SAN DIEGO — Nathan Fletcher is resigning from his role as San Diego County Board of Supervisor for the 4th District, he said Wednesday on his social media account.
The announcement comes amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Fletcher.
“The strain on my wife and family over this past week has been immense and unbearable. A combination of my personal mistakes plus false accusations has created a burden that my family shouldn’t have to bear. I will be resigning from the Board of Supervisors, effective at the end of my medical leave,” Fletcher said.
According to a statement from his office, Fletcher has notified the county that the effective date for his resignation will be on Monday, May 15 at 5 p.m.
In his Twitter post, Fletcher mentions about focusing “solely on getting healthy and being a good husband, father and friend.”
“I am grateful to my constituents for the honor of serving you, my incredible team who worked tirelessly to make a real difference, and our county workers who put it all on the line for those most in need everyday. I am proud of what we accomplished together. My decision today is solely based on what is best for my family,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher’s wife, former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, responded to her husband’s plan to resign.
“I love my husband. He has acknowledged his mistakes & I believe his name will be cleared of false accusations. Still, I asked him 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 tweeted.
Two members of Fletcher’s staff also resigned Wednesday, an official with his camp confirmed to FOX 5.
On Thursday, FOX 5 learned of similar allegations from a 27-year-old woman, who claims Fletcher sexually harassed her in 2015 while she was a student at UC San Diego and interning with Fletcher’s nonprofit for veterans. The woman told FOX 5 she had reported Fletcher to UCSD’s sexual assault center in 2015.
FOX 5 received the following statement Thursday afternoon from Fletcher’s office in regards to the second accuser:
“These accusations are false and clearly not true … This is just piling onto an existing media frenzy.”
FOX 5 also reached out to UCSD about a report filed by the second accuser. The university did not confirm or deny but did say that Fletcher that no longer teaches there.
Should Fletcher step down in May, according to the county charter, with a vacancy, the board would have 30 days to fill it or call a special election.
“To fill the vacancy due to Supervisor Fletcher’s announced resignation, our Board of Supervisors will follow the legal process provided by our charter and board policy which gives us options,” County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas said in a statement Thursday. “The process and timeline will be determined during the May 2nd Board of Supervisors regularly scheduled meeting. United as a board, we will decide the best direction for the County of San Diego.”
But Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio told FOX 5 he believes Fletcher will not go quietly.
“I think he’s going to demand, in exchange for his resignation, that taxpayers will have to bail him out for his legal fees and all sorts of legal settlements,” DeMaio said. “We don’t know how many victims there are.”
Jason Sloss contributed to this report.
