Heath Flora, the California Republican lawmaker facing twin ethics probes, has been caught using his official state title and work contact information while placing NFL survivor pool picks through a Sacramento dive bar in 2021, newly obtained emails show.
Flora, 47, sent the messages from a personal Gmail account, but each carried a signature identifying him as “Assemblymember 12th district” along with his Capitol and district office phone numbers, according to records reviewed by the California Post. The emails document at least several weeks of participation in the betting pool run through Club 2 Me, a bar located less than two blocks from Chargins, where Flora has since racked up roughly $16,000 in campaign-funded tabs.
On Aug. 9, 2021, Flora reached out to the bar’s manager to secure his spot in the pool. “JD told me to email you and make sure I’m on your list,” he wrote, referencing a well-known state lobbyist, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. The manager replied promptly: “You’re officially on the list. Thank you.” Flora then proceeded to select the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos in successive weeks, the emails show. On Sept. 23, 2021, the manager confirmed his Broncos pick with a friendly note: “Thank Heath. Selection confirmed. Good luck my friend.”
A former bartender and manager at Club 2 Me confirmed Flora’s involvement in the survivor pool, which carried a $50 buy-in and drew roughly 100 participants. The total payout by season’s end could reach $5,000, the former manager told The Post. California law prohibits making or accepting wagers on sporting events, though it provides a narrow exception for friendly betting pools with total prizes capped at $2,500.
Bryan Sullivan, a partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, said California law flatly bars elected officials from such activity when conducted in an official capacity. “California law made it clear in 2021 — and it remains true today — that a legislator cannot use the prestige of their office to participate in private gambling activities,” Sullivan said in a statement. “Using an official title in an NFL survivor pool was improper then, and it is unequivocally improper now.”
The betting revelation lands as Flora, currently seeking a final two-year term, faces mounting scrutiny from multiple directions. He is the subject of two active investigations by California’s Fair Political Practices Commission. One stems from an October 2025 complaint involving behested payments; the other involves allegations of campaign fund misuse. Flora was ousted as GOP minority leader of the state Assembly a day after The Post published a story documenting those investigations, his excessive bar tabs, and a controversial vote siding with Democrats to raise taxes in cities and counties statewide.
The Post also previously revealed allegations that Flora, a self-proclaimed devout Christian, carried on simultaneous extramarital affairs before his divorce. The Sacramento Bee reported in late 2025 that his first affair involved a former lobbyist and that he was living outside his district, while court records showed he had not been making child support payments until the state Legislature began garnishing his wages. His campaign treasurer stepped down from overseeing his expenses in early 2024, a source previously told The Post.
Linda Feil, who took control of Club 2 Me in February, expressed shock at learning of the betting pool’s existence under prior management. “I had no idea,” Feil said. “I have not heard anything about it. I know one thing for certain — there is no gambling here under my watch.” Regarding Flora himself, she added: “I don’t even know the man.”
A former Club 2 Me bartender who served Flora during the 2021 period offered a measured assessment of his conduct. “I don’t remember serving him that much,” the bartender told The Post. “He was never a problematic drinker to me. But maybe he knew I wasn’t going to put up with any s—.”
Flora did not respond to requests for comment, and his office ignored questions about his NFL picks and use of his official title and government contact information in the emails. Many of his recent campaign charges at Chargins and elsewhere were documented as meetings or fundraisers, though neither bar sits within the district he represents. Following 2022 redistricting, Flora’s central valley region became the 9th district, covering Amador, Calaveras, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
His political standing has eroded significantly. In the June primary, Flora received just 30.6% of the vote — the lowest level of support of any incumbent state legislator. None of the Republican parties in his district endorsed him for that primary, though as a Republican in a right-leaning district he remains favored to advance in the November runoff.
The NFL survivor pool operated on standard rules: participants picked one team to win each week, could not select the same team twice, and were eliminated when their pick lost. Flora’s documented selections — the Panthers, Bills and Broncos — spanned the early weeks of the 2021 season, though the full extent of his participation beyond those confirmed picks remains unclear.
Flora’s campaign continues despite the cascade of revelations, with the November general election determining whether he secures his final permitted term in the state Assembly.