California billionaire tax boss accused of shoving Dem operative — blames Gavin Newsom ‘smear campaign’

A former female colleague of powerful lefty union boss Dave Regan has hit out and accused him of violently assaulting her in the workplace they once shared.

Courtni Pugh, former head of SEIU California State Council, says Regan kicked open her office door in 2009, “jacked” her against a wall, pushed his finger against her chest and screamed that she was a “dumbass.”

Additional allegations against Regan included extortion and threats.

Regan has denied assaulting Pugh and called the allegations an attempt by billionaires, Gov. Newsom and Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Xavier Becerra to assassinate his character weeks before voters decide the fate of Proposition 40, his signature ballot measure.

Pugh first outlined the allegations in a report Friday by the Los Angeles Times that alleged pervasive misconduct and aggressive behavior by Regan, who is the president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW).

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“I told my colleagues and organization leaders when it occurred,” Pugh said in a statement to the California Post.

“I was asked to participate in the later investigation because so many people had heard about the 2009 incident over the years.”

“I chose to participate in the investigation because I saw that his behavior had continued and in hopes that no one else would have to endure this kind of treatment from him.”

Regan’s denial

Officials for Newsom and Becerra did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Regan claimed on Friday to the Post that Pugh’s claim was “fabricated” and “it is a matter of public record that she is working for the No on Proposition 40 campaign.”

Regan also claimed Pugh’s claims were part of a “smear campaign” tracing back to a holiday party Newsom hosted last year.

But Pugh slammed Regan’s comments, calling them “offensive to the women and people who have had to endure his threatening behavior.”

Regan said that Pugh first shared details of the alleged 2009 encounter at the party while in the company of the governor’s inner circle, SEIU State Council staff and a person working for the billionaires.

The labor boss unloaded on California’s governor for opposing Prop. 40 while failing to offer a plan to prevent looming federal healthcare cuts.

Substantiation

Regan said Newsom’s posture — opposing a state wealth tax while supporting a national tax — was especially baffling for a Democrat preparing for a presidential campaign, claiming polling shows overwhelming support nationally for taxing billionaires.

Regan has a reputation as a bruising political operator known for pushing statewide ballot measures as political leverage — and even Newsom hinted at frustration with his tactics last year.

“We have one individual that represents one labor union in the state of California that has not collected one signature that is considering putting on the ballot, after he collects signatures, a wealth tax that the vast majority of labor opposes,” Newsom griped in December.

Investigators from labor law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon substantiated allegations against Regan during a broader probe conducted between April and July, which was initiated by the union. Regan denied

Pugh’s account, but the firm cited her interview and testimony from a colleague who spoke with her immediately after the alleged confrontation, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The investigation also partially substantiated allegations that Regan bullied, intimidated or tried to pressure other labor leaders into supporting Proposition 40. David Huerta, the former president of the SEIU California State Council, accused Regan of trying to extort the organization for an endorsement of the billionaire tax.