A San Francisco Democratic activist who was accused of sexually assaulting two women has resumed his role at a prominent political group while casting blame on his accuser.
In a statement published to its website, the San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club said a months-long investigation did not support the allegations against co-president Kevin Ortiz. Some women in San Francisco political circles called the investigation a sham.
“To me it looks more like a [public relations] stunt covering themselves as a club instead of truly investigating the issue at hand,” said Alondra Esquivel Garcia, president of the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee. “It’s not holding people accountable but uplifting abusers in the political community and the Latino community.”
The allegations against Ortiz and other prominent San Francisco Democrats ignited fury against party leaders for allowing abusive and violent behavior against women to fester. The issue culminated in the San Francisco Democratic Party adopting new guidelines to prevent sexual misconduct.
Ortiz is a prominent progressive and former staffer of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. The San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club has long been a link between the Mission, the city’s Latino community, and elected leaders on a range of issues, from public health to transportation.
In July, Zahra Hajee, a former staffer to state Sen. Scott Wiener and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and another, unnamed woman told the San Francisco Chronicle that Ortiz sexually assaulted them in 2021 and 2019, respectively. Hajee filed a police report, but no outcome has yet emerged.
Hajee declined to participate in the Latinx Democratic Club’s internal investigation.
“It is upsetting yet unsurprising to see SFLDC’s lack of courage by reinstating the man who sexually assaulted me as their organization’s leader,” Hajee told The Standard in a statement. “From the local level to the incoming White House, all I see is a unified effort to keep abusers in power. I am incredibly exhausted, but will continue to work towards a community that will do right by survivors in their journeys to seek healing and justice.”
In an interview with The Standard, Ortiz’s attorney, Tony Brass, said the investigation exonerated Ortiz. Brass said that after the alleged assault, Hajee sent text messages to Ortiz inviting him to her bed.
“Why would a woman need a man in her bed who assaulted her? How do you reconcile that?” Brass said. “In the texts before and after the alleged date, she’s so aggressive about invitations to him. She says ‘I need you.’ They are pretty overt in nature, and insistent.”
That depiction didn’t sit well with San Francisco Democrats.
Catie Stewart, a political communications consultant and former Wiener staffer, called into question the assertion that consent to sex in one moment nullifies allegations of assault later.
“Do Kevin Ortiz and his lawyer think San Franciscans are stupid? Why would we believe this kind of throwback, pre-MeToo slut-shaming that I genuinely thought even abusers and their lawyers knew better than to do in public anymore?” Stewart said. “Unfortunately, it all tracks with Kevin’s behavior and strategy: amass power and bully people into silence by shaming them and obfuscating. He should be ashamed of himself. There is absolutely no acceptable reason for him to resume leadership of any club, let alone one representing a marginalized community in SF.”
Nadia Rahman, a communications consultant and past leader of the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, alleged Ortiz’s allies at the club may have swayed the investigation’s outcome in his favor.
“We’ve seen cronyism in SF’s political sphere protect people with abusive behavior time and time again and need to determine if that is at play in this situation. As of now, we don’t have enough information to rule it out,” she said.
In the wake of sexual assault allegations against at least three prominent San Francisco democratic organizers, the San Francisco Democratic Party last month adopted new sexual harassment and assault policies. Democratic clubs chartered by the party are now required to institute harassment and assault prevention training, and the party itself is seeking to hire its first independent ombudsman to aid in investigations.
The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, the party’s governing body, declined to comment but confirmed that the Latinx Democratic Club has yet to adopt the new anti-harassment and assault policies and procedures.
Ortiz said the policies will be instituted soon.
“The SFDCCC just passed its policy in early December. SFLDC has no meeting in December. We have every intention of incorporating this code of conduct into our bylaws officially at our next meeting, which will be this month,” he said.