Mid-morning on Oct. 8, a police officer stopped Ricardo Alejandro Monzon for talking on his mobile phone while driving along Tully Road on San Jose’s East Side. It would have been a routine traffic stop settled with a few-hundred dollar ticket, but the driver’s prior offenses—missed court dates, unpaid fines and a DUI conviction four years prior—resulted in a misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended license.
Monzon, who announced his marriage to county education trustee and state Assembly candidate Darcie Green weeks later, has been ordered back to court Feb. 8 for an arraignment. If convicted, he could end up in jail or sentenced to weekend work while his wife campaigns for the 27th Assembly District seat.
Last week, San Jose Inside uncovered disturbing details about Monzon’s multiple domestic violence convictions and extensive history of battering women, despite recent efforts by him and his wife to portray him as a feminist. The 35-year-old personal trainer has spoken at political forums and sought public attention, projecting a persona that omits mention of his violent past.
On Dec. 11, Green shared a picture of Monzon online to announce that he would take her surname. “I married a tough, strong and proud Latino man from the East Side of San Jose,” she wrote in a Facebook post peppered the hashtags “#WhatGenderRoles,” “#FeministFriday” and “#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike.” “Some might say a man's man. Today my husband changed HIS last name to Green."
In the past week, however, San Jose Inside has reviewed newly available court records with more troubling details about Monzon’s past. By the latest count, he has eight criminal cases to his name, one of which has been expunged. Three are for minor offenses and the rest involve violence against women. At least three of his former partners have filed restraining orders against him, some multiple times and one as recently as 2013. Two women claim to have married him, though Monzon calls Green his second wife.
A petition for a restraining order from Monzon's ex-girlfriend, a police detective, in 2013. (Source: Santa Clara County Superior Court)
Of his five children by three women, Monzon has partial custody of two. Another son, who’s 11, has never met his father because the mother's family wants nothing to do with him. His first two children, who grew up without him or his financial support, wanted to reconnect last year but, according to their mother, were removed from his custody in September by social workers.
Since San Jose Inside’s report, Green has gone on the offensive, calling reports about her husband’s battering of women a “sexist” attack on her public policy work. She acknowledged Monzon’s misconduct but, despite an open criminal case and an ex-girlfriend’s active restraining order, she called it a thing of the past.
In a case file made available last Friday, an account of the early morning of Jan. 14, 2006, states that a woman who identified herself as Monzon’s wife and mother of two of his daughters woke to the sound of her cellphone vibrating. She walked out of the bedroom of her mother’s house, where she was staying to get away from her husband, and saw Monzon sticking his head through a bashed-in hole in the front door.
“You better open this door right now!” Monzon yelled at her, according to the woman. “Either you are gonna die or I’m gonna die!”
The woman told him that she couldn’t find the key, and then ran into the bedroom where her daughter was asleep on the bed. Monzon punched through a glass window of an adjacent bedroom, police said. The baby girl began bawling. The woman’s mother arrived just as Monzon approached the front of the home again.
“Get the fuck out of here!” she reportedly yelled at him.
“I’m sorry,” Monzon replied, according to police. “You know how I am when I’m drunk!”
Monzon was arrested for violating a restraining order, which required him to stay at least 300 feet away from the woman. By then, he had racked up several protective orders and domestic violence convictions dating back to his first marriage in high school.
A statement Monzon wrote for police after an October 1999 arrest. (Source: Santa Clara County Superior Court)
According to police, he would whip his first wife with belts and a gray printer cable until her skin split and welted. Early in their relationship, according to court records, he learned to hide his abuse by helping her apply makeup if she got a black eye. He began relegating his blows to her arms, legs, back and back of her head.
“Cuz I don’t want anyone else to see anything,” he admitted during a police interrogation in 1999. “She’s my wife, you know.”
Statement from Monzon's first wife petitioning to keep full custody of their two children. (Source: Santa Clara County Superior Court)
In the years since, Monzon has gone through multiple batterer intervention programs. This time, he says, he’s a changed man.
