexual harassment or workplace retaliation while presidential candidate Kamala Harris was state attorney general, it was reported on Friday.

The settlements involved allegations of inappropriate touching or comments as well as other allegations made from 2011 to 2017. They were disclosed this week in response to a state Public Records Act request from the Los Angeles Times.

Harris did not know about the cases until the Times brought them to her attention, as they were handled by administrators who were expected to follow strict policies against harassment, said the candidate’s spokesman, Chris Harris.

However, the Democratic senator told the Times that she takes responsibility.

“As the chief executive of a department of nearly 5,000 employees, the buck stopped with me,” Harris said in a statement. “No one should face harassment or intimidation in the workplace, and victims of sexual misconduct should be listened to, believed and protected.”

-snip-

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

24 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Kamala Harris takes responsibility for California sexual harassment payouts (Original Post) Eugene Mar 2019 OP

Unlike Bernie, of course, Kamala gets a pass for being unaware of the problems under her watch. InAbLuEsTaTe Mar 2019 #1

Yeah where are all the POed self righteous posters? workinclasszero Mar 2019 #2

Now that Bernie's a Democrat, he should enjoy the same rights and privileges as other candidates. InAbLuEsTaTe Mar 2019 #3

When did BS register as a Democrat? n/t SFnomad Mar 2019 #5

They're ignoring this melman Mar 2019 #4

Funny how that works workinclasszero Mar 2019 #8

Yup... the crickets are working overtime tonight! InAbLuEsTaTe Mar 2019 #9

How is this inconvenient? She's taken responsibility since it happened while she was AG. Garrett78 Mar 2019 #10

Because then they'd have to admit that Bernie's response was somewhat less than satisfactory. namahage Mar 2019 #12

Well, Kamala had administrators that were tasked to handle lower-level incidents. namahage Mar 2019 #11

... BannonsLiver Mar 2019 #14

I don't see where she has a track record going back to her thirties, like Sanders. WeekiWater Mar 2019 #15

THIS! +1000 -nt. Amimnoch Mar 2019 #18

At this point, I'm planning to vote for Kamala Harris. NBachers Mar 2019 #6

Were there two cases? One for $649,500 another for $400,000? CrossingTheRubicon Mar 2019 #7

You'd think $1,000,000+ in payouts would be hard to miss!! InAbLuEsTaTe Mar 2019 #16

How many cases did BS miss? CrossingTheRubicon Mar 2019 #17

Zero... there were no payouts... InAbLuEsTaTe Mar 2019 #20

Just because he didn't know about it namahage Mar 2019 #22

Okay, I stand corrected... somewhat. But you have to admit, $30,000 hardly compares to $1,000,000+ InAbLuEsTaTe Mar 2019 #23

No pay out means no women were harassed under his watch? Don't think so. CrossingTheRubicon Mar 2019 #24

Wow $1,000,000+ in payouts! workinclasszero Mar 2019 #19

Notice that at least five people responded namahage Mar 2019 #13

Admirable move by Sen. Harris Devil Child Mar 2019 #21

InAbLuEsTaTe

(24,122 posts)

1. Unlike Bernie, of course, Kamala gets a pass for being unaware of the problems under her watch.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 07:52 PM

Mar 2019

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

workinclasszero

(28,270 posts)

2. Yeah where are all the POed self righteous posters?

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #1)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 07:56 PM

Mar 2019

All I hear is crickets in this thread.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

InAbLuEsTaTe

(24,122 posts)

3. Now that Bernie's a Democrat, he should enjoy the same rights and privileges as other candidates.

Reply to workinclasszero (Reply #2)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 08:06 PM

Mar 2019

No surprise though that there's a different standard a few here apply to Bernie.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

SFnomad

(3,473 posts)

5. When did BS register as a Democrat? n/t

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #3)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 09:20 PM

Mar 2019

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

melman

(7,681 posts)

4. They're ignoring this

Reply to workinclasszero (Reply #2)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 08:23 PM

Mar 2019

Just like they always do with anything inconvenient.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

workinclasszero

(28,270 posts)

8. Funny how that works

Reply to melman (Reply #4)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 10:27 PM

Mar 2019

You know?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

InAbLuEsTaTe

(24,122 posts)

9. Yup... the crickets are working overtime tonight!

Reply to melman (Reply #4)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 11:17 PM

Mar 2019

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

Garrett78

(10,721 posts)

10. How is this inconvenient? She's taken responsibility since it happened while she was AG.

Reply to melman (Reply #4)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 11:20 PM

Mar 2019

Even though she didn't know about it.

And she's signaled zero tolerance for such behavior when she does know about it.

So, I don't see how this is "inconvenient."

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

namahage

(1,157 posts)

12. Because then they'd have to admit that Bernie's response was somewhat less than satisfactory.

Reply to Garrett78 (Reply #10)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 11:34 PM

Mar 2019

ETA: Link: https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-says-he-didnt-know-about-2016-campaign-sexual-harassment-1277725

On Wednesday, Anderson Cooper asked the Vermont senator whether he was aware of the allegations of “sexual harassment and demeaning treatment [against women] as well as pay disparity” which were set out in a New York Times article published earlier today.

“I’m very proud of the campaign we ran in 2016. We started at four percent at the polls, we ended up winning 22 states, 13 million votes,” Sanders explained. “I think we changed the nature of political discourse in this country, raising issues that are now kind of mainstream which were then considered extreme and fringe.”

“When our campaign grew, I think we started with three or four paid employees, and over a period of a few months, as the campaign exploded, we went up to 1,200 employees and I’m not going to sit here and tell you that we did everything right in terms of human resources,” he added. “I certainly apologize to any woman who felt that she was not treated appropriately and of course, if I run we will do better next time.”

