Is Sacramento’s mayor guilty of the same charge that led to San Diego Mayor Filner’s conviction?

It wasn’t all that long ago that former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner resigned from office in disgrace. The Democratic politician acquired the ignoble sobriquet “Filthy Filner” after he belatedly confessed to a variety of sexual assaults. In 2013, Filner pled guilty to forcing himself on three women and received a penalty of 90 days of home confinement, three years’ probation, and $1,500 in fines.

California might have a problem with its mayors. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has been caught up in allegations that he has engaged in behavior similar to that which resulted in Filner’s resignation. According to a claim obtained by The Sacramento Bee, Johnson has been accused of sexually harassing a city employee on several accusations over the course of a seven-month period.

The employee – identified in the claim as Estrellita Ilee Muller, 32 – alleged that she was summoned to the mayor’s private library at City Hall by Johnson’s security officer and that the mayor pressed his body against her, felt her torso and tried to kiss her. Muller filed the claim with the City Clerk’s Office in April and sought $200,000 in damages from the city, according to the document. She previously filed a formal discrimination complaint with the city’s human resources director in October 2014 – a complaint that office found insufficient.

Johnson denied the allegations made by Muller, saying during a brief news conference at City Hall on Thursday that the “incident described in the complaint simply never happened. Ever.”

City Attorney James Sanchez said in a statement that “the allegations in the claim were found to be unsubstantiated” and that “the claim in this matter has been denied.” The city hired employment law counsel Carolee Kilduff to review the investigation, according to the statement.

This isn’t the first time that Johnson has been accused of sexual misconduct. In 1997, the mayor and former NBA player with the Phoenix Suns was accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with a 16-year-old girl. “The story used no anonymous sources, though the name of the alleged young victim was changed, as was that of a former friend of hers,” The Phoenix New Times recalled in 2008. “The primary source of information in the piece was a detailed Phoenix police report that included audio-recorded interview transcripts and a recorded ‘confrontational call’ between the girl and K.J.”

“County prosecutors never did file criminal charges against K.J., apparently concluding that the admissions during the phone call weren’t enough to convince jurors that he was guilty,” that report added.

The Bee obtained a copy of a document that indicated the former NBA player settled with the alleged victim who was compensated $230,000 for her trauma. “Sacramento police later said the girl recanted her story and found the allegation to be unfounded,” The Bee reported.

Johnson isn’t just any mayor; he’s the current Democratic president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. What’s more, his name was circulated earlier this year as a potential recruit to run for statewide or federal office in California.

Much of the allegations of misconduct by Sacramento’s mayor are not well-supported, and it’s important to note that he has a long-established record as a dedicated public servant. Whatever happened in 1997 has little bearing on today but, as was the case with Filner, it is possible that more victims will come forward in the coming weeks. This is a space worth watching.

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