I saw this notice on Facebook Monday night but was too busy to post until now. Eric Bauman, former Chair of he California State Democratic Party, has passed away after a long illness. His obituary is below:
Eric Carl (Pinchas) Bauman, 66, of Los Angeles, CA, passed away on June 16, 2025 at UCLA West Valley Medical Center after a prolonged illness. Everyone’s nurse-on-call, Eric was a critical care RN above all. That same sense of caring led Eric to become an accomplished leader in the Democratic Party, serving as the Los Angeles Chair for 17 years as well as Chair of the California Democratic Party. He was a gifted and trusted political advisor to many local, state, and federal elected officials. Eric will be remembered for his ability to bring together groups of people who might otherwise have remained estranged. And, of course, no one can forget the holiday parties at his house in North Hollywood. Eric is survived by his husband and partner of 42 years, Michael Andraychak, his father, Richard Bauman, sister Roya Bauman, Uncle Jon and Aunt Mary Bauman, and cousin Michael Blitz. Eric was also loved by many close friends and family, including BFFs John A Perez, Neal Zaslavsky and Rhona Blaker, Adam & Brenda Seiden and many cousins and nieces. Services will be held at Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, Hollywood Hills, on Thursday, June 19 at 2:30 pm. Donations may be made in Eric’s memory to the Trevor Project.
For a period of time, Bauman was one of the most powerful members of the Democratic Party. He resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct but remained active in politics as a radio show host in the Inland Empire.
From the LA Times:
Bauman grew L.A. County Democratic Party into a political force as chairman from 2000 to 2017 and expanded the number of Democrats winning elections at every level of government, from water boards to the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I turned the L.A. Democratic Party from a $50,000-a-year organization into a $1.5 million-a-year organization,” he told a reporter in 2011.
With a Bronx affect and a gold signet ring on his pinkie finger that he twisted when he was under pressure, Bauman built a reputation as an old-school party boss who would give you the bad news straight. Democrats compared him to Ray Liotta, and some called him the “Godfather of Democratic politics.”
“People come up to me on the street all the time and think I’m Joe Pesci,” he told the Times in 2017. “I try to work with that.”
Bauman ran for state Democratic Party chair in 2017. After a bruising election that exposed the fractures between the progressive and establishment wings of the party, Bauman was elected by a mere 62 votes.
He was the first openly gay and first Jewish person to chair the party.
“I don’t wear a button that says, ‘Look at me, I’m gay,’” Bauman said in a 2009 interview with the UCLA Film and Television Archive. But, he said, “I never fail to recognize my partner from any podium. It is in my bio. It is a part of who I am.”
The high point of his tenure was the 2018 midterm elections, when California Democrats flipped seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and won back a veto-proof supermajority in the state Legislature.
In late 2018, The Times reported that Bauman had made crude sexual comments and had engaged in unwanted touching or physical intimidation in professional settings, citing 10 party staff members and political activists.
Bauman resigned, saying he planned to seek treatment for health issues and alcohol use. The state Democratic Party fired top staffers in the wake of the allegations and eventually paid more than $380,000 to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by three of his accusers. A party spokeswoman did not respond to requests for a statement on Bauman’s death Tuesday.
After his resignation, Bauman disappeared from public life for several years. More recently, he began hosting a radio show called “The UnCommon Sense Democrat” on the Inland Empire’s KCAA-AM 1050.
Bauman was a fan of this blog and we’ve had a number of conversations over the years; I will miss his wit and sense of humor.
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