Board candidate endorsement questioned

SAN BERNARDINO: A union is checking claims that Joseph Turner is linked to radical groups.

10:00 PM PDT on Friday, October 20, 2006

By CADONNA PEYTON

The Press-Enterprise

The leadership of the classified employees union for the San Bernardino City Unified School District is looking into claims that one of the candidates endorsed for the Board of Education may be involved in radical groups, officials said Friday.

Last week, Chapter 183 of the California School Employees Association endorsed Teresa Parra, and Rhonda Early, Amanda Jacobs and Joseph Turner.

Steve Holt, 1st vice president-elect and chief job steward, said that since the endorsement, the union has heard numerous concerns regarding Turner's alleged involvement in radical organizations.

"There has been a flood of e-mails involving him and radical groups, and we are looking into it," he said.

Holt said the union has not rescinded its endorsement.

Turner said he is not involved in any radical or racist organizations. As of early Friday afternoon, he had not received any calls from the union regarding the endorsement.

The candidate is the executive director of Save Our State, which he describes as an "aggressive anti-illegal immigration organization."

He led a petition drive for a San Bernardino city ordinance that would have barred public funding of day-laborer centers, and would have required the city to revoke licenses of businesses that employ illegal immigrants, and fine landlords who rent to them. A judge ruled that not enough signatures were collected to place the measure on the ballot.

Turner said he has been open about his position regarding illegal immigration with the public as well as the union.

"The topic was discussed during the (candidate) interview," he said.

Holt said the union membership has been disappointed with the district for some time now, particularly regarding the process of hiring employees.

Members have complained about rampant nepotism and favoritism in the district's hiring process, officials have said.

In response, Holt said, it is clear the members wanted a change in the system and that is why the union endorsed the three newcomers instead of incumbents Antonio Dupré, Lynda Savage and Elsa Valdez.

He said the selection committee endorsed incumbent Parra because she demonstrates fairness.

"Although she doesn't agree with us on all the issues, she has always been willing to meet with us and is open to communication," Holt said.

Last month, the San Bernardino Teachers Association endorsed the four incumbents because they were the best candidates "to keep our school district moving forward and in the right direction," President Linda Whitaker said.

Reach Cadonna Peyton at 909-806-3053 or cpeyton@PE.com

On behalf of President Ken Holt,,



We will be holding an emergency meeting on Monday October 23rd @ 5:00 pm in the Community Room at the Board of Education Building. Regarding School Board Candidates.

If you're cruising the web looking for something to do, point your browser to http://mysite.verizon.net/biztxvft/id1.html and leave a message for the CSEA local. I think Cseachapter183@verizon.net will work, too.

You might want to mention the Southern Poverty Law Center's latest article on Turner at http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=980. The union is looking for Turner's connections to hate groups, so it might be worthwhile to point out that SOS *is* a hate group.

Anyone who is near.....please come to this meeting at 777 N F Street in San Bernardino. We are sick and tired of our city being torn apart by this racist who leaves nothing but destruction in his path. We also need any parents of students in the district to express their concern.

The people at the union need to know what type of person they are endorsing and they need to know that this is a reflection on the union itself. They need to know that this man's SOS group has been officially classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Not to mention that he has been arrested twice for battery. He will be dangerous to our children and our district workers.

Parents, teachers, concerned citizens.....let's defeat this racist.

I think I hear a political funeral dirge coming from east of here. Or is that the sound of protestors at tomorrow's union meeting?

from the San Bernardino Sun:

Union rethinks support

Candidate's views on immigration an issue

Charlotte Hsu, Staff Writer

Article Launched:10/22/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO - A major union is considering withdrawing support from a school board candidate after members expressed concern about the man's immigration views.

Joseph Turner, an anti-illegal-immigration activist, had won the local chapter of the California School Employees Association's endorsement, along with incumbent Teresa Parra and challengers Rhonda Early and Amanda Jacobs.

Other candidates vying for four San Bernardino City Unified School District board seats in the Nov. 7 race are incumbents Antonio Dupre, Lynda Savage and Elsa Valdez and challenger Louise Ayala.

Steven Holt, chief job steward for the employees association, said the decision to revisit the Turner endorsement came after the union received "a flood of e-mails" from members concerned about Turner's views.

Turner has said, if elected, he would work to eliminate the distribution of district materials, including notices for parents, in Spanish.

