By Khalida Sarwari
In a resolution sharply critical of Board of Supervisors’ candidate Pierluigi Oliverio, the Santa Clara County Democratic Party questioned his suitability for the office, citing allegations of sexual harassment and verbal abuse against him in a 2014 lawsuit.
The party on Thursday “overwhelmingly voted” to adopt a resolution to censure Oliverio over claims a former employee made against the candidate while he served on the San Jose City Council, said party Chairman Bill James.
“Now some have said this conduct is old news, it’s something that happened years ago,” said James during a news conference at the county building on Friday. “What I’d like to say to that is that I think we are in a moment of reckoning… it is a very important time for our country, because we can’t move forward with respect to gender equity without settling these things that have happened in the past.
Supporters of the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee’s resolution condemning former San Jose City Council member Pierluigi Oliverio’s alleged sexual harassment and verbal abuse while he was a sitting council member, hold a banner during a press conference on May 4, 2018, in front of the Santa Clara County administrative building in San Jose. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
“And I think that in passing this resolution,” continued James, “the Democratic Central Committee is saying to our community that we are with the #Me Too movement, we believe that it’s the moment of reckoning and that we believe in the allegations in this complaint and that the conduct that’s alleged is not OK.”
Oliverio is a member of the committee and attended the meeting where the resolution was adopted.
“Comments made by the members at the meeting last night proved the vote was not about facts or abiding by their own by-laws, but instead about how my voting record did not align with unions positions,” Oliverio said in a statement on Friday.
The party has endorsed Oliverio’s opponents Susan Ellenberg, Dominic Caserta and Don Rocha for the supervisorial race instead.
The conduct in question is outlined in a lawsuit filed by a former female staffer of Oliverio in which she accused him of sexual and verbal harassment. The Democratic Party’s resolution quotes portions of the complaint that says Oliverio used abusive language when addressing the staffer. Oliverio also is alleged to have told her that his mother “was hoping that all hope was not lost for you and I having a baby together.”
The accuser later dropped Oliverio from the lawsuit and settled with the city for $10,000.
Oliverio maintains that the committee is controlled by unions and that their members actively oppose moderate Democrats like San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Council member Chappie Jones and himself. “Apparently there is no room for moderates and (that is) why hard-working middle-class families are leaving the party.”
Party members Judy Pipkin and Prameela Bartholomeusz and Vicki Gemetti, a prosecutor with the district attorney’s office and executive board member of the Government Attorneys Association, also spoke during the press conference. The Government Attorneys Association represents prosecutors, defense attorneys and child support employees in the county.
“Pierluigi Oliverio never has denied the words that were said to the victim,” said Gemetti. “In my line of work as a local prosecutor, that’s what we call an adoptive admission. It’s akin to a confession.”
Vicki Gemetti, an executive board member with the Santa Clara County Government Attorneys Association and a local prosecutor, speaks during a press conference on May 4, 2018, in front of the Santa Clara County administrative building in San Jose. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Continued Gemetti, “The county employs thousands upon thousands of women and we feel strongly that someone who has that type of moral character as Mr. Oliverio is not fit for office and he’s not fit to head up an organization of so many women.”
Questions also were raised about Caserta, who just this week was the subject of allegations of inappropriate conduct. A former campaign staffer came forward to San Jose Inside accusing Caserta of walking around in his living room — one of his campaign gathering points — wearing nothing more than a bath towel.
Shaunn Cartwright, a San Jose resident who introduced herself as a rent control activist, attended Friday’s news conference holding a sign stating: “Now we just need dems/unions to do same with Caserta.”
Cartwright objects to Caserta’s anti-rent control stance, which she believes is in sharp contrast to the ideals of the same labor unions that support him.
“The sexual harassment is like frosting on a bitter, bitter cupcake that residents shouldn’t eat,” she said. “He does not represent democratic ideals and progressive ideals.”
Caserta, who is also a member of the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee, brushed off the allegations about him, but commented on the resolution against Oliverio.
“As a proud endorsed candidate in this race when they take action I take it very seriously, and I think in this era of the #MeToo movement and in this era of sensitivity toward issues that are very important, I take very seriously,” said Caserta, who was not at Thursday’s committee meeting.
Caserta dismissed Ian Crueldad, the staffer who brought forth the allegations publicly against him this week, calling him a “disgruntled ex-contractor” who went to the press only after Caserta refused to pay him more.
“I had other volunteers that complained about Ian,” he said. “To boot, there’s no one in the (San Jose Inside) article that’s willing to go on the record saying I was in a towel anytime.”
James declined to comment on the Caserta allegations.
Link:
Santa Clara County Democratic Party condemns supervisorial candidate Oliverio for past misconduct
