Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic harassment, eddie berganza, harassment, HRL, robert garcia
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia Calls For Firing Of Eddie Berganza
The DC Comics-loving mayor of Long Beach, California, Robert Garcia, has called on his favorite comic book publisher to fire longtime editor Eddie Berganza in response to an expose on sexual harassment, forced kissing, and attempting groping allegations reported by major news outlet Buzzfeed Friday.
"I love DC Comics, always have," Garcia tweeted Friday night. "But as a fan and supporter, I expect them and Warner Bros to do the right thing and fire Eddie Berganza."
39-year-old Garcia, who became the first Latino man and first openly gay person of color ever elected to the Long Beach city council in 2009, also became the first openly gay mayor of Long Beach after winning an election in 2014. Garcia rose to the national spotlight earlier this year due to his outspoken love of DC Comics characters, and a playful disdain for rivals Marvel Comics.
Though allegations against Berganza have been reported before by Bleeding Cool and others, the Buzzfeed report comes amidst a sweeping tidal wave of sexual harassment and assault allegations against powerful men across the entertainment industry and politics — one that has remarkably captured the attention of the world. Additionally, Buzzfeed's report contains previously unreported allegations about Berganza, and comes from the highest profile outlet yet to report on them. Echoes of Buzzfeed's report have followed on sites like Vulture and The Hollywood Reporter.
Warner Bros., the parent company of DC Comics where Berganza currently works as Group Editor on books like Superman, also suspended Arrow producer Andrew Kreisberg, executive producer of The Flash and Supergirl on Friday amid new sexual harassment allegations.