Morgan Hill Councilmember Yvonne Martínez Beltrán said Mayor Mark Turner physically pushed her — and told her to “get in line” — after pressing him to address federal immigration crackdowns at a tense February meeting. Now city investigators are dismissing her claims.
A June 9 probe — obtained by San José Spotlight — concludes Turner touched Martínez Beltrán at the Feb. 7 meeting, but investigators argued video evidence didn’t suggest he was aggressive.
“The credible evidence presented does not show by a preponderance of the evidence that Turner yelled at, pointed at and pushed Martínez Beltrán, or otherwise engaged in any aggressive conduct towards her,” reads the report by city-contracted Kramer Workplace Investigations.
The encounter happened during a 15-minute recess, after Turner and Martínez Beltrán got into a row over addressing immigration crackdowns at the meeting. Turner wanted to follow the usual agenda-setting process. Martínez Beltrán said that would take months while national ICE raids had grown urgent. The official meeting video doesn’t show the interaction. Investigators were given a 20-second clip from another vantage point, although the report doesn’t expand on who gave it to them.
The clip shows Turner “lifting his right arm slightly” and “appearing to touch” Martínez Beltrán’s left forearm, according to investigators. They said it does not show Turner yelling, scolding or pointing at her, as she allegedly reported to police.
“While the investigator interviewed the council, city manager and city attorney, they failed to contact the many relevant witnesses I identified — witnesses whose names were also provided to the police department,” Martínez Beltrán told San Jose Spotlight. “This deliberate exclusion undermines the credibility of the report and calls into question its intent as well as some incorrect statements.”
In a statement, she said the city hasn’t been transparent with her about its investigation and only let her see the report yesterday. She argued the city kept meetings closed with a manufactured threat of litigation and held an open public meeting during the council recess. She added the city is trying to dismiss the incident as “mere friendly touching.”
“This was not a misunderstanding, it was verbal and physical assault by Mayor Mark Turner — an escalation of his misogynistic behavior, his disregard for those he believes himself entitled to dominate, and his ongoing inability to restrain himself,” Martínez Beltrán said. “His actions are appalling and unacceptable for any city leader.”
Turner said he’s grateful city investigators “completely exonerated” him.
“Over the past five months, I have placed my trust in this process, confident that a careful examination of the facts, witness testimonies and the context surrounding the situation would ultimately reveal the truth,” Turner told San José Spotlight. “Attempts to undermine my character and integrity have not only failed but instead have resulted in significant harm to the trust and cooperation that should define our council.”
Morgan Hill City Attorney Don Larkin did not respond to a request for comment.
Investigators did not label the mayor’s conduct discriminatory or politically motivated. They interviewed seven City Hall witnesses, including City Manager Christina Turner, who sided with the mayor. She said Martínez Beltrán veered away from city procedures while the mayor was cordial and professional. Investigators interviewed three other councilmembers who said they didn’t see pushing, but did hear Martínez Beltrán loudly telling the mayor not to touch her.
The report noted inconsistencies in witness accounts and said some lacked credibility. It also pointed to a deeper conflict between councilmembers beyond the February incident. Martínez Beltrán lost the mayoral race to Turner last year and has clashed with him on hot-button topics.
Martínez Beltrán told investigators she’d worked well with the mayor for about a year and a half, but said things changed after the election. She accused the mayor of interrupting her at meetings and removing her from committees — attributing it to his issues with intelligent women of color. The mayor told investigators Martínez Beltrán was frequently disruptive and violated speaking limits. Though he acknowledged inappropriately handling one heated exchange, and said he later apologized.
Investigators said the mayor’s committee assignments were fairly distributed, with newer councilmembers receiving fewer roles than Martínez Beltrán.
Sean Allen, president of the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley who has been in talks with Martínez Beltrán about the incident, is encouraging more dialogue.
“We must demand change and hold our leaders accountable,” Allen told San José Spotlight.
The mayor said it’s time to turn the page.
“I hope we can now move forward, refocusing our attention on serving the community in a way our residents and businesses deserve,” he said.
Story updated July 10 at 1:58 p.m. Original story published July 10 at 1:40 p.m.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
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