Rick Jacobs, a top political advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti, said Tuesday night he will “take a leave” from his work with Garcetti amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
“For the past seventeen years, I have dedicated myself to advocacy and public service. I do not want this to be a distraction. Therefore, I will take a leave from my non-profit work and my volunteer political work with the mayor,” Jacobs said in an emailed statement.
A Los Angeles police officer who had been a bodyguard for Garcetti filed a lawsuit this summer alleging sexual harassment by Jacobs. On Monday, in a first-person article posted online, journalist Yashar Ali accused Jacobs of sexual misconduct.
Jacobs has denied the police officer’s allegations, which were made at a time when tensions were high between the police union and the mayor. Jacobs has not responded for comment about Ali’s accusations.
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