Immigrant rights group files complaint against Santa Clarita councilman over 'proud racist' remark

Los Angeles-based immigrant rights advocates announced Tuesday that they have filed formal complaints against a Santa Clarita councilman they say deserves to be censured for violating the city’s code of ethics and conduct by declaring himself “a proud racist.”

The Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition has sent letters to state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley and the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging that Councilman Bob Kellar “breached the public’s trust and has acted in an unethical, racist, xenophobic and biased manner by making public comments scapegoating so-called illegal immigrants.”

The group also alleges that Kellar violated at least eight provisions of Santa Clarita’s ethics and conduct policy, which requires that municipal leaders be “independent, impartial and accountable to the people they serve.”

The complaint further targets the remaining members of the Santa Clarita City Council, who the immigrant rights’ advocates charge violated their “fiduciary duties and responsibilities...by not speaking out and condemning” Kellar’s statements.

The legal complaint stems from a Jan. 16 anti-illegal-immigration rally in Santa Clarita, where Kellar, a veteran councilman and two-time mayor, spoke. In his comments, Kellar referred to a statement by former President Theodore Roosevelt that the United States has a place for only one flag and only one language.

Kellar, a former LAPD officer, said those remarks caused some people to accuse him of being racist, to which he replied that if believing in America causes people to think he's a racist, "then I'm a proud racist."

The councilman has said that he stands by his remarks, which he said were personal and have been misconstrued. He insisted that he abhors racism, and he has received zealous support from many Santa Clarita residents.

But the immigrant rights advocates said that Kellar was introduced as a councilman during the anti-illegal immigration rally, and they quoted from a transcript of Kellar’s remarks in which he spoke about conducting business at City Hall the day before the gathering.

They also accuse Kellar of being a member of the Santa Clarita Valley Independent Minutemen group -- a staunch anti-illegal immigration organization whose members sometimes patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in an attempt to prevent illicit crossings. Kellar has denied being a member of the group, which helped organize the rally at which he spoke.

“He should have explained that he was speaking as an individual and not as a public figure,” said John Fernandez, a member of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition.

“When a duly elected leader promotes divisive speech, that is essentially hate speech,” said Robert Gittelson, another coalition member.

Supporters of Kellar jeered the immigrant rights advocates, chanted the councilman’s name and at one point physically tried to prevent the advocates from briefing the press in front of Santa Clarita City Hall before a scheduled council meeting Tuesday.

“A man voiced his personal opinion; that is not a violation,” shouted Randy Thompson, a Santa Clarita resident since 1967. “Bob Kellar stated that he is against illegals. He supports American laws.”

“Get of my town right now,” one woman screamed from her car. “Who do you think you are? Do you read the papers? Everyone here is behind Bob Kellar.”

Chris Hall, who has lived in Santa Clarita for four years, said he was saddened by the rowdy spectacle between the rival groups. “This is painful for me to watch,” said Hall, who has worked in the city for 15 years. “It’s getting totally out of control. It affects our community.”

Speaking at the council meeting, Kellar said he had been bombarded with calls and e-mails, and had had several conversations with residents who expressed concerns about the affect illegal immigrants were having on the city. He suggested the council include the issue of illegal immigration on a future agenda. Other council members suggested organizing a study session on the matter.

-- Ann M. Simmons in Santa Clarita

Comments

[Randolph]

Luis Lomeli, illegal aliens are NOT immigrants. Illegal aliens are lawbreakers and criminals. We don't need illegal aliens in this country for any reason.

[Randolph]

To Alberto Ramirez: Bob Kellar's comment was taken out of context. If you don't understand that simple fact, then you aren't very smart.

[DeWayne]

If I lived in Santa Clarita I would vote for Bob Kellar. There is a civil war going on south of our border and it is starting to spill over here.

[Ben Waller]

I fail to understand all this "Constitution" being broken blah blah blah...we need to go back to a time when our founding fathers wrote,.blah blah blah! Wake up! THE WORLD HAS CHANGED. We can't go back to a time with America was just starting out. Times have changed and with that change we need to be progressive thinkers. We cannot try to go back in time and implement ideas that had not been tested. The times we live in now need NEW IDEAS!
Forget this "founding fathers" stuff. It doesn't fly now and makes those of you spewing it sound foolish. CAN'T You think of new ideas to help This countries problems NOW! Its easy to say..."oh yeah lets round up all the immigrants and send them back"! The world doesn't work that way....LIVE IN THE HERE AND NOW...Quit wishing for a "time machine" to transport you back to 1776. Advocating hate against any one group can only lead to civil unrest. As for Voting for Chelene Nightingale for governor...she wants to send us back to 1776. She has delusions that the state can just lock up all people she see's unfit. maybe her slogan can be "let them eat cake!" Come on!! WE ARE BANKRUPT...This state needs progressive thinkers To help us out of this mess. Not someone that would send us back to the revolution!! We need to create Jobs, and eliminate an over abundance of Government jobs.
We need to help immigrants get on a path to citizenship....so they will be PROUD TO BE AMERICAN!! Stop blaming and start creating. and btw...when you see trash on the street PICK IT UP! one small step helps us all. Like the many drops of rain that make a lake..you can make a difference...:)

[Imnoju]

Michelle, It's interesting that you feel that Free Speech allows a person to violate one's duty but at the same time does not allow a person to speak in a different language.

[Jeanjeanie]

Imnoju no one said that another language could NOT be spoken, but we are not the United Nations, we are the United States. And what unites a country is have communication is a common language. The disrespect shown by these recent immigrants both legal and illegal is beyond unacceptable. My grandmother who came here as an immigrant told my mother that when ever they were in public, they were to speak English, that is was rude not to. Well there are still enough of us citizens who remember what the old immigrants brought with them and it's called 'RESPECT FOR THIS COUNTRY'. That is sorely lacking because our schools and media have thrown our pride for our country in the trash and replaced it with disapproval and anti-everything American. Ask a young person even a simple civics question, they can't answer and don't care that they can't. No it's not about denying immigrants anything, it's about respecting and feeling gratitude for this country. And asking to learn and speak our common language is a small bit of gratitude to ask for.

[Joe Griffin]

To Mr. Bob Waller are you out of your mind or what. Where have you been the last few years.Who the hell do you think has been running this state.Progressives that is why Ca. is 583 million dollars in dept I guess you knew that.Who do you think is in the White House a progressive President who has spent more money in 20 months than Bush in 8 years.I guess you don't care if you get your wrights stripped from you if that is the case move to china where if they want they will line you up against a wall and put a bullet in your head.To say any of us want to be governed by the U.S. Constitution and what this country was built on has nothing to do with going back in time.If you did your home work you will see that every state that is ran by progressive government is in dept and every time this country has had a progressive leadership taxes go up and people suffer.I guess you knew that.To say any of us who enjoy our constitutional wrights and want to keep them and we spilled our blood in war for this great country.You may like Progressive government because they are soft on illegal immigrants because you are on,Facts illegal immigrants cost tax payers millions of dollars every year.So before you spout your BS do your home work.So how you like that change for you is it working Obama is progressive let's see he said he would not hire any lobbiest but has hired over 30. his wife has over 25 people working for her at your expense more than any first laddie in history....

[Bob Waller]

To Joe Griffