Editor’s note: Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia announced Friday morning she is taking a voluntary, unpaid leave of absence while the allegations are investigated. Read more here.

SACRAMENTO >> Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, one of the most prominent voices for women’s rights in the California Legislature, has been accused of groping a young legislative staffer in 2014.

Politico reported that the former staffer, Daniel Fierro of Cerritos, said Garcia, a Democrat from Bell Gardens, cornered him after the annual Assembly softball game in 2014 while he was cleaning up the dugout. He said Garcia, who appeared to be drunk, stroked his back, squeezed his buttocks and tried to grab his crotch before he was able to leave.

Garcia acknowledged in a statement sent to reporters that she was at the event but had “zero recollection” of engaging in any unacceptable behavior.

The allegations rocked the capitol, which for months has been grappling with a movement to stamp out a culture permissive of inappropriate sexual behavior — often, acts perpetrated by powerful men against junior female staffers and lobbyists.

The claims against Garcia could harm the very cause for which she carried the mantle, said Jessica Levinson, an ethics and election law expert at Loyola Law School.

“You could never buy this much good opposition to the #MeToo movement,” Levinson said. “It’s such a blow because it gives the opposition so much fodder. It’s kind of a Greek tragedy that they’re taken down by the exact kinds of allegations that they’re fighting against.”

Fierro did not report the incident at the time. But in January — inspired by the #MeToo movement — he told his former boss, Assemblyman Ian Calderon; Calderon reported the incident to the Assembly Rules Committee, which launched an investigation, Politico reported.

The political news site also quoted an unnamed lobbyist who said that she sexually propositioned him last May and tried to grab his crotch at a political fundraising event.

“Every complaint about sexual harassment should be taken seriously and I will participate fully in any investigation that takes place,” said Garcia in a statement sent to reporters in response to inquiries Thursday. “The details of these claims have never been brought to my attention until today. I can confirm that I did attend the 2014 legislative softball game with a number of members and my staff. I can also say I have zero recollection of engaging in inappropriate behavior and such behavior is inconsistent with my values.”

Because We can’t change workplace culture without getting a better assessment of what is really going on- and the current system fails to give policymakers, taxpayers and employees a full picture of the problem. #wesaidenough #metoo — Cristina Garcia (@AsmGarcia) January 26, 2018

Shortly after the story broke, Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, who is vice chairwoman for the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, issued a statement calling on Garcia to take an immediate leave of absence until the investigation is completed.

“As a vocal ally of the #MeToo and #WeSaidEnough movements, I am shocked and disturbed at the very troubling allegations related to California Legislative Women’s Caucus Chair Cristina Garcia,” she wrote. “… Anyone proven to have sexually harassed or assaulted another person, regardless of their gender, should be held accountable for their actions. I commit to continue fighting to rid the Capitol and our state of the pervasive culture of sexual harassment, assault, and overall disrespect.”

Garcia also is a member of the Assembly Select Committee on Women in the Workplace.

Garcia, 38, a native of Bell Gardens in Los Angeles County and a former math teacher, was elected to the Assembly in 2012. She has filed papers to run for re-election in the June 5 primary, but also has been talked about as a potential state Senate candidate.

She was one of the woman who signed an open letter in 2017 decrying sexual harassment of women by powerful men in California government.

The accusations are the latest against current and former state legislators.

Assembly Democrats Raul Bocanegra and Matt Dababneh, both of the San Fernando Valley, resigned in late 2017 amid sexual misconduct scandals. State Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, is on leave during an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior toward young interns.

Others facing accusations include Democratic Sen. Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys and Assembly members Autumn Burke of Inglewood, and Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach. who is running for California governor.

Burke admitted to investigators that she — according to a document made public Feb. 2 — “participated in an inappropriate conversation regarding anal sex with capitol office staff.”