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A lawsuit brought forward by a filmmaker and activist is making waves in national and local news this month with its allegations that Tri-Valley congressman and gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell does not live in the state — with Swalwell and his campaign firing back at the claim.
The case was filed in Sacramento County Superior Court on Jan. 8 by Joel Gilbert, alleging that Swalwell does not reside in California based on the use of his attorney’s address in paperwork for his gubernatorial campaign and property records indicating he owns a residence in Washington D.C.
Gilbert alleges that there are no public records of Swalwell owning – or having ever owned – or leased property in California.
“Swalwell’s declared principal residence in Washington, D.C.,coupled with his absence of any California residence, defeats California domicile,” Gilbert wrote in the filing.
Swalwell fired back on social media Jan. 18, saying that the lawsuit “made me laugh” and adding, “See you in court, Joel!”
“Like all congressmen from CA, I live in CA and DC,” Swalwell said on Facebook. “This MAGA idiot also tried to smear the Obamas, Al Gore, and Elvis! They ignored him. But I’ll beat him in court.”
Swalwell concluded by saying that he hoped Gilbert has made some money from his “fantastic filmography”.
Gilbert kicked off his film career with a 2004 documentary about Bob Dylan, followed by the films “Paul McCartney is Really Dead”, “Elvis Found Alive”, “Dreams from my Real Father” and “The Trayvon Hoax” — the latter of which was adapted from a book of the same title by Gilbert.
Swalwell, a Dublin High School graduate, began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and his political career on the Dublin City Council in 2010 before being elected to Congress in 2012.
Since then, the current House representative has garnered national and local attention for his outspoken critiques both publicly and his capacity in Congress against both the first and second Donald Trump administrations, as well as his highly publicized connection to a former campaign volunteer who was later found to be a Chinese spy. A probe by the House Ethics Committee found no wrongdoing by Swalwell.
Swalwell is among the candidates competing to succeed termed-out Gavin Newsom as governor of California, with a list of about 10 notable Democrats and Republicans fighting to gain traction ahead of the June 2 primary. The top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the general election in November.
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