Swalwell Resigns Amid Assault Claims, East Bay Scrambles

0:00It's April 16th. From your city to your ears, this is California News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell stepped down from his seat Tuesday, just days after dropping out of California's governor race amid serious sexual assault and misconduct claims. The 45-year-old Democrat faces accusations from multiple women, including a new one Tuesday who says he drugged and raped her back in a West. Hollywood hotel in 2018. Earlier this week, reports detailed alleged assaults on a former staffer, like non-consensual encounters after drinking in 2019 and 20. 24. Plus harassment through explicit messages. Swalwell denies it all, calling the claims a political attack, while his team pushes back hard and prosecutors in New York, Alameda, and L.A. counties. Are now reviewing possible crimes. Folks in his district from Dublin to Hayward are left without a voting rep in Congress until a replacement steps up, shaking up local representation. Big time. His exit scrambles the

1:02wide open governor field, where Democrats like Katie Porter and Tom Steyer now lead polls, facing off against Republican Steve. Hilton and Chad Bianco in the top two primary system. Meanwhile, nine candidates are already lined up for his full-term seat in the June 2nd primary, including State Senator Aisha Wahab and Bart Bord. President Melissa Hernandez, they might jump into the special race too. Governor Newsom set a special primary for June 16th, with a potential runoff on August 18th to fill the short-term ending in January. This chaos means East Bay voters could hit the polls four times this year for Congress, while the governor showdown heats up toward June 2nd Watch. How those vote shake out and reshape the Golden State's power map.