He also said he would use a school board position to challenge a Supreme Court ruling requiring schools to educate all children in the U.S., including those who are not legal citizens.

Parra told the union last week she would refuse its endorsement if it also supported Turner.

Parra said she believes Turner would not advocate for Latinos and noted that if the district eliminated bilingual programs, workers represented by the employees association - such as translators and Spanish-speaking secretaries - would lose their jobs.

The employees association represents 2,500 classified school workers who aren't required to have a teaching credential.

Turner has said ridding the district of bilingual programs would encourage more parents to learn English,which he sees as a vital step to success in America.

He said his fight is against illegal immigration, not against Latinos, and that he would be in favor of educating students who were citizens even if they were the children of illegal immigrants.

Turner said if the employees association withdrew its endorsement, he would still support employees and push for fair district hiring.

That's why the union endorsed him in the first place, Holt said - the support did not take into account Turner's immigration views, but was based on his desire to advocate on behalf of school workers.

But given the number of members complaining about the Turner endorsement, the union has contacted its regional office to find out what steps it would have to take to pull support from Turner, Holt said.

Although not all union members voted in the initial endorsement proceedings, they could have.

Holt added that it is probably too late for the union to endorse another candidate in Turner's place.

Turner said he was surprised by the union's sudden about- face, since his immigration views are well known in the community.

He said that in a candidate forum the union hosted, he made clear his anti-illegal-immigration stance.

"I don't understand how this could all of a sudden be an issue," Turner said.

When making its endorsements, the employees union cited a desire for change.

Ken Holt, president of the union chapter and brother of Steven Holt, said union members feel the current board does not respect classified employees enough.

He said he receives frequent complaints about unfair hiring and promotions in schools, and that many workers want hiring functions such as recruitment and interviewing transferred to a personnel commission that is separate from the district.

After a months-long dispute with the district over the appointment of a new commissioner, the current Personnel Commission, which ratifies district hiring, finally met last week.

But Ken Holt said a resolution the board passed earlier this month was an insult to classified staff. The resolution would have authorized the school board and superintendent to take over the commission's hiring powers if the commission did not agree to meet.

"It was a slap in the face," the union president said. "We're looking for a change right now."

Another major union in the district, however, the San Bernardino Teachers Association, has endorsed all four incumbents.

Linda Whitaker, president of the teachers' association, said the board has worked well with teachers in recent years.

She said members on the board have experience and are familiar with the district.

"Those four incumbents are helping us make moves in the right direction," she said.

http://www.sbsun.com/ci_4531541

I'm not sure what the author means by using the word "closet." When someone's photographed like this, I don't think there's anything "in the closet" about what the person stands for, is there?

> Turner said he is not involved in

> any radical or racist organizations.

He just gets photographed standing in groups of people accidentally holding and waving Nazi and Confederate flags? Is that his excuse? He was suddenly and mysteriously surrounded by white supremacist neo-Nazis and he had nothing to do with it some how?

Yeah. Happens to other innocent people every day, huh, Joe?

joe tuner's opponent must have really sucked

Please! What else would a fucking POLITICIAN say?

The problem is not that a few politicians get popped off now and then

The problem is that more of them DO NOT!

Turner was unendorsed by the California School Employees Union today. We will run him out of town for once and for all.

He is now starting to write letters to the San Bernardino Sun, in the names of other people (blacks and hispanics), saying what an upstanding "non-racist" he is. This is the sound of me laughing my ass off.

Please write letters to the Voice of the People at voice@sbsun.com letting them know what a horrible, hateful person he is if anyone has any free time. He had three letters printed today about what an upstanding guy he is. So please send your letters if you have any free time.

> Please! What else would a fucking POLITICIAN say?

Turner and his ilk couldn't be considered "politicians," as such. They may hold and advocate white supremacist political viewpoints, but these types don't approach the level of a David Duke.

Joseph Turner came to town

All a-demogoguin'

Stuck an ord'nance in his hat

And called it pedagogin'.

Joey Turner give it up,

Joey Turner Dandy

Mind the Nazis and goose step

--Tar 'n feathers would come in handy!

Let's move this conversation back to http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/10/182264.php .

That thread is rating as high as Turner's website on Google. We should try to keep it alive until the election so every voter who googles "Joseph Turner school board" comes across it.

This thread is ranking as high as Joseph Turner's website on google for "joseph turner school board" and "Joseph Turner board of education." Let's try to keep the ranking up there through November 7 so every voter who googles Turner finds it.