SD Supes Push For Fletcher To Quit Ahead Of Planned Resignation

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is preparing to call for the immediate resignation of Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, before his scheduled resignation date of May 15.

Chairwoman Nora Vargas will introduce a resolution of no confidence in Fletcher at a special meeting at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and request that he immediately resign his position as county supervisor.

"It's clear to me that in order to move forward with the business of this county and to meet the needs of the people we represent, Supervisor Fletcher must resign immediately," Vargas said. "That is why I will be presenting a resolution of no confidence in Supervisor Fletcher."

Fletcher was one of the most powerful men in the county when he announced on March 26 that he was entering a treatment center outside the state for post-traumatic stress, trauma and alcohol abuse, and abandoned a planned run for state Senate.

On March 29, he announced his resignation from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors effective at 5 p.m. on May 15, following a tumultuous day in which he claimed to have had an affair with a Metropolitan Transit System employee. That employee was subsequently fired and has filed suit against him, alleging sexually assault and harassment. He denies the charges.

San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera also called for Fletcher's immediate resignation, in accordance with what the treatment facility can allow for external communication.

"I urge Mr. Fletcher to resign as soon as his treatment allows him to," Elo-Rivera said. "Doing so is an important step toward his taking responsibility for his unacceptable conduct and allowing the community to receive the representation it deserves."

County Supervisor Jim Desmond, one of Fletcher's most vocal opponents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, said it was unacceptable Fletcher would stay on the board and collect $25,000 from taxpayers in the quasi-resigned period through May 15.

"While the Board of Supervisors does not have the ultimate power to remove Mr. Fletcher, this resolution will serve as a powerful statement for him to resign," Desmond said in a statement Sunday. "Mr. Fletcher has let his constituents down and should no longer receive taxpayer funds.

"Also, given these circumstances, the search for a new Chief Administrative Officer should be restarted without input from Mr. Fletcher," he said. "This is an important decision for the future of San Diego County, and he should not have any input in future decision-making."

On May 2, during the Board of Supervisors meeting they will have the first opportunity for the board to discuss the options moving forward for the county and the 675,000 residents of District 4.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit against Fletcher, former MTS Public Information Officer Grecia Figueroa, alleges Fletcher groped her on two occasions and pursued a sexual relationship with her for months before she was abruptly fired on the day Fletcher announced his state Senate candidacy.

Fletcher resigned April 4 as MTS Chair.

Figueroa alleges that beginning in 2021, Fletcher began "stalking" her social media account, then sought to meet with her privately on several occasions. On two of those occasions, she claims he assaulted her.

The complaint alleges Figueroa "was intimidated by the dynamic Fletcher had created" and says she "felt pressured to reciprocate Fletcher's advances because she knew he had authority as both a career-politician and as chair of the MTS Board to destroy her career at MTS and to potentially humiliate her publicly if she made him angry."

She alleges that on Feb. 6, she was fired during a closed-door meeting and believes "that MTS terminated her employment because she was sexually harassed by Defendant Fletcher."

The lawsuit filed last week in San Diego Superior Court alleges sexual assault and battery and sexual harassment by Fletcher. It also names the MTS as a defendant and alleges sexual harassment, failure to prevent sexual harassment and retaliation, and whistleblower retaliation.
Fletcher denied Figueroa's charges, claiming the affair was consensual.

Fletcher's wife, former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, posted on Twitter that she asked her husband to resign "to lessen the strain on our family."

"I'm relieved he is finally getting treatment he needs. Thank you to everyone who has reached out today," Gonzalez posted on Twitter.

Fletcher's attorney, Danielle Hultenius Moore, said the woman's allegations "are false and are designed to drive headlines and not tell the truth."

The attorney said the woman pursued Fletcher, who "does not and never had authority over her employment."

"We will aggressively fight this issue in court and the full record will show the truth," Moore said.

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