SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A political consultant is accusing San Diego Unified School District board member Kevin Beiser of sexual assault and sexual harassment.
In a lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court by attorney Dan Gilleon, “John Doe” claims Beiser harassed and abused him over the course of five years.
According to the suit, Doe said he and Beiser first met in 2013 in Washington, D.C., while Doe was a San Diego State political science student interning for Rep. Susan Davis.
Doe said Beiser offered him work on his own campaign, and Doe accepted the job opportunity.
In one alleged incident detailed in the 11-page lawsuit, Doe claims Beiser got him drunk by buying him several drinks at a D.C. bar. Doe alleged Beiser “took him to a hotel and sodomized him.”
After the alleged incident, Doe continued to work for Beiser on and off for five years. However, Doe said he repeatedly told Beiser that he only wanted a professional relationship and “naively held hope” that would happen.
Doe claims his requests were ignored, and he felt Beiser “created a sexually offensive and hostile work environment.”
According to Doe, the unwanted sexual advances continued on and off until April 2018 -- when Beiser fired him.
Beiser’s husband, Dan Mock, is also named in the lawsuit. Doe claims Mock “knew or should have known that his partner, Beiser, would harm plaintiff.”
Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, issued this statement in response to the allegations made in the lawsuit:
The San Diego County Democratic Party stands solidly in support of the survivors of sexual assault and harassment. There is no place in our community or our Party for this type of behavior, and we will move swiftly to condemn and take action against anyone who is found to have committed such acts. Due to the heinous nature of the allegations against San Diego Unified School Board Trustee Kevin Beiser, the San Diego County Democratic Party Central Committee will consider a resolution calling for his resignation tonight. Our Party will move quickly to ensure the safety of our members, to secure justice for survivors, and to hold accountable any public official who would seek to use their power to abuse others.
San Diego Democrats met Tuesday evening and in a 58-to-4 vote, the members passed a resolution to call for his resignation. While it will not force Beiser to resign, Rodriguez-Kennedy says he will have a hard time running for any office without their support.
"This position is a statement of our values and we believe that someone who has been accused of this, will probably not have faith of the public to execute their duties," he said.
They plan to contact Beiser Wednesday morning to formally ask him to resign voluntarily.
Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County, issued a response to the allegations made against Beiser:
The sheer number of, and graphic details in, the accusations against Kevin Beiser are shocking. We call for a full and immediate investigation and urge anyone with additional information to contact San Diego Police Department. If any of these allegations are remotely true, Kevin Beiser is not fit to serve as a San Diego Unified School Board Trustee and should resign immediately. We understand that rumors have been swirling about Kevin Beiser and his 'pool parties' for some time and ask San Diego Democrats if they knew about these allegations while they enthusiastically supported his re-election in 2018?
According to a biography page on the SD Unified website, Beiser has been the District B trustee since 2010. His term is set to expire in December 2022, the bio noted.
The San Diego Union-Tribune, citing city records, reported Beiser is looking to run for San Diego City Council in 2020.
San Diego Unified School District officials said: "As this matter will be handled by the courts, the district has no comment on the pending litigation."
10News reached out to Beiser for comment. Read his statement below:
We were first made aware of these allegations less than 24 hours ago. There is no truth to these allegations. We believe they are politically motivated and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves.
Gilleon has not returned 10News' calls and emails regarding the lawsuit.
