(Associated Press) A California state senator has been told to stop hugging people after an investigation concluded his embraces made multiple female colleagues uncomfortable.
However, the investigation released Thursday found Sen. Bob Hertzberg’s frequent hugs are not intended to be sexual and more often than not are not unwelcome.
Hertzberg, a Democrat from Los Angeles, has earned nicknames such as “Hugsberg” and “Huggy Bear” for greeting men and women alike with giant hugs.
The Senate Rules Committee formally reprimanded him on Tuesday and told him not to hug people anymore, but he will not otherwise face discipline. Specifically, he was not to initiate hugs.
