Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil reprimanded for retaliation against Stanislaus supervisor
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Senate reprimanded Alvarado-Gil for retaliatory complaints against Condits.
- Investigation upheld retaliation claims but dismissed harassment allegations.
- Infrastructure funding for Modesto remains intact despite political conflict.
Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil was formally reprimanded for retaliating against Stanislaus County Supervisor Channce Condit and his father, Chad Condit, her former chief of staff.
The reprimand followed an investigation by the Workplace Conduct Unit into allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation brought by the Condits. While the WCU did not substantiate the harassment claims, it found that Alvarado-Gil violated the Legislature’s Policy on Appropriate Workplace Conduct by filing retaliatory complaints with the attorney general and Stanislaus County.
Those complaints accused the Condits of ethical violations related to a Modesto infrastructure project and were deemed a retaliatory response to a prior complaint Chad Condit had filed against her.
Last year, Alvarado-Gil publicly claimed she had initiated an investigation into Supervisor Condit, accusing him of conspiring with his father to secure $5 million in state funding for infrastucture improvements in south Modesto.
According to Channce Condit, his father was abruptly fired by Alvarado-Gil in December 2023 and later filed a human resources complaint against her.
The Senate Rules Committee accepted the WCU’s recommendation to issue a written reprimand and ordered Alvarado-Gil to undergo one-on-one training focused on retaliation to prevent similar conduct in the future. The committee noted it may consider further action if new evidence arises.
“The Senate prohibits retaliation against complainants and anyone participating in this process. Any subsequent violations could result in additional discipline,” reads a May letter from Sen. Mike McGuire, chair of the Senate Rules Committee, to Alvarado-Gil.
In a statement, Channce Condit called on Alvarado-Gil to issue a formal and public apology to him and “on behalf of the residents of south Modesto, who endured unnecessary stress and uncertainty because of her false claims.”
He added that the funding in question remains secure in the Stanislaus County treasury and that the county is proceeding with the bidding process and planning for infrastructure improvements in Modesto.
“I am grateful that the process upheld the principles of fairness and due process, and I have been fully exonerated of the false and defamatory claims made against me,” Condit stated. “From the very beginning, Sen. Alvarado-Gil misused the power and platform of her office by attempting to slander my name and reputation. Her baseless accusation — that I had somehow misused state funds designated in the California State Budget for the benefit of South Modesto — was not only categorically false but also deeply damaging to the morale and trust of our local community.”
In a statement, Alvarado-Gil focused solely on the dismissed harassment claim. “I’ve said from the beginning that these allegations made against me were completely false, and I’m glad that has been backed up by a Senate investigation. Despite these partisan attacks and attempts to ruin my reputation and family, I remain focused on fighting for my district, standing up for families and challenging the status quote in Sacramento,” her statement reads.
Alvarado-Gil did not respond to questions about the sustained retaliation allegation.
Complaints were handed from office to office
Since the beginning, Channce Condit has maintained that he was never contacted by any investigators related to the senator’s complaints. According to documents obtained by The Bee, Alvarado-Gil may have been given the runaround when she filed her complaints against him.
In May 2024, Alvarado-Gil submitted a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office, claiming Condit failed to comply with county and state regulations by requesting state funding through the solicitation of special favors and privileges from his father, Chad Condit, the senator’s former chief of staff.
The same complaint was submitted to Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes.
That June, Alvarado-Gil wrote in a statement to The Bee that “the matter involving a $5 million allocation to Stanislaus County has been escalated from an ethics probe into a criminal investigation.”
The Attorney General’s Office responded to Alvarado-Gil’s complaint toward the end of June, saying it “does not have the resources to investigate every allegation of misconduct” and suggesting she contact her local district attorney or other agencies.
Thomas Boze, Stanislaus County counsel, also told The Bee later that he reviewed the senator’s allegations and determined it was inappropriate for his office to investigate them.
Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero also turned down her complaint, writing in a statement, “Based on the information we reviewed, there is no indication of criminal activity or any other circumstance that would fall within the jurisdiction of the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office or warrant further inquiry by my office. Any referral to Sacramento or another jurisdiction would be initiated by the complainant as we have nothing to refer.”
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that it received Alvarado-Gil’s complaint and determined that the allegations appeared to involve multiple jurisdictions, with subject matter occurring outside of Sacramento County. The office wrote that it referred her “to the Attorney General’s Office as we believe this is the proper jurisdictional agency to handle this matter,” though the AG’s Office had already referred her elsewhere.
However, Alvarado-Gil also stated that in or about 2023, she made a full report to the Senate secretary and human resources and, “to her knowledge, an investigation was opened.” A statement from her office in May 2024, said the senator “complied with all internal Senate investigations regarding this matter. In addition, she also fulfilled her obligation to report to the attorney general for a subsequent criminal investigation.”
A public records request filed by The Bee related to the complaint was mainly denied, with most documents withheld by the State Senate under exemptions in the Legislative Open Records Act.
Cordial beginnings
Prior to the complaints, the relationship between Alvarado-Gil and Channce Condit appeared cordial, according to their correspondences and social media posts. Their friendliness continued after August 2023, which is when Alvarado-Gil claimed that “the impropriety of these dealings” regarding Condit were first brought to her attention.
In December 2022, Condit posted on Facebook that he met with Alvarado-Gil and looked forward to “working with the Senator on a variety of issues” — including matching funds for unincorporated communities.
In June 2023, Condit thanked Alvarado-Gil on social media for her leadership in securing funding for Modesto.
Five months later, Alvarado-Gil invited Condit to her holiday fundraiser. She also wished him a happy Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“Thankful for your friendship. Happy Thanksgiving,” reads a text message from Condit to Alvarado-Gil in November 2023.
In Alvarado-Gil’s 2023 annual report, she highlighted the south Modesto project and included a photo of Condit and a quote from him.
“Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil’s work to secure this much-needed funding will improve the quality of life for thousands of our residents in our most underserved neighborhoods,” Condit’s quote reads.
Lawsuits filed by elder Condit, senator
In a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in Sacramento County Superior Court in September, Chad Condit alleged that Alvarado-Gil coerced him into performing sexual acts. According to the lawsuit, one encounter — which took place in a car — left Condit with a serious back injury.
Ognian Gavrilov, Alvarado-Gil’s lawyer, told The Sacramento Bee that the allegations of sexual harassment and other claims in Condit’s lawsuit were completely unsubstantiated and outlandish.
In her countersuit against Chad Condit, Alvarado-Gil alleged that he threatened her with violence, claiming he told her he knew how to make “people disappear” and insinuating he was involved in the unsolved disappearance and killing of Chandra Levy. Levy, a graduate of Davis High School in Modesto, was an intern in Washington, D.C., and had an alleged affair with then-Congressman Gary Condit of Ceres, who is Chad Condit’s father.
The countersuit also claimed that Condit struggled with alcohol and possibly abused prescription drugs, which she said contributed to his termination in December 2023.
On July 24, the Sacramento court will hear arguments in Dept. 53, Hall of Justice before Judge Richard K. Sueyoshi to determine whether the cross-complaint proceeds, is amended, or is dismissed.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 12:33 PM.
