THE MORGAN HILL CITY COUNCIL took action against one of its own on Wednesday, formally censuring Councilmember Yvonne Martinez Beltrán in a move that divided residents.
The council voted 4-1, with Martinez Beltrán as the lone dissenter, to adopt the resolution to censure the councilmember citing incidents of harassment, rudeness, intimidation and discrimination. She will remain on the council in her regular capacity, but the censure also triggered a subsequent move by Mayor Mark Turner to remove her from all seven outside committee assignments.
The censure is the first in Morgan Hill in nearly three decades, when Councilmember Bev Freeman was disciplined in 1998 for using a racial slur.
Outside counsel was brought in to review the case and relayed its findings Wednesday, noting Martinez Beltrán has been accused by other councilmembers, including Miriam Vega and Soraida Iwanaga, of being unprofessional, getting in their faces and yelling. Both have claimed Martinez Beltrán confronted them separately as recently as June 3.
Additionally, Martinez Beltrán alleged Turner, who she reportedly called racist and sexist, pushed her in the stomach in February 2025. Police deemed her story was inconsistent with other parties and had video evidence. Based on the information, the outside counsel recommended approving the censure.
Turner said with unprofessional behavior happening for more than a year, something had to give.
“She has been badgering, belittling and intimidating people for years, not just on the council, but on staff and the community,” Turner told San José Spotlight. “It was a difficult decision, but the right decision and hopefully going forward Councilmember Martinez Beltrán will consider the consequences of her actions before she acts.”
Disagreements turn disagreeable
In the aftermath of Martinez Beltrán’s claims against Turner, the council last August voted along the same lines — 4-1 with Martinez Beltrán the lone dissenter — to remove her from her mayor pro tem post and elevate Councilmember Marilyn Librers to the position.
Iwanaga said there is a clear line between challenging an idea and a personal attack. She said councilmembers can question decisions, demand accountability and disagree passionately without degrading someone’s character or attempting to silence them.
“We agreed not only to the standards of behavior, but also to the consequences when those standards were violated,” Iwanaga told San José Spotlight. “We did not create a new standard or punish someone simply for political reasons or disagreeing, we enforced the commitment we had already made to one another and to our community.”
“We did not create a new standard or punish someone simply for political reasons or disagreeing, we enforced the commitment we had already made to one another and to our community.”
Councilmember Soraida Iwanaga
Martinez Beltrán, who is seeking reelection to the city council Nov. 3 in District B, broke down in tears at the meeting. She said she had tried to build better rapport with the councilmembers after she was caught off guard once the censure item was made public on the city agenda.
“This is political maneuvering three weeks before ballots drop,” Martinez Beltrán told San José Spotlight. “They knew I just had a successful kickoff this Sunday with amazing speakers endorsing me. That’s the problem, I guess I’m campaigning too well.”
‘Stop the circus acts’
While the dais was one-sided in favor of the censure, residents who attended the meeting were split on what the council should do.
Resident Chris Robell was in favor of the council’s decision and said the issue was not about policy views, but with misconduct and behavior. A year ago, Morgan Hill councilmembers agreed to a code of civility holding them accountable for certain standards of behavior, with consequences to come from those who violate the standards.
“You already know you’re on thin ice, and to not be belt-suspenders careful is alarming,” Robell told San José Spotlight. “Our community has enough serious problems and we need to focus on those and stop the circus acts that cost everyone a lot of money and time.”
Resident Zain Yahya agrees with Robell that this is a waste of taxpayer money and time, but is aligned with Martinez Beltrán in thinking this is something along the lines of personal drama with the councilmembers.
“Bickering over personal differences led to this flawed decision,” Yahya told San José Spotlight. “These elected officials should be focused on keeping the character of our city and protecting our immigrant communities.”
Martinez Beltrán said the censure vote was held from June despite two subsequent meetings that took place after she was issued a memo about it. She said it was brought to the agenda only after the election nomination period closed in August, and Turner and Librers have strong challengers this election cycle.
Turner is seeking reelection in the mayoral race, with Kristopher Clayton and Deborah Africa challenging him. Librers is the incumbent in District D running against Dolores Alvarado. Martinez Beltrán is looking to retain her District B seat, with Steven Hayes challenging her.
“With my campaign so strong, if I win my seat again it will no longer be a 4-1 vote,” Martinez Beltrán said. “If I win and (the challengers) win, council majority changes overnight. That’s a lot at stake. It’s a political hack job.”
Contact Giovanni Albanese Jr. at [email protected].
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.