AD49 candidate says protesters targeted him while he was supporting Hilton; formal police report has not surfaced publicly
Republican California Assembly candidate Long David Liu said protesters spat on him and grabbed and damaged his campaign sign Saturday outside a Steve Hilton town hall at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, where Liu had gone to support Hilton’s gubernatorial campaign while promoting his own bid for the 49th Assembly District.
Liu pointed the California Courier to a Facebook post describing the confrontation, which his campaign also published online. The Hilton event was held Sept. 19 at the Mission Playhouse.
Liu’s campaign described the alleged confrontation as escalating within moments of his arrival.
“In a matter of seconds, these protesters grabbed David’s personal campaign yard sign and even spat on him!” the post said.
The campaign said Liu called police after the protesters challenged him to do so and that officers arrived within two minutes. ANN News separately reported Liu said he called 911 and police responded, but the outlet said it had not obtained a formal police report confirming the circumstances or whether any criminal violations occurred.
The campaign framed the encounter around public safety, one of Liu’s central campaign issues.
“This isn’t just political hostility—it is a direct attack on law, order, and basic personal safety,” the post said.
California law defines battery as the “willful and unlawful use of force or violence” against another person, while separate statutes cover theft and malicious damage to property. Whether the alleged conduct met those elements would depend on the underlying facts and any law-enforcement investigation.
Liu, an attorney and Republican, is challenging Democratic Assemblyman Mike Fong in District 49. California’s official 2024 results show Fong defeated Liu 62% to 38%. Hilton, meanwhile, is the Republican nominee for governor against Democrat Xavier Becerra in November.
Days after the confrontation, Liu held a press conference and called for political disagreements to be expressed peacefully and without attacks on people or property, according to Sing Tao Daily.
