A former political advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and well-known Democratic strategist was arrested in October on prices of home violence and little one abuse, together with an alleged try to “suffocate” a 4-year-old little one with a pillow, based on the Napa County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Napa County Assistant Dist. Atty. Paul Gero mentioned his workplace filed a two-count felony criticism Thursday in opposition to Nathan Ballard, 51, alleging home violence and little one abuse following his Oct. 18 arrest.
Ballard, who labored as Newsom’s communications director when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, mentioned in a latest Marin Magazine profile on Newsom and his spouse, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, that he was a “longtime buddy and advisor” to the governor.
Based on the Napa County sheriff, an unnamed girl alleged that Ballard, who she mentioned had been drunk and marijuana, pushed her in opposition to a glass door Oct. 17, inflicting her head to strike the glass. Sheriff’s Workplace spokesman Henry Wofford mentioned the lady advised authorities that Ballard fell to the ground, bloodying his nostril and brow, then grabbed a pillow and “tried to suffocate the kid with the pillow.”
The lady advised an investigator that she was capable of take away the kid and a 3-year-old boy from the place the alleged incident occurred, and went to a separate room and locked the door, Wofford mentioned.
Ballard’s arrest was first reported by Politico, which additionally reported that the alleged incident occurred on the upscale Carneros Resort and Spa in Napa.
Ballard’s legal professional, Anthony Brass, mentioned he was “absolutely assured” that Ballard can be cleared of the costs.
“Nate is a well-respected skilled and a member of the bar with a spotless moral report. He has no legal historical past. In his 51 years, Nate has by no means been accused of, arrested for, nor charged with any crime earlier than these unsubstantiated allegations,” Brass mentioned in a written assertion. “After almost eight years of steady sobriety, Nate resumed ingesting in April, after his father died. He’s now clear and sober once more, and he’s at the moment in a residential restoration program to cope with his ingesting downside in a accountable, complete method.”
Ballard is the founding father of the Press Store, a San Francisco public relations agency. He has labored as a communications advisor for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, Tremendous Bowl 50, the Democratic Nationwide Committee and the California Democratic Occasion, and he has served as a spokesman for former senator and Secretary of State John Kerry’s 2004 presidential marketing campaign. Ballard additionally serves on the board of the Illustration Undertaking, a nonprofit based by Siebel Newsom that works to fight social injustice and gender stereotypes.
The information of Ballard’s arrest comes at a politically delicate time for Newsom. The Democratic governor has come underneath fireplace for visiting an upscale Napa Valley restaurant along with his spouse to attend a party for his political advisor, Jason Kinney, on Nov. 6. Newsom apologized for his conduct, saying it contradicted the spirit of the protection tips and precautions he has requested Californians to comply with throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor’s workplace didn’t reply to requests for remark.
