Republican state Senator Roy Ashburn has taken a leave from the senate amid charges of drunken driving, after reportedly leaving a Sacramento gay bar. KOVR-TV in Sacramento reported that he was at the Sacramento gay nightclub "Faces" before his arrest.
The station interviewed West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, who is openly gay. He told KOVR he has seen Ashburn in gay hot-spots a number of times.
The state Senate Sergeant at Arms told 17 News that Ashburn is taking time off on personal business leave. Ashburn's staff in Sacramento says they don't know where he is. It's unclear how long he will be gone.
Christopher Moore, the president of Stonewall Democratic Club of Sacramento, a group that tries to get openly gay politicians elected into office, said the conservative Republican's sexual identity is not an issue, but his voting record is.
"But certainly it's troubling when any Californian, whether they're a legislator or not, is against equality for the LGBT community," Moore said. Moore said the other big issue is Ashburn's drunken driving arrest. "It's also worrisome to me that he was drunk driving in the neighborhood in which I live," he said.
Ashburn has been a no-show for his job as a state senator for the past three days. Ashburn is clearly staying out of the public eye, after he was arrested in downtown Sacramento on charges of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level of .14 early Wednesday morning.Repeated calls to Ashburn's cell phone were not returned.