Concluding the segment, Cooper asked Sanders to clarify that he didn’t know about the allegations at the time.

“Yes, I was a little bit busy running around the country trying to make the case,” Sanders responded.

So rather than answer the question directly, he starts by bragging about the 2016 campaign, and throws in a line about a "human resources" problem. Making the issue primarily about Bernie, and not the women involved.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

namahage

(1,157 posts)

11. Well, Kamala had administrators that were tasked to handle lower-level incidents.

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #1)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 11:29 PM

Mar 2019

Last edited Sun Mar 3, 2019, 04:14 AM - Edit history (1)

From the link:

Harris did not know about the cases until the Times brought them to her attention, as they were handled by administrators who were expected to follow strict policies against harassment, said the candidate’s spokesman, Chris Harris.
...
Harris has been a prominent supporter of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment in the workplace. She was elected to the Senate in 2016 and said any complaints of harassment in her Senate office are forwarded to her immediately.

“No office is immune to misconduct, and there is much more work to do to ensure all are protected,” she told the Times.

In large government agencies, it would not be unusual for managers to handle harassment claims instead of the agency head, except when high-level administrators are involved, said Mike Genest, finance director under the former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“If a director wasn’t told about it, I would not be suspicious that that was an issue,” said Genest, who spent 24 years as a manager in state agencies.

You know what she DIDN'T say? That she was "a bit busy running around the country trying to make the case" of why she should be President...

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

BannonsLiver

(16,387 posts)

14. ...

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #1)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 02:06 PM

Mar 2019

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

WeekiWater

(3,259 posts)

15. I don't see where she has a track record going back to her thirties, like Sanders.

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #1)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 02:13 PM

Mar 2019

Maybe she was "busy".

You shouldn't make everything about Sanders. Specially on this issue. Some of Sanders own quotes about women are so toxic that they are not allowed to be posted here.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Amimnoch

(4,558 posts)

18. THIS! +1000 -nt.

Reply to WeekiWater (Reply #15)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 02:55 PM

Mar 2019

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

NBachers

(17,110 posts)

6. At this point, I'm planning to vote for Kamala Harris.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 09:39 PM

Mar 2019

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

CrossingTheRubicon

(731 posts)

7. Were there two cases? One for $649,500 another for $400,000?

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sat Mar 2, 2019, 10:06 PM

Mar 2019

It makes the statement that "the California Department of Justice paid more than $1m to employees" true in a technical sense. The amounts add up to over a million. And two employees is a plural.

But--still---the reporting seems a little misleading.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

InAbLuEsTaTe

(24,122 posts)

16. You'd think $1,000,000+ in payouts would be hard to miss!!

Reply to CrossingTheRubicon (Reply #7)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 02:34 PM

Mar 2019

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

CrossingTheRubicon

(731 posts)

17. How many cases did BS miss?

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #16)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 02:53 PM

Mar 2019

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

InAbLuEsTaTe

(24,122 posts)

20. Zero... there were no payouts...

Reply to CrossingTheRubicon (Reply #17)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 05:21 PM

Mar 2019

Yet, unlike other candidates with aides who were accused of sexual harassment, Bernie still met with and apologized to the women who issued the complaints.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

namahage

(1,157 posts)

22. Just because he didn't know about it

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #20)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 09:02 PM

Mar 2019

doesn't mean there wasn't a payout:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bernie-sanders-apologizes-says-he-didnt-know-about-30000-settlement-of-2016-campaign-staffer-accused-of-sexual-harassment/2019/01/10/db2c061e-14fc-11e9-90a8-136fa44b80ba_story.html?utm_term=.f3e21e6551cb

For the second time this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has apologized to female staff members from his 2016 presidential campaign who have said they were sexually harassed by co-workers — including one who was expected to play a role in a potential 2020 Sanders bid.

On Thursday morning, after Politico reported that Sanders’s former Iowa campaign manager Robert Becker had been named in a $30,000 federal discrimination settlement with two former employees, Sanders told reporters that he thanked the women “from the bottom of my heart for speaking out” and formally apologized to them.

...

Sanders said that his 2018 Senate reelection campaign in Vermont had operated under “some of the strongest sexual harassment policies in the country” and that he had not been aware of the $30,000 settlement.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

InAbLuEsTaTe

(24,122 posts)

23. Okay, I stand corrected... somewhat. But you have to admit, $30,000 hardly compares to $1,000,000+

Reply to namahage (Reply #22)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 10:16 PM

Mar 2019

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

CrossingTheRubicon

(731 posts)

24. No pay out means no women were harassed under his watch? Don't think so.

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #20)

Tue Mar 5, 2019, 01:18 AM

Mar 2019

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

workinclasszero

(28,270 posts)

19. Wow $1,000,000+ in payouts!

Reply to InAbLuEsTaTe (Reply #16)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 03:19 PM

Mar 2019

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

namahage

(1,157 posts)

13. Notice that at least five people responded

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sun Mar 3, 2019, 11:19 PM

Mar 2019

but no responses to them, just snark about “crickets.”

Almost as if some people are less concerned about the “Human Resources” issue than trying to score perceived “points” against Bernie critics.

Thankfully, Bernie seems to have more class than some of his so-called supporters.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

Devil Child

(2,728 posts)

21. Admirable move by Sen. Harris

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Mar 4, 2019, 05:30 PM

Mar 2019

Demonstrative of her strong leadership skills in making this tough decision. I see this as an effective way to show commitment to erasing sexual harassment in the workplace.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

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