“I know that I’ve had a lot of issues with anger and being controlling,” Monzon conceded in an interview last week. “I feel horrible. But I’m 100 percent better now.”
And yet, Monzon continues to run afoul of the law. Since her own car got totaled in a collision last year, Green has shared a vehicle with her husband, who had been driving around to work and campaign events without a license.
On Tuesday, Green called her husband an example of how people can break cycles of violence and atone for past mistakes.
“Rick is addressing his legal issues, including the suspended driver's license,” she said. “For many people in my district, and particularly for Latino males, the financial and societal consequences of one interaction with the justice system can quickly spiral into a cycle of negative interactions with the law that many find difficult to break.”
But Monzon has had far more than one run-in with the law, and the nature of his crimes coupled with Green’s reputation as an outspoken feminist puts her in an unprecedented situation in local politics. San Jose Inside reached out to other candidates in the 27th Assembly District race but they declined to comment.
It seems unlikely that Green, who served as the 2015 president of Democratic Activists for Women Now (DAWN), planned to address her husband’s record, or that she even knew the extent of his abuse.
Several people close to the candidate said their shotgun marriage in Nevada—a month before a staged engagement proposal on a San Jose Summer Jazz Fest stage in August—raised a red flag, as has Monzon’s perpetual presence on the campaign trail, which has made it hard for friends to find a private moment with Green.
In a message sent to members last week, DAWN’s board of directors called San Jose Inside’s article about Monzon’s crimes against women an assault on Green’s reputation by “sensationalizing the issue of domestic violence.”
Source: DAWN
Not everyone in DAWN’s leadership signed off on the rebuttal, however.
Barbara Keegan, who sits on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors, resigned from DAWN’s board last week. Though she gave no reason in her email resignation, sources say it was because the board’s response downplayed the issue of domestic violence.
Other members of DAWN say they will not renew their membership because of how the organization handled the issue. A substantial number of unsubscription requests followed the email DAWN sent out last week, according to one of the group’s board members.
“All of us are on the same page trying to watch out for [Green] as best we can,” a close friend says. “But [Monzon] won’t let us get too close to her anymore.”
” ‘I know that I’ve had a lot of issues with anger and being controlling,” Monzon conceded in an interview last week. “I feel horrible. But I’m 100 percent better now.'” Yet Green’s friends can’t get too close to her anymore, because Monzon won’t let them. He certainly sounds like a changed man. Meanwhile, Green attempts to rationalize and minimize his history of abuse by attributing it to a supposedly racist (I guess) judicial system. I’m sure this mess they’ve created has injected a great deal of stress into their relationship.i wonder if he’s tried to convince her it’s all her fault? Green better be careful.
Why is this news?????
Um because she’s a feminist who works to reduce domestic violence and he’s a wife beater? What part of that don’t you get?
Their relationship is very toxic. He is controlling her, but not letting too many people get close to her. If too many people get close they will try and get her away from him and that is what he does not want. At any rate people can change but it doesn’t look like he has. Actions will always speak louder than words.
“Several people close to the candidate said their shotgun marriage in Nevada—a month before a staged engagement proposal on a San Jose Summer Jazz Fest stage in August—raised a red flag, as has Monzon’s perpetual presence on the campaign trail, which has made it hard for friends to find a private moment with Green.” #mindblown
So…basically, the whole “SJ Jazz Festival proposal” was fake? haha They were already married months before in Nevada? And what about the “Alum Rock Park Wedding”…what was that? a photoshoot? haha I am confused.
I do have to say one thing though…she makes a very good point here:
“Rick is addressing his legal issues, including the suspended driver’s license,” she said. “For many people in my district, and particularly for Latino males, the financial and societal consequences of one interaction with the justice system can quickly spiral into a cycle of negative interactions with the law that many find difficult to break.”
