Are you ready for some football? Odds are Heath Flora is.<\/p>\n
The embattled California Republican legislator \u2014 who is the focus of two state ethics investigations<\/a> and was recently ousted as GOP minority leader of the state Assembly<\/a> \u2014 appears to have broken the law by participating in a high-dollar NFL survivor pool run through a Sacramento dive bar, according to interviews and records obtained by the California Post.<\/p>\n Heath Flora took part in an NFL survivor pool that may violate the law. Facebook\/@HeathFloraCA<\/p>\n Club 2 Me in East Sacramento ran the NFL survivor pool.<\/p>\n Emails show Flora was making NFL picks in 2021 from a personal email address but the messages included his title as a state Assemblymember, as well as his work address and phone numbers for his Capitol and district offices.<\/p>\n A former bartender and manager for bar Club 2 Me confirmed that Flora participated in an NFL survivor pool with a $50 buy-in and about 100 people in the pool. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n An NFL survivor pool is a contest where players pick one team to win each week, can\u2019t pick the same team twice, and are eliminated when their pick loses.<\/p>\n The bar manager told The Post that the total payout by the end of the season could climb as high as $5,000.<\/p>\n California law prohibits making or accepting wagers on the outcome of sporting events. <\/p>\n State law provides an exception for certain friendly betting pools, but caps the total value of prizes or winnings at $2,500.<\/p>\n Club 2 Me is a neighborhood favorite in East Sacramento. Instagram\/@club2me_eastsac<\/p>\n Flora is currently the subject of two state ethics investigations Facebook\/@HeathFloraCA<\/p>\n Bryan Sullivan, a partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, told The Post that California law clearly bars elected officials from betting in an official capacity.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia law made it clear in 2021 \u2014 and it remains true today \u2014 that a legislator cannot use the prestige of their office to participate in private gambling activities,\u201d Sullivan said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUsing an official title in an NFL survivor pool was improper then, and it is unequivocally improper now.\u201d<\/p>\n The emails obtained by The Post show Flora\u2019s involvement in the betting pool stretched at least several weeks. On Aug. 9, 2021, Flora emailed the Club 2 Me account asking to be included.<\/p>\n Flora joined an NFL betting pool in 2021, according to interviews and emails. Facebook\/@HeathFloraCA<\/p>\n \u201cJD told me to email you and make sure I\u2019m on your list,\u201d Flora wrote to the bar manager, referencing a well-known state lobbyist, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.<\/p>\n The bar manager replied to Flora: \u201cYou\u2019re officially on the list. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Flora then proceeded to place picks on the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos in successive weeks, according to the emails.<\/p>\n On Sept. 23, 2021, the bar manager responded to Flora\u2019s Broncos pick with the note: \u201cThank Heath. Selection confirmed. Good luck my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Flora used his official work signature when making his picks<\/p>\n A manager for Club 2 Me confirms Flora\u2019s picks.<\/p>\n Flora started placing bets with the bar in September 2021<\/p>\n Although Flora sent the emails from his personal Gmail account, his messages carried a signature identifying him as \u201cAssemblymember 12th district\u201d and his official work contacts. <\/p>\n In 2022, state redistricting changed Flora\u2019s central valley region to the 9th district, covering Amador, Calaveras, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.<\/p>\n Flora did not respond to requests for comment, and his office ignored The Post\u2019s questions about his NFL picks and use of his official title and government contact information in the emails.<\/p>\n Flora was recently ousted as GOP minority leader of the state Assembly. Facebook\/@HeathFloraCA<\/p>\n The revelation adds to mounting scrutiny surrounding Flora, who is already the subject of two investigations by California\u2019s Fair Political Practices Commission.<\/p>\n The Post previously revealed that one investigation stems from an October 2025 complaint involving behested payments, while another involves allegations that Flora misused campaign funds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Flora was ousted from his GOP leadership position a day after The Post published a story documenting the investigations and Flora\u2019s excessive bar tabs, as well as Capitol sources expressing their displeasure with a controversial vote Flora took siding with Democrats to raise taxes in cities and counties across the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n Flora is currently seeking a final two-year term in the Legislature. Facebook\/@HeathFloraCA<\/p>\n The Post also revealed allegations that Flora, a self-proclaimed devout Christian, carried on simultaneous extramarital affairs<\/a> before getting divorced.\u00a0<\/p>\n In late 2025, a bombshell story by the Sacramento Bee<\/a> documented Flora\u2019s first affair with a former lobbyist and noted that he was living in a home outside of his district. <\/p>\n The report also found Flora had not been making child support payments until a court began garnishing his wages from the state Legislature.<\/p>\n Flora, who is currently seeking a final two-year term in the state Assembly, has been flagrant in his campaign spending, running up huge tabs at an East Sac dive bar and frequently expensing golf equipment, trips and tickets to sporting events. <\/p>\n Many of these charges were documented as meetings or fundraisers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Flora\u2019s campaign has charged thousands of dollars in tabs at the dive bar Chargins, just blocks from Club 2 Me. Obtained by the CA Post<\/p>\n Flora was not endorsed in the primary by any of the Republican parties in his district. Public Policy Institute of California<\/p>\n A source previously told The Post that Flora\u2019s campaign treasurer stepped down from overseeing his expenses in early 2024.<\/p>\n Club 2 Me is less than two blocks from Chargins, the bar where Flora has racked up roughly $16,000 in tabs since April 2025 while billing most of the charges to his campaign as meals for district meetings.<\/p>\n Neither of the bars is located in the district Flora represents.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t remember serving him that much,\u201d the Club 2 Me bartender told The Post. \u201cHe was never a problematic drinker to me. But maybe he knew I wasn\u2019t going to put up with any s\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n Flora\u2019s troubles follow a dismal showing in the June primary, when he received just 30.6% of the vote \u2014 the lowest level of support of any incumbent state legislator.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a Republican in a right-leaning district, Flora is still the favorite to advance in the November runoff, but none of the Republican parties in his district endorsed him for the primary election.<\/p>\n Flora\u2019s participation in an NFL betting pool with Club 2 Me came as a shock to the bar\u2019s current owner, Linda Feil, who took control of the bar in February.<\/p>\n \u201cI had no idea,\u201d Feil said. \u201cI have not heard anything about it. I know one thing for certain \u2014 there is no gambling here under my watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding Flora, she added: \u201cI don\u2019t even know the man.\u201d<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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