Speaker Rivas’ press secretary fired for ‘inappropriate’ sexual remarks
The press secretary for Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, was fired from her position earlier this week following an investigation for “inappropriate” comments, an allegation she denied and described as “slander.”
Cynthia Moreno “repeatedly made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature … to various employees,” according to a letter from Lia Lopez, the Assembly’s chief administrative officer. The letter, which was dated August 6, also informed Moreno of her firing. It cited the “serious nature of (Moreno’s) repeated conduct,” along with her “lack of candor during the investigation” and “the high visibility position” of her job.
Many details were redacted from the letter, including certain private details and “unrelated information,” in accordance with the Legislature’s rules governing public records.
The Assembly Rules Committee provided the letter to reporters. It also released a heavily-redacted workplace complaint, which accused Moreno of “unprofessional commentary” and “one particularly uncomfortable instance (which) involved a sexual remark.” Further details of the alleged incidents were redacted.
The complainant also asked to be kept anonymous based on rumors “that Ms. Moreno has leveraged her position in ways that could harm reputations.”
The investigation was conducted by the Legislature’s Workplace Conduct Unit, which was created in the wake of the “Me Too” movement to investigate claims of inappropriate conduct.
Moreno, a former journalist, joined Rivas’ office in July 2023, soon after he was elevated to speaker. She had previously worked for outlets including Telemundo, The Fresno Bee and as a state capitol correspondent for McClatchy, according to a 2024 Latino Changemaker profile.
Moreno calls accusations ‘slander’
In a statement provided to The Bee, Moreno denied the accusations and said she was being slandered.
“It is unfortunate that a process I truly believed to be just, legal, unbiased and transparent turned out to be the exact opposite. But, more alarming is how easy it can be for a few individuals to come together and make blatant and false accusations against me in an attempt to cause harm and slander my name,” she said.
“I was raised with, and have always been, a woman of high values, ethics and moral character,” Moreno said. “My career trajectory — and everyone who knows me — can attest to this.”
When reached for comment, Rivas’ spokesman, Nick Miller, provided a statement from General Counsel Emelyn Rodriguez: “Our office does not comment on confidential personnel matters and recused itself from the disciplinary action taken in this case.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Speaker Rivas’ press secretary fired for ‘inappropriate’ sexual remarks."