Its just sad that it took all of this for her to FINALLY say something that is legitimate and relevant in her campaign. Like I stated in my first post on the first article. HONESTY is the best policy. People would have respected her so much more. If Rick is truly a “changed man” (although that is kind of still up in the air), this wouldn’t be happening. I am actually starting to feel bad for this whole situation. Its really snowballed into this craziness that could have been avoided by either being HONEST to begin with and making it part of her platform/campaign, or simply keeping Rick out of the limelight and keeping their relationship private.
I pray for all of the people in these families, especially the children and Darcie. I am sure their hearts are heavy right now…hopefully a little bit of humility will be had instead of trivializing the situation, passing the responsibility off and standing by their pride.
Jeez- bunch of low life liars and they want the people to support this BS. We the people do not need any thing she has to offer! Thanks but no Thanks
oh…and one more thing. ;)
I hope Darcie can recover from this. She is definitely passionate about her community, she just has made some mistakes and taken some bad advice, which has landed here where she is. If I were her, I would take a step back and change her plan of attack. Perhaps, she should focus on finishing her term on the education board, kick ass at it, take night classes when her ‘kids” are with their “other” mom, and get a degree of some kind. She needs to prove to everyone in D27 that she can complete a task and do it with integrity and be a bad ass WOMAN while doing it. She needs to give Rick some time to fix his legal issues, prove that he has stopped hitting women for more than a year, and be a model citizen. It was kind of unfair for her to throw him into the limelight before he was really READY. It just was not appropriate, as we are all now seeing.
Once her life and his life is in order…she should try to run again. But this time, she should run on the platform that she can stand behind with real experience.
Education is important and can be achieved at any age!
With hard work, honesty, and humility, anyone can reform their lives if given the chance!
Latinos building themselves from the bottom to the top.
CAN I GET AN AMEN!? haha This could be her real opportunity to make a difference in her community and help people that need it. I don’t wish ill upon her at all. I would love to see a fellow east sider/Comet make it to Sacramento and REALLY have a hand in making a difference.
> If I were her, I would take a step back and change her plan of attack. Perhaps, she should focus on finishing her term on the education board, kick ass at it, take night classes when her ‘kids” are with their “other” mom, and get a degree of some kind. She needs to prove to everyone in D27 that she can complete a task and do it with integrity and be a bad ass WOMAN while doing it. She needs to give Rick some time to fix his legal issues, prove that he has stopped hitting women for more than a year, and be a model citizen.
Or, the people of D27 could simply say to her:
“Thank you for your interest in the job. Your skills do not seem to be a match for our current needs. We do not have an ‘on-the-job training program.
We suggest you take some time off, get a grip on your trainwreck of a life, take some classes, learn something … and, oh yeah, … start at the bottom. Maybe be an intern in the department of parks and playgrounds.
Good luck in your continuing job search.
Buh bye.”
LOL pretty much. “intern in the department of parks and playgrounds”. crackin’ me up on this Thursday morning. ;)
> “Thank you for your interest in the job. Your skills do not seem to be a match for our current needs. We do not have an ‘on-the-job training program…Maybe be an intern in the department of parks and playgrounds.”
lol
Amen to that. To Rick, I’d recommend the straight time option. You’re a tough, strong Latino and should do fine in jail. Weekend work when you have a regular job is a grind 7 days a week and would interfere with controlling the campaign.
As for Darcie, if it’s all right to call Jerry Brown Governor Moonbeam, can we call her Assemblymistress Moonzone?
My thoughts exactly.
As a man who has been the perpetrator of domestic violence and put in the hard work of really working the program after i was arrested, I can tell you that there is no such thing as “100% better”. Anyone who has done the program earnestly will tell you that the work never stops. One of the main points of DV counseling is taking accountability and responsibility for your actions in every aspect of your life (not just romantic relationships) and the fact that he still drives without a license shows he hasn’t taken that step yet. I saw a comment equating the cycle of violence to addiction, and I gotta say it’s pretty spot on. Angry/abusive men don’t stop being angry, we learn how to channel it and defuse it with the tools you get from the DV program. I consider them both friends and I can tell you based on my own history with DV, he isn’t close to being “better”. I worry for Darcie and I hope her family will keep close tabs on this.
