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Ousted GOP Assembly leader Heath Flora was allegedly conducting two affairs while still married — using funds from his campaign to spend big in bars, hotels and restaurants, The Post has learned.
Flora’s was stunningly dumped from his leadership position less than a year after he took over the job after the California Post revealed he is facing two state ethics investigations, including one over alleged misuse of campaign funds.
Republicans replaced Flora — a Republican from Ripon who has previously worked as a farmer and firefighter — with first-term Tulare Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo.
“I am deeply honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me, and I am proud to stand alongside a unified caucus dedicated to real, common-sense solutions,” Macedo said in a statement obtained by The Post.
“Our message is clear: California is becoming unaffordable for working families, and our caucus is united in the fight to bring down the cost of living, make our communities safer and hold state bureaucrats accountable.”
The Post also found Flora’s campaign filings show an huge list of charges at a Sacramento’s Chargins’ Bar & Grill, an East Sacramento dive bar more than 50 miles from his district.
Dissatisfaction with Flora peaked in July when he and Republican Assemblymember Juan Alanis sided with Democrats to allow local cities and counties across the state to approve new tax hikes.
Flora, who did not respond to requests for comment, is seeking a final term in office while confronting new allegations from Kimberly Pebbles, a retired hairstylist who told The Post she embarked on an two-year affair with the then-married lawmaker after becoming friends in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the Sacramento Bee reported that Flora — a self-professed devout Christian who is now divorced — had an affair with former lobbyist Emily Hughes, which Pebbles said was during the same time period as her own relationship with Flora.
Pebbles said Flora would pick up the tab at bars, restaurants and hotels during their relationship, which ended in 2022 when she not only learned he was married, but conducting a simultaneous affair with Hughes.
“It was always party time, lobbyists, drinking and going out,” Pebbles told The Post.
“Knowing what I know now, the spending he was doing did not reflect his own personal budget.”
“Paying for your mistress and a hotel is not at all campaign-related.”
The Post was not able to independently confirm Flora spent campaign money on hotels for him and Pebbles.
Pebbles, who said she was going through her own divorce at the time, specifically recalled spending time with Flora at Chargins Bar & Grill and Club 2 Me — Sacramento bars in an area called the “Barmuda Triangle” that have appeared in Flora’s campaign finance reports.
“I can tell you there was a lot of money spent,” Pebbles said.
Pebbles said Flora’s hard-partying lifestyle took a toll on her mentally and emotionally, especially when she learned he was in a relationship with Hughes.
Pebbles eventually entered treatment for alcohol abuse, and is now in a much better place.
“I’m very spiritual and god-fearing myself,” Pebbles said. “I took this as a Republican, hard-working man, comes from a farm, comes from religion.
“There were definitely some elements he gave off that portrayed him to be very different. It kind of gives me the ick now.”
“Just the fact that he attempted to use god and religion in a manipulative way, it’s just gross,” she added.
The allegations come as newly filed campaign finance disclosures show Flora’s committee continued ringing up thousands of dollars in charges at Chargins bar even as scrutiny of his spending intensified.
The latest filings reveal another 21 separate tabs at Chargins totaling more than $5,400 at the East Sacramento dive between late April and mid-June, bringing Flora’s reported spending there to more than $16,000 since the start of 2025.
Twenty of his recent tabs at Chargins were reported as “District Meeting” meals, while a $1,010.61 expense on June 2 was described as an “Election Night” meal.
The campaign also reported a $961.17 tab a week later, again identifying it as a district meeting.
Some of these tabs occurred during weeks the Legislature was hammering out legislation and the state budget.
Flora’s crucial vote to approve tax hikes pushed colleagues to a breaking point.
Assemblymember Alanis, who joined Flora in supporting the tax increases, issued a blistering statement Monday saying the party was not “unified” on the leadership change.
“The election of a new minority leader was fiercely divided,” Alanis said.
“A significant portion of caucus members opposed the leadership change and the direction it represents.”
Flora, who is seeking a final two-year term in the Assembly, received just 30.6% of the vote in the June primary election in Stanislaus County — the lowest level of support for any incumbent state legislator and all of the Republican parties within his district declined to endorse him.
Joel Campos, chair of the Stanislaus County Republican party, which is represented by Flora, said the group is “excited” about Macedo’s rise to leadership.
“She offers a strong conservative voice from the Valley and will advance our values with credibility and integrity,” Campos said in a text message.
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Flora’s latest campaign filings also disclosed a $22,500 fundraising charge for the Las Vegas Raiders’ season-opening game against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13, a $2,476 charge at Bighorn Golf Club for campaign meetings, and purchases at BevMo ($200.79) and Total Wine & More ($358.05) that were categorized as “office expenses.”
The Post previously reported that a source confirmed Flora’s campaign treasurer stepped back from directly managing his books in early 2024.
Flora did not respond to detailed questions from The Post about Pebbles’ allegations, the latest campaign expenditures or whether campaign funds ever paid for expenses related to their relationship.
State law permits campaign money to be used for expenses reasonably related to political, legislative or governmental purposes but generally prohibits expenditures for personal use.
The Fair Political Practices Commission, which has two active investigations involving Flora, declined comment on the pending cases.
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