SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A powerful Capitol lobbyist who owns the Santa Rosa Press Democrat newspaper and sits on the state Fish and Game Commission is accused of employing “illegal and unethical practices” by selling alcohol to minors, trying to obtain a concealed carry permit via illegal means and illegally selling alcohol to his friends’ businesses by a man who says the lobbyist, Darius Anderson, fired him from one of his businesses when he pushed back.

Joseph Travaglio, 62, filed a lawsuit last month in Sonoma County Superior Court accusing Anderson of wrongful termination, creating a hostile work environment, age discrimination and defamation after he says Anderson fired him on Jan. 31 from his position as general manager of the Wing & Barrel Ranch, a tony private Sonoma hunting club that offers renowned food and wines. Travaglio said he was fired just weeks before he was due to receive a $28,000 contractually-guaranteed bonus.

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Anderson to the California Fish and Game Commission in January 2024.

Travaglio is seeking unspecified damages above $25,000 in his 26-page complaint, which names Anderson, the hunting club and 30 other unnamed defendants whom Travaglio said he believes are agents of and/or have ownership interests in the hunting club business.

Neither he nor his attorney, Nathan Kingery of Los Angeles, immediately responded to requests for comment.

Representative says allegations are ‘false’

Sam Singer, a well-known Bay Area crisis communications guru, said in a statement on Anderson’s behalf that “each and every one” of Travaglio’s allegations was false.

“Anderson, Kenwood (the ranch’s parent company), and the club will vigorously defend themselves in court,” Singer said.

In addition to owning the ranch, Anderson is managing partner of Sonoma Media Investments, which owns the Press Democrat and a handful of other North Bay publications. He is also founder and chairman of Platinum Advisers, which has advocated for clients like the San Diego F.C. soccer team, the city of Napa, California Association of Port Authorities, Sutter Health, and the California Cannabis Industry Association, according to state and federal lobbying records and previous Bee reporting.

In his suit, Travaglio claimed that Anderson subjected him to a “persistently hostile” and “intolerable” work environment during his nearly-two year tenure at the club, during which the chief executive displayed “erratic, abusive and narcissistic behavior” that made it “impossible” for Travaglio to do his job and caused him “severe emotional distress.”

Anderson hired Travaglio in March 2023 to improve the hunting club’s finances, which Travaglio said in his complaint were “hemorrhaging $600,000 to $900,000 annually.”

Travaglio said his relationship with Anderson “started to shift” last June, when Travaglio claimed he complained to Anderson and the club’s chief operating officer that the club was illegally selling alcohol to minors in “response to member demands.” Travaglio said Anderson dismissed his reports and didn’t take action to ensure the alleged illegal alcohol sales stopped.

That November, Travaglio said Anderson and the club’s sporting activities director instructed him to help Anderson obtain a concealed carry firearms permit by ordering other employees to complete the application and training on Anderson’s behalf in violation of state law. Travaglio said he “refused to participate in this illegal scheme,” which “further alienated [Travaglio] from Mr. Anderson, who resented (his) insistence on legal compliance.”

The following month, in December, Travaglio said he discovered that Anderson was illegally selling alcohol at cost to other friends’ clubs, which is barred under California state liquor laws.

‘Shut out’ of meetings

Travaglio said he reported his concerns to the chief operating officer and “directly warned Anderson that his actions could result” in the hunting club losing its liquor license. Travaglio said he was then shut out from attending business meetings, including a “critical” one with the Bohemian Club, “signaling his growing marginalization within the company.”

On Jan. 30, the day before he was fired, Travaglio said Anderson called him into a meeting with human resources to address two “administrative” issues, which Travaglio said he had already addressed and which he believed were a “pretext” to fire him.

Anderson later allegedly offered Travaglio a $72,000 severance package contingent upon him agreeing not to bring any future claims against Anderson or the club, “further confirming that Defendant was aware of its legal exposure,” according to the lawsuit. At the same time, the lawsuit says, Anderson told members of the club that Travaglio was fired for violating employment law and racial profiling, which Travaglio said defamed him.

The first hearing in the case is scheduled for July 17, according to court records.

Anderson, also a developer, was a prolific Newsom fundraiser who helped lead efforts to redevelop Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay and hosted the wedding of Jason Kinney, a lobbyist and friend of the governor who dined with him at the French Laundry in Napa, which broke pandemic protocols and helped fuel the failed 2021 recall campaign.

He sued the Sacramento King’s top two owners in 2014, accusing them of reneging on a deal to let him invest in the NBA team after he helped broker a deal to keep the Kings from decamping to Seattle. He eventually dropped the suit.

In 2010, Anderson agreed to pay $500,000 in fines for his firm’s role in a New York influence peddling corruption scandal. He admitted to helping a Los Angeles equity firm secure a $50 million investment in New York state’s pension fund, but did not admit any wrongdoing.

____

©2025 The Sacramento Bee. Visit at sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.