Some women like bad boys. I don’t really hold this against Green. Does not mean she is a good candidate otherwise, but this thing is just a sexual attraction thing and I’m not a hater. Move on. Next story …
Hope he’s good in the sack because she’s lost her career over it.
And that’s what I take issue with. I’m a heterosexual male and do not consider myself all that bleeding-heart on social and political issues. But it strikes me this should not be something for her to lose a career over. Just as Bill Clinton getting off in office should not have been (and ultimately was not) something for him to lose a career over. Don’t know much about Green, and if she is not good for the job otherwise, so be it. But I don’t care what goes on in the bedroom for anybody. Not my business.
This has nothing to do with the bedroom, but has everything to do with judgment, intelligence, and intuition. She’s sorely lacking in all three departments and not worthy of public office. Bill Clinton, like him or not, did not choose a “monzon” to have in his personal life– in bed or out of it!
What Career! We don’t need more of this in government !
“…Monzon’s perpetual presence on the campaign trail, which has made it hard for friends to find a private moment with Green.”
The first sign of an abusive individual is that they’re trying to control your actions, who you speak to, limit your privacy, etc. All politics aside here, seriously, Darcie Green, get away from this guy. He’s clearly very experienced at manipulating people into believing, for a time anyway, that he’s changed. This is not a man changed.
Ga-ga-gosh Andy, it’s like we have our very own Hillary Clinton right here in Mayberry.
For Darcie and others – here are FREE local resources in case domestic violence affects you and/or loved ones. There is NO excuse for domestic violence. Protect the kids, even if you hesitate to protect yourself, Darcie.
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/owp/Pages/shelters.aspx
Jenn W.. must have some serious lady wood for Rick or maybe Darcie for that matter. Is there nothing better in the city of San Jose to report on other to write/rewrite and reword multiple times the same story.
Get all your facts, documents, statements and stories in order before you publish the first article.. this isn’t really breaking news anymore as it just seems a personal vendetta.
Rick’s taken and Darcie is not bi.. get over it already.
Darcie is so pretty she ought to be in pictures. Way better looking than J Lo and not all fat like her. Why she’s wasting her life on state Assembly I’ll never know. A year or two in Hollywood and she can buy all the Assemblymen she wants.
Can’t agree with you on the “crush” thing…but I do agree with you on the “personal vendetta” thing. Jenn W, is most definitely out for blood. haha But can you blame her? These two have been building a campaign on lies and fairy tales. When it was finally exposed, rather than just coming clean, Darcie turned around and make statements about Jenn W’s journalistic integrity and calls her a “sexist” and insinuated that she is also “racist”. hmmmm…I don’t blame her one bit for the continuing articles. I too would feel the need to defend my integrity by showing just how twisted all of this is. Can’t blame her one bit. I think this is the end of it now…I think Jenn W has made her point loud and clear.
Wadsworth is getting a little bit of what she supported during the sheriff’s campaign or at the very least condoned through her own actions. Yeah, when you present legitimate concern about something and the subject accuses of you being against women when you’re not… yeah, Jen, kind of irritating to see someone trying to deal that level of BS to discredit you, isn’t it?
Kudos for Jenn….. Honest and professional imagine that !
Here’s breaking news, the people have spoken and she was last in votes next to her endorser Esau Herrera…….hmm
Sounds like Ricardo is on steroids
come on we all know that most candidates are full of it…its nice that someone calls them out for their BS
Too funny…. Either Green is ignorant, stupid, or just doesn’t care and time will tell. Green & Monzone definitely deserve each other. Always enjoy watching career politicians screw up and then have their other career politician friends try to vouch to their questionable integrity. Good luck! What a mess! What a pity!
