Embattled Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer resigned from her position on Friday saying she needed time to focus on getting her personal life in order and recovering from drug addiction.
Lockyer, 40, has been the vortex of a sordid political scandal after reporting an assault at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, convicted felon Stephen Chikhani, inside of a Newark hotel room. In the following months, she has since checked herself into a rehab facility citing a dependance on alcohol and prescription pain medication.
"Without a doubt, being a mother is the most important role and duty of my lifetime," said Lockyer in message sent to her constituents late last week. "I can surely be a great mom and effectively represent the 325,000-plus constituents of District 2, yet not while also [treading] the waters of early recovery from addiction and the aftermath of interpersonal violence."
Lockyer, who had served on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for only a year before stepping down, is the wife of 70-year old California state Treasurer Bill Lockyer.
In an email to the San Jose Mercury News Lockyer said that her husband, who previously served as the state's top cop, had supplied her with drugs. Bill Lockyer has denied the allegations and Nadia has since said she wasn't the one who sent the email. However, in an emotional interview with the Mercury News late last week, an emotional Lockyer admitted to sending the email, but took full responsibility for her actions.
"I think the public is tired of hearing about me and all this drama, so I apologize. But, at the same time, I think my constituents deserve additional information and explanation from me," said Lockyer in the interview. "I loved being supervisor and I think I did a hell of a job. I'm really proud of what my office accomplished and I have a phenomenal staff...[but] I need to resign to focus on my recovery from both the assault, that abusive relationship and healing my heart and my psyche."
"She has worked hard and well for her district. But the last year took a great toll on Nadia," said Bill Lockyer in a statement also released on Friday. "It's best for her, best for [our young son] Diego and best for our family that she leave public office."
While calls for her resignation have abounded for months, Lockyer's decision to remove herself from office came as a surprise. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
Her chief of staff, Ruben Briones, was listed as the contact person on her resignation letter, which was circulating on Internet news sites, but when The Chronicle asked Briones for comment, he could not confirm the letter's authenticity and had to make a few calls to see if his boss had indeed resigned.
Nadia Lockyer initially won her seat on the board in a contentious race against former State Senator Liz Figueroa, who dated Bill Lockyer a decade before he married Nadia.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has 60 days to select a replacement for Lockyer.