Gay Club Manager: I Didn’t See Anti-Gay State Senator Here — It Was Latin Night

State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-CA)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The manager of the night club where anti-gay California state Sen. Roy Ashburn was reportedly hanging out before his 2 a.m. DUI arrest Wednesday tells TPMmuckraker she didn’t see him at the club that night.

Tuesday night is Latin night at Faces, explained manager Laurie Bonifield in a phone interview. The club describes itself as “Sacramento’s premier GLBTI Nightclub since 1985.”

“Tuesday nights are a very, very huge Latin crowd. We don’t see a lot of white guys here on a Tuesday night,” Bonifield said. “A white guy would stick out like a sore thumb.”

Citing unnamed sources, CBS13 reported last night that Ashburn’s drunk driving arrest early Wednesday morning came after leaving Faces.

CBS13 and the Bakersfield Californian both reported that an unidentified man was in the car with Ashburn.

Noting that there are other gay and straight clubs in the area, Bonifield speculated that Ashburn was at another club. She said she had not heard from the police, who did not immediately respond to our call seeking comment.

She said she hasn’t yet talked to her staff about the issue because they work late and are “sound asleep.” The CBS13 story came out last night. The station is standing by its story.

Ashburn said in a statement after his arrest, “I am deeply sorry for my actions.”

Latest Muckraker
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: