SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The California Legislature has paid at least $580,000 in the last five years to settle harassment, racism and other claims, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
One agreement forbids a worker from making “derogatory statements” about lawmakers or Senate business. That statement is included in a previously unreported roughly $44,500 settlement in 2015 with Anita Belmontes, a former Senate human relations department employee who was transferred to another office.
The settlements were obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request. They provide the fullest picture yet of the level of taxpayer dollars spent since 2012 to settle claims.
The documents do not reveal the circumstances leading to the settlements, and the Legislature shields its investigation records from public view.
