Gastelum censured, but won’t resign

Elected officials and human rights organizations have demanded the resignation of embattled Otay Water District Director Hector Gastelum following a series of racist tweets disparaging Muslims. Southwestern College Trustees voted to censure Gastelum, as did the Chula Vista City Council and the Otay Water Board. A censure is a stern expression of disapproval from an elected body.

Now a coalition of political activists is laying the groundwork for a recall of Gastelum, according to ASO Vice President of Public Relations Nada Dibas.  Fayaz Nawabi of the Council on American-Islamic Relations confirmed that South County political and civil rights organizations are joining forces to raise the necessary funds to collect signatures for a recall measure. Dibas said the committee to recall Gastelum will need to gather signatures of at least 5 percent of the voters who cast ballots in the 2014 gubernatorial election.  She said the goal is to have a special election this November to recall Gastelum.

Gastelum created a firestorm of controversy when he published a series of anti-Muslim tweets and Facebook posts. He called Muslims “#SubHumanMonsters” as well as rapists, murderers and pedophiles.

“Let’s pressure OUR Legislators to increase list of so-called #MuslimBan to prevent #SubHuman #Scum from #USA to #MAGA,” wrote Gastelum on Twitter.

His Facebook posts included pro-Trump messages and support for President Trump’s executive order banning Muslims from seven countries from entering the United States. Gastelum also wrote a number of anti-Muslim posts.

“I’m trying to think of a different way, but what do you call people that treat women like second hand citizens, stone them to death, honor killings, etc, throw homosexuals from the roof,” he wrote on Facebook. “It is not hateful, it is the reality of how Islamic men are raised and they are not compatible with civil society.”

Southwestern College ASO President Mona Dibas, an American Muslim, was the first person to publically criticize Gastelum for his statements.  She led a group of about 30 protesters to the April Otay Water Board meeting where she called for Gastelum to resign. 

Public condemnation from elected officials followed in short order.  The Southwestern College Governing Board voted 5-0 to censure Gastelum and demanded his resignation.  Chula Vista City Council members voted 4-1 to censure Gastelum.  Among those voting for censure was John McCann, Gastelum’s former boss.  Gastelum worked for McCann as a council aide from March 2015 through November 2016.

McCann, a U.S. Navy reserve officer, said he worked and fought alongside “many honorable Muslims” in Iraq, and condemned Gastelum’s attacks against Muslims and the Islamic faith.   Republican councilman Mike Diaz opposed the item and insisted his follow Republican Gastelum has the right to free speech.  He denounced the other councilmembers as “political police.” Gastelum said Diaz was “courageous” for supporting him and his right to denounce Muslims.

Gastelum’s own Otay Water Board also voted 4-1 to censure him.  Gastelum was the lone no vote.  Unable to fire an elected official, the other board members, nevertheless, took punitive action that was within their scope of authority, including removing Gastelum from all water board subcommittees.

In an interview with The Sun, Gastelum said he is unrepentant and doubled down on his anti-Muslim remarks.  He taunted his fellow Otay Water Board Directors for removing him from committees, saying that he would not have to work as hard.

“When I’m in the committee, we get a presentation, then during the water board meeting they make another presentation,” he said. “It makes things more efficient for me because I will get one presentation instead of two.”

Censure, he said, will give him more time to focus on saving money for rate-payers.

“When life gives you lemons, you save the ratepayers,” he said. “The voters wisely chose me to represent them at Otay Water and I will return the loyalty to them by representing what they believe in.”