How Clintonesk!
“Take me in oh tender woman,take me in I’m a snake!”
Is there a pool on when this woman come’s to work all black and blue?
As toxic as their relationship is, I find it troubling that a woman is taking heat for the actions of a man.
Is Monzon a decent guy? At this point I’d find it very hard to believe that he is a 100% changed man when we do not have any other evidence to prove this.
Is Darcie a qualified candidate? Maybe, but certainly her husband should have no impact on her qualifications. If we based qualifications on spouses, a lot of the folks running the land would not be ‘qualified’.
Stay dry this weekend folks. Clear your gutters as well.
She looks sad behind the same in the photo. And why is he always with her? He sounds very very controlling. I would be very afraid if I were Green
I agree, she looks sad in recent photos, not like prior photos of her.
Darcy we have too many people in politics who are just plain dumb.. You qualify as one of those as when you found out about his 5 kids, 3 different women, and NO child support….You should have RUN not walked away let alone get engaged and marry this criminal. I surely will never vote for a woman who portrays herself the way you have. Your intuition, instincts, and intelligence are sorely lacking and not worthy of ANY public office. As for the man you married, he is a low life and a criminal and displays the worst qualities any man could have. I do hope you stay safe and well however and may those normal red flags start flickering in your head. God knows they’ve been there for a very long time—open your eyes.P.S..and if he didn’t tell you all the truths about his life before Darcy, then he is a fraud!!! The negatives keep adding up.
A “strong Latino man from the east side”, if he was he would pay child support and would make an effort to see his kids no matter what!! Sounds like he has serious character flaws and Darcie put herself in this situation which shows her lack of judgement. According to their comments both lack personal responsibility and therefore have lost my vote.
Wow people noticed she seems sad in recent photos are you surprised at all your comments why shouldn’t she be. This is a woman who really wants to do something for her community.
She’s a total loser. Nora Campos needs to move far away from Darcie Green cause Darcie is TOXIC
it’s a mess and now a Latino man jumps in the Race for State Assembly http://blogs.mercurynews.com/internal-affairs/2016/01/14/another-candidate-enters-assembly-race/
> “My platform will be straight forward, yet far reaching,” Herrera said in an email announcement. “Green jobs, ….”
Oh, great.
How many rooftop solar salesmen does East San Jose need?
“By putting another Latino name on the ballot, their goal is to split the Latino vote,” said Green’s campaign consultant Rich Robinson. “It’s not worked in the past and it won’t work this time.”
Hey Rich, there’s nothing wrong with voting for the best candidate. Not everyone, not even every Latina or Latino, votes based on skin color or surname. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend!
Agreed. And by the way Rich Robinson, our republic still allows anyone to run for public office. Not one per race.
> Not one per race.
Brilliant point, Ted.
But, just in case, I am hereby announcing my candidacy for every elected office in the county as the white Irish male candidate just so Rich Robinson can’t run.
So that now makes 3 former/current school board members running, 2 former/current council members running, plus one activist.
Darcie Green has low standards. She married a total loser. Nothing to do with feminism, everything to do with stupidity.
> Darcie Green has low standards. She married a total loser. Nothing to do with feminism, everything to do with stupidity.
Is that you, Mr. Trump?
Get a job at Burger King flipping burgers. We won’t care if your a liar or married to a dead beat dad. Stay out of community government . We don’t need you.
Mr. Pontoon,
Your comments are certainly blunt, pungent and unfortunately often too true. I think the word “stupidity” is a little harsh and a bit inaccurate. Ms. Green has been relatively successful in her professional life so she is not stupid. A better word would have been “oblivious”.
The standard girlfriend/wife Beater is a relatively simple creature to recognize, if one knows what to look for and is not blinded by emotion and therefore oblivious to the warning signs. There is little doubt in my mind that Ms. Green did not initially know that the “winner” she began dating was a loser.
