Fresno County Democratic Party pulls endorsement of auditor-controller

The Fresno County Democratic Party on Thursday withdrew its endorsement of Oscar J. Garcia for county auditor-controller.

The group announced the change in a press release, but provided no information whether the change involved a report on Sept. 25 that Garcia was arrested in 2001 on suspicion of misdemeanor child molestation. The party’s official stance on the auditor-controller race is “no endorsement.”

Garcia pleaded no contest to the charge in November 2001. Under a plea agreement, Garcia’s case was dismissed in November 2002 after he stayed out of trouble for a year.

Sal Quintero, chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, last week withdrew his endorsement of Garcia.

Garcia maintains that the dismissal of the charges in 2002 amounted to an exoneration.

After Vicki Crow retired in September 2016, Garcia was appointed to the elected position until the end of her term this year. His opponent in November’s election is David Keyes.

This story was originally published October 4, 2018 at 9:59 AM.