Ousted Republican Assembly leader Heath Flora was allegedly involved in two simultaneous extramarital affairs while married and is facing investigations into the alleged misuse of campaign funds for personal expenses, including spending at bars and restaurants. Flora was removed from his leadership position less than a year after taking over.
Republicans have replaced Flora, a representative for California's 9th Assembly District, with Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo. "I am deeply honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me, and I am proud to stand alongside a unified caucus dedicated to real, common-sense solutions," Macedo said in a statement. "Our message is clear: California is becoming unaffordable for working families, and our caucus is united in the fight to bring down the cost of living, make our communities safer and hold state bureaucrats accountable."
The allegations include claims from Kimberly Pebbles, a retired hairstylist, who stated she had an affair with Flora for two years, beginning in 2020. Pebbles said that during their relationship, Flora paid for expenses at bars, hotels, and restaurants. She learned he was married and conducting a simultaneous affair with former lobbyist Emily Hughes around the time their relationship ended in 2022. "It was always party time, lobbyists, drinking and going out," Pebbles told The Post. "Knowing what I know now, the spending he was doing did not reflect his own personal budget."
Flora's campaign filings reportedly show numerous charges at Chargins Bar & Grill, a Sacramento bar located over 50 miles from his district. Pebbles recalled spending time with Flora at Chargins and another Sacramento bar known as the "Barmuda Triangle." "I can tell you there was a lot of money spent," Pebbles said.
New campaign finance disclosures show Flora's committee continued to incur thousands of dollars in charges at Chargins between late April and mid-June, totaling over $5,400 in that period. This brings his reported spending at the bar to more than $16,000 since the beginning of 2025. Twenty of these recent tabs were classified as "District Meeting" meals, and one $1,010.61 expense on June 2 was described as an "Election Night" meal. Some of these expenditures occurred while the state Legislature was working on legislation and the state budget.
Flora's vote in July to join Democrats in allowing local cities and counties to approve new tax hikes was a point of contention among his Republican colleagues. Assemblymember Juan Alanis, who also supported the tax increases, stated that the party was not unified on the leadership change and that a significant portion of caucus members opposed the direction it represented.
Flora is seeking a final term in the state Assembly. In the June primary election, he received 30.6% of the vote in Stanislaus County, the lowest support level of any incumbent state legislator. All Republican parties within his district declined to endorse him. The chair of the Stanislaus County Republican party expressed excitement about Macedo's leadership, stating she offers a strong conservative voice and will advance the party's values with credibility and integrity.
Flora's latest filings also disclosed a $22,500 fundraising charge for a Las Vegas Raiders game, a $2,476 charge at Bighorn Golf Club for campaign meetings, and purchases at liquor stores categorized as "office expenses." Flora's campaign treasurer reportedly stepped back from directly managing his books in early 2024. State law permits campaign funds to be used for expenses reasonably related to political or legislative purposes but generally prohibits personal expenditures. The Fair Political Practices Commission, which is conducting two active investigations involving Flora, declined to comment on the pending cases.