Written by Andrew Morris
California State Treasurer Fiona Ma is facing allegations of lewd actions with her subordinates in taxpayer-funded hotel rooms this week, as a lawsuit and multiple reports are coming to light.
Judith Blackwell, the former director of California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, filed a lawsuit with Ma stating that she had crawled into bed with her, and even exposed her bare rear multiple times. “Ms. Ma’s actions were intentional and not accidental, and it was done to get Plaintiff’s attention. Plaintiff was uncomfortable and was fearful to comment on Ms. Ma’s lewd behavior,” the lawsuit contends.
According to Blackwell, Ma pushed for her to stay in a hotel after completing her work at 7 pm in Sacramento with a one hour drive home. Afterwards, multiple implicit gestures were made according to the allegations. Ma also gifted Blackwell jewelry and edible marijuana and also alleges she experienced racial discrimination and wrongful termination during her work with Ma. as Blackwell is black. Blackwell claims that she, “felt her employment was contingent on her accepted Defendant Ma’s sexual advances”. Blackwell had also suffered a stroke in September 2020 that kept her out of work for two months and when she returned she was given extra tasks that forced her to work long hours and she was replaced with a less qualified white woman.
Furthermore, an investigation by the Sacramento Bee found that 13 or more times, Ma has shared a hotel room with her subordinates. To top it off, Ma has not responded to the allegations with anything concrete, only stating “I am a dedicated public servant who takes my responsibilities and stewardship of California’s dollars and resources seriously, and this will always be my highest priority.”
Laura Kray, Haas School of Business professor at UC Berkeley, said such actions of sharing hotel rooms “doesn’t seem to be a wise practice.” “It crosses boundaries and puts subordinates in a very difficult position to say no, even in the most innocent of cases where we’re just trying to save money,” she said. “Because of the power dynamic, I don’t think people would feel free to say no, and would worry about retaliation.”
On top of all this, reporters also uncovered Ma’s use of taxpayer dollars to pay for both lodging and food, during her stay in Sacramento while campaigning and her residency in San Francisco. This just adds further criticism to her already stained reputation.
Photo Cred: Michael Malone/Bay Area News Group
