Arambula Faces March Court Date After Child Abuse Arrest

Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula faces a March 13 court date after Fresno police arrested him Monday (Dec. 10) for allegations of child abuse.
A spokesperson from the Fresno County District Attorney’s office confirmed the date.
Fresno police arrested Arambula Monday following allegations of misdemeanor willful cruelty to a child.

KSEE’s Evan Onstot Interviews Arambula

Arambula and his wife, Elizabeth, sat for an interview with KSEE 24’s Evan Onstot on Wednesday. The assemblyman said that he spanked his daughter but expressed bewilderment about his arrest.

Just spent a few minutes with Joaquin and Elizabeth Arambula, who tell me CPS has allowed their three daughters to return to their home. He says he has no idea what teachers and subsequent investigators saw on his daughter before he was arrested. More to come. https://t.co/wDToihlgtr

— Evan Onstot (@EvanOnstot) December 12, 2018

Police Take Arambula into Custody at Elementary School

He was taken into custody at Dailey Elementary Charter School, driven to downtown headquarters for processing, then cited and released.

The school notified county child protective services, who in turn notified police, after signs of injury were seen on the child, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Tuesday.
Police would not release details about the victim including information about the injury, and the relationship to Aramblua, other than that the victim was a student at Dailey.
The alleged incident took place Sunday (Dec. 9) around 8:30 p.m., police said.

Republican Calls for Arambula to Resign

Only hours after news of Arambula’s arrest surfaced, the leader of the local Republican Party in his district demanded his resignation.
“California State Assembly Speaker, Anthony Rendon, should ask for Joaquin Arambula’s resignation due to the egregious nature of these charges,” Fresno County Republican Party chairman Fred Vanderhoof wrote in an email statement.
Vanderhoof also called for more investigation “to see if other children are involved.”
“The Democrat Party needs to show their concern for the constituents of Assembly District 31 as well as for the people of Fresno County by taking immediate action,” Vanderhoof said.

No Word from Assembly Speaker

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) has not issued a statement regarding Arambula’s situation.
Arambula also serves on the Assembly Committee on Human Services, which has jurisdiction on child welfare services.
A spokeswoman for Arambula issued a statement Monday: “Joaquin is a committed father who wants what is best for his children. He is fully supportive of the process, which will show he is a loving and nurturing father.”
Having first won a special election in 2016, Arambula won full terms later that year, as well as last month. He was sworn in for his third term Dec. 3.