A former district director has sued California Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías, accusing the freshman Democrat of enabling racial discrimination and personally forcing an unwanted hug after a whistleblower complaint exploded into alleged violence.
Pa’tanisha Davis Pierson, who served as Ávila Farías’s district director, filed suit last week in Contra Costa County Superior Court against both the lawmaker and the California Assembly itself. Davis Pierson, who now works as an administrative law judge according to her attorney, claims the Concord representative’s office became a hostile environment where black staffers were systematically marginalized and bullied.
The complaint paints a stark picture of workplace inequity. “Black employees were assigned less desirable and more time-consuming work than non-Black employees,” the lawsuit alleges. Davis Pierson also claims black interns received less recognition than their non-black peers, and that she personally witnessed black employees “being yelled at and pressured or driven from their positions.”
The alleged retaliation traced directly to a whistleblower report Davis Pierson made on Sept. 29. She informed the state Assembly’s human resources department that field representative Jessica Cisneros was performing campaign work for Ávila Farías during state-paid working hours, operating from inside the taxpayer-funded district office.
Within weeks of that report, Davis Pierson claims, Ávila Farías began stripping her of supervisory responsibilities and isolating her from colleagues. The Assembly’s Workplace Conduct Unit opened an investigation into her complaint, but rather than protection, Davis Pierson says she found escalating danger.
The confrontation turned physical on Nov. 13, according to the lawsuit. Cisneros — the same employee Davis Pierson had reported for suspected campaign misconduct — allegedly confronted her in a hallway at the district office. “Staff member Jessica Cisneros intentionally made offensive physical contact with [Davis Pierson] by body-checking her in a district-office hallway,” the lawsuit states. The alleged body-check came just 10 days after the Assembly investigation opened. Cisneros remains employed by Ávila Farías, according to reporting by CalMatters.
The alleged unwanted physical contact from Ávila Farías herself followed months later. On Jan. 5, the lawmaker allegedly forced Davis Pierson into a hug despite their ongoing workplace conflict, according to the complaint.
The retaliation extended beyond racial and whistleblower claims into disability discrimination, the lawsuit alleges. After Davis Pierson disclosed a medical condition and requested accommodations — including time off for a medical procedure, a hybrid work schedule and restrictions on lifting — Assembly officials allegedly revoked her previously approved schedule, denied the requested accommodations and subjected her to increased scrutiny. She was subsequently confronted with performance criticisms over activities that had previously been authorized by management, she claims.
Davis Pierson submitted her resignation in April, stating that relentless discrimination, retaliation and hostile working conditions had effectively forced her from the job.
Ávila Farías has forcefully rejected the accusations. “I vigorously deny the allegations and will defend against them through the appropriate legal process,” the assemblymember said in an emailed statement to CalMatters.
The lawmaker also defended her record on diversity, saying her staff ranks among the most diverse in the Legislature and reflects the communities of Contra Costa County. Ávila Farías, 47, took office in December 2024 and has staked out controversial positions including barring ICE agents from later becoming police officers or teachers in California.
The lawsuit’s allegations span whistleblower retaliation, racial discrimination, harassment and disability discrimination. Davis Pierson’s attorneys declined comment Thursday, noting that the filing speaks for itself. Officials in Ávila Farías’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The California Post.
Ávila Farías is seeking reelection Nov. 3 in her heavily Democratic East Bay district.