Key facts
- A law firm's report found that Greg Regan, a proponent of California's wealth tax, threatened labor officials.
- The report stated Regan told an SEIU official he was "coming for" her if an endorsement was not forthcoming.
- The report concluded that an official had reason to be concerned about Regan's statement due to a past physical assault.
- Regan allegedly kicked in an office door, pinned an official against a wall, and berated her.
- Regan denied the allegations, calling them retaliation for his support of the wealth tax.
A law firm's report has found that Greg Regan, a proponent of California's wealth tax, made threats and engaged in past physical assault against labor officials. The report, which was initially kept private, was revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
The investigation found that Regan suggested to one labor leader he would seek a federal Department of Labor investigation if the SEIU State Council, an umbrella group of which Regan's union is a member, did not endorse the wealth tax. The state council ultimately took a neutral position on the ballot measure.
Additionally, the report stated that Regan told another SEIU official he was "coming for" her if an endorsement was not forthcoming. The report concluded that this official had reason to be concerned about the statement, as Regan had physically assaulted another labor official years prior. The assertion of past assault was deemed "materially accurate" based on multiple interviews.
According to the report, Regan, angered by a former SEIU official's handling of a ballot measure, kicked in the official's office door, pinned her against the wall, and berated her. Regan later threatened the person who described the alleged assault with a defamation suit.
Regan denied the allegations of threats and assault, telling the Times that the claims were made in retaliation for his support for the wealth tax. SEIU-UHW framed the report as part of a backlash to the wealth tax, calling it an effort by "some of the state’s wealthiest and most powerful interests" to "bring unfounded personal attacks." The union stated that "unrelated verbal interactions spanning nearly two decades are being stitched together and stripped of context to manufacture a false narrative about the union’s leadership" and that this "misinformation campaign will not distract the elected leadership or members of SEIU-UHW from passing Proposition 40 and protecting healthcare, hospitals and emergency rooms for millions of Californians."