Daraka’s #MeToo Moment
Santa Barbara Dem Honcho’s Call-Out of Sexual Harassment Ousts State Chair
Daraka Larimore-Hall, Santa Barbara’s irascible, highest-profile Democratic activist, sparked a nationally watched political drama last week that led to the sudden resignation of California’s state party chair.
In a letter circulated to Democratic leaders on social media, Daraka surfaced what he called “credible, corroborated and utterly heart-breaking allegations” of sexual harassment and assault made by party staffers against then-chair Eric Bauman.
Although he kept the names of victims who had shared their stories with him confidential, it took L.A. Times star Sacramento reporter Melanie Mason just two days to locate 10 people who confirmed allegations about Bauman’s behavior, several of them on the record.
