Total exoneration: Wild accusations against Morgan Hill mayor tossed by City report
It's a sign of the times, but we've all gotten used to local left-wing politicians and advocates making inaccurate race/sex-baiting charges against moderate politicians. Case in point: A political opponent floated some typically wacky accusations at Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner, but this time, an independent Personnel Investigation for the City of Morgan Hill concluded they don't hold water. Excerpts from the formal city report, below.
The allegations against Turner are not sustained. The credible evidence presented fails to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that Turner did not assign Martínez Beltrán to the committees to which she wanted to be assigned because she ran against him in November 2024.
Additionally, the preponderance of credible evidence fails to demonstrate that the decision was based on Martínez Beltrán’s race and/or gender.
Likewise, the credible evidence presented establishes that more likely than not, Turner did not yell at or push Martínez Beltrán during the special Council meeting held on February 7, 2025. It is undisputed that Turner touched Martínez Beltrán, but the credible evidence presented fails to establish that Turner’s contact with her was aggressive or that it was motivated by Martínez Beltrán’s gender, race, and/or her running against him in the November 2024 election.
Undermining Martínez Beltrán’s credibility is that her description of what occurred during her interview with the undersigned is inconsistent with what she reported to the police.
Martínez Beltrán’s claim that she was somehow mistreated by Turner based on his recommendations is undermined by the fact that she was given the opportunity to provide C. Turner with a list of her preferred committee assignments but failed to do so.
Martínez Beltrán claims that she was removed from multiple committee assignments, evidencing that Turner has animus against her. What she fails to recognize is that the City Council has five members, two of whom were new to the City Council and expressed an interest in serving on committees.
These numbers undermine Martínez Beltrán’s claim that she was subjected to
disparate treatment compared to her colleagues on the City Council, or that Turner harbored any animus against her based on her race, gender, and/or the fact that she ran against him for Mayor.
Martínez Beltrán’s claim that during the February 7, 2025, meeting, Turner pushed her is not corroborated by the credible evidence presented, specifically the 20-second video provided to the undersigned.
Additionally, none of the witnesses interviewed observed Turner push Martínez Beltrán.
It is undisputed that during the February 7, 2025 City Council goal-setting meeting, during a break, Turner touched Martínez Beltrán. Turner admitted to engaging in this conduct, and the video confirms there was some sort of contact between them. What Turner credibly denied doing, and what is not depicted on the video, was pushing Martínez Beltrán. The video also does not show Turner yelling at Martínez Beltrán or “scolding her like a child,” as she reported to the police. Further, the video does not depict Turner pointing his finger at Martínez Beltrán.
Read the whole Merc story here.
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