Unions pull endorsements; sheriff calls for office probe; police
investigating sign theft near taqueria
It has been a tumultuous month for the Pat Turturici campaign
leading up to the Nov. 2 election, with three area deputy unions
recently pulling their endorsements, the sheriff hiring an
investigator to examine allegations from employees that the
undersheriff threatened their jobs over the race, and a police
department investigation looking into claims over opposing
candidates’ signs being swapped at an intersection.
Unions pull endorsements; sheriff calls for office probe; police investigating sign theft near taqueria
It has been a tumultuous month for the Pat Turturici campaign leading up to the Nov. 2 election, with three area deputy unions recently pulling their endorsements, the sheriff hiring an investigator to examine allegations from employees that the undersheriff threatened their jobs over the race, and a police department investigation looking into claims over opposing candidates’ signs being swapped at an intersection.
Turturici is facing Watsonville police Lt. Darren Thompson in the race for San Benito County sheriff. He finished the primary as the favorite – while a much higher turnout is expected in the general election – having gained 47 percent of the vote in the primary to Thompson’s 25 percent.
Turturici’s campaign, though, has hit several roadblocks in recent weeks. His campaign fired back this week by sending out a flier alleging the Thompson camp has started a “negative smear campaign” by posting the large billboard on San Juan Road for which no one has publicly taken credit. Thompson, though, has denied any involvement with the billboard. Turturici before sending the flier also called the hiring of a private investigator “dirty politics with three weeks left in the campaign, after 27 years of being in law enforcement with an unblemished record.”
Late last month, he lost the official endorsement from the San Benito County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, whose President Mike Mull cited “integrity” and “ethical” issues as the reason for taking a neutral stance in the race.
Mull noted one example, how Turturici accepted a $750 donation from a known felon, Kenneth Perez, on probation for a drug charge, and said it occurred after the undersheriff during the primary had told deputies, Mull included, to post negative comments on the Free Lance website about former sheriff’s candidate Robert Scattini for taking political contributions from the same resident.
Perez in April 2007 accepted a plea deal on a felony conviction for drug possession while possessing a firearm. Other felony charges dropped by prosecutors at the time included allegations of another drug accusation; receiving or concealing stolen property; and manufacturing, importing or selling illegal weapons, according to court records. He served jail time and received five years of probation.
“I told him, ‘Look, when Robert Scattini was running you had told some deputies you wanted them to put some negative things in there,” Mull said. “He (Turturici) said, ‘No, I never said that.'”
Mull went on: “I was the deputy he told. I wanted him to take an ethical stance. That’s an issue. It does not sit right with us.”
Less than two weeks later, the deputy sheriff’s unions in Santa Clara and Monterey counties said they were withdrawing their support for Turturici. A third organization that collectively represents sheriff and police associations throughout the state, meanwhile, also has announced it withdrew its prior endorsement of Turturici because it had based its support on that of the San Benito County association.
The Santa Clara County DSA then moved to put its official support behind Thompson. Santa Clara County’s DSA President Matthew Dutra noted how the Santa Clara County DSA has members in Hollister, San Juan Bautista and other areas of the county.
“When we decided on Turturici, I would say 100 percent of them came to us and said, ‘Are you guys crazy? Thompson’s the better candidate,'” he recalled.
Following that up, just this week, there were revelations that Sheriff Curtis Hill hired a private investigator to examine allegations from deputies that Turturici harassed employees in relation to the race, sources familiar with the probe confirmed to the Pinnacle. The status of that investigation was unclear as of press time.
The police department also confirmed it was investigating a report from Thompson that his campaign sign was placed next to a dumpster at El Grullense Taqueria – near the intersection of Line Street and San Juan Road – and replaced with a Turturici sign, while a member of the undersheriff’s campaign was the suspect in the case.
In light of all the attention, Turturici’s campaign sent a flier to voters this week alleging Thompson has begun a “negative smear campaign against me and my family.”
“They posted negative campaign billboards that cost thousands of dollars each,” the flier reads. “The people who funded these attacks have refused to disclose who they are – which is illegal and shows a blatant disregard for the law.”
Whoever did post the anti-Turturici sign on San Juan Road entering Hollister would be required by law to file with the state if the cost exceeded $1,000.
Turturici’s campaign manager, Rick Rivas, returned a phone call to the undersheriff regarding the matter. Rivas expanded about the smear campaign allegation.
“He (Thompson) has gone to people’s doors and said negative things. He’s said negative things about the department in public meetings.”
Rivas went on to say Thompson, who has denied any involvement, has not requested that any billboards be taken down.
“Because they work in collaboration with them,” Rivas alleged of the Thompson campaign. “As far as we know, Thompson paid for those signs.”
Asked to elaborate about evidence pointing to Thompson’s involvement, and Rivas responded, “I really appreciate your time.”
He went on, when asked again: “I really appreciate your phone call. If you want to talk about fair reporting, I’ll talk to you.”
Rivas concluded: “Of course there’s evidence. We’re not going to work with a paper that’s unfair or biased.”