The Beater is often, initially very attentive and charming. Once the Beater has charmed his Victim sufficiently to overcome her emotional wariness, the controlling behavior/process usually starts very subtly and slowly. It is methodical, predictable, and too intricate too explain in detail in a blog comment but here are some of the signs Ms. Green likely ignored.
The Beater usually starts by subtly directing the victim’s mode of dress, social activities, picking (suggesting) her friends, and like a constrictor snake, begins slowly reducing her social circle; slowly isolating her from family and friends who may see the Beater for who and what he truly is. This “constriction” tends to prompt the Victim into becoming more and more emotionally dependent on the Beater. Sometimes the Victim will even interpret a Beater’s display of jealousy not as controlling but as an indication of how much the Beater cares.
Even if the Victim learns that the Beater has some nasty things in his past, the Beater will manipulate and play on the Victim’s emotions to persuade her to believe that his past misdeeds have been exaggerated; that they were someone else’s fault and that he has “changed” because of her. The Victim often wishes to believe that she can be a positive influence on the Beater and “fix” or “rescue” him from his “bad boy” past. Any clever Beater will foster and nurture this belief. The Beater will use his “troubled past” as an excuse for any future aggression against the Victim and the Beater will, of course, promise (falsely) that it won’t happen again.
The Victim will want to believe this so she will ignore the Beater when he raises his voice to her; calls her demeaning names during arguments; grabs her arm or clothing (even if not particularly firmly) during arguments; pushes her; throws objects at her or even just against the wall during arguments, breaks or damages something she values etc. The list of warning signs that are often ignored is almost endless but the Beater will always have some excuse or explanation for why they occurred and why it won’t happen again, and the Victim emotionally wants to believe this. Often the Beater holds the Victim in a sort of emotional “Stockholm Syndrome”, with the Victim sometimes even defending the Beater’s actions to family and friends.
Ms. Green is the victim of a shrewd, cunning, manipulator, whose past also marks him as potentially violent. If the Beater does get physically violent and Ms. Green stays with him or doesn’t report it, then you can call her stupid.
Your point is well taken. “Stupid” was a poor choice of an adjective to describe Darcie Green. I spent the day thinking of a more suitable descriptor for Green but ultimately, could not find a word that captures her (not stupidity)…. her… her… well, as I said, I can’t find a suitable word. Therefore, I must request the flexibility to use multiple words to describe Green.
TOXIC: Most shocking of all, Darcie Green has downplayed the seriousness of domestic violence. She has failed every woman across the globe who has been the victim of an angry man’s fist or belt or cane. This is unforgivable and Darcie Green should shrivel up and disappear from the public’s eye forever.
MANIPULATIVE: Hiding behind “feminism” and “reproductive choice” to justify her folly is highly deceptive and possibly dishonest.
DISHONEST: See previous point.
OPPORTUNIST: Green jumps from position to position. School board here for a week, jump to the next school board position, then the next one, then try for Assembly, and so on.
UNDERACHIEVER: She has not accomplished anything at either of her stints as School Board Member and would be disastrous as an Assemblyperson.
FICKLE: She doesn’t finish what she starts, including college. At best, she’s just average in every way (again, at best).
I would say that as an Assemblyperson, Ms. Green will not represent all constituents, rather, she would represent the interests of the Democratic party and allies, such as labor. We do not need any more votes in the Assembly which are automatically aligned with a political party. Given Ms. Green’s extremely strong ties to the Santa Clara County Dem Central Committee, I do not see any chance that she will represent all constituents in D27. That, to me, is just one more reason not to vote for her.
Darcie Green’s ties are dissolving. Her allies are dumping her like a hot potato. Be her supporter and risk getting tarnished.
In this story it says that he’s going back to court today, 2/8/16. Can someone update us with his arraignment? Thank you
Fantastic. This joker not only hurts his own family, but also endangers MY family and other eastside families with his disregard for the law. Get your house in order, DG.