Turner to candidates: Give away money from tainted firm
City Clerk candidate - and former anti-illegal immigration firebrand - Joseph Turner issued a midnight press release Tuesday calling on all city office candidates to forego contributions from local law firm Gresham, Savage, Nolan & Tilden ...
The firm, which has offices in San Bernardino, has contributed more than $20,000 to City Attorney James F. Penman and 5th Ward Councilman Chas Kelley.
But what has earned this Turner's ire - and this newspaper's scrutiny - is HOW they have supported Penman's campaign: Through free work in prosecuting Penman's opponent Marianne Milligan and Turner.
Penman claimed more than $17,000 of support in that legal work - work that was done free of charge for former Mayor Evlyn Wilcox and to Penman's benefit.
Turner and Milligan were subsequently ordered to strike language from their statements. Turner's unlawfully castigated his opponent. Milligan's misrepresented her career history.
In addition, more than $4,000 more in direct money came to Penman's campaign from the firm or firm partners.
Turner has also reported, and has the public documents to match, that the firm has been paid more than $150,000 for work for the city in the last two years. Penman has said the work was for the city's water department - which has an independent governing board - and that his office will never hire the firm again.
In his release, Turner takes aim at the firm, whose "tentacles" he says, "run deep in this town and voters should be aware of their attempt to influence and dictate local policy."
The firm has not returned at least five calls for comment from this reporter.
Turner also reports in his release: "(The firm) admitted to over 120 counts of laundering money in an attempt to unfairly influence an election in San Diego and along with a co-conspirator paid over $400,000 in fines to avoid criminal prosecution."
Bottom line: This firm went to the mat for Penman. Wilcox, a long time Penman ally, from the beginning was opaque about whether she would pay for the firm's representation. Turned out, surprise, that she did not pay. Penman said he was under no legal obligation to report the work as a campaign contribution, but did because it benefitted his campaign.
Penman responded to scrutiny by vowing not to hire the firm again.
Turner, by the way, calls for Penman and Kelley to donate the gilded firm's money to charity.
This reporter is going to ask them if they'll do just that.
Stay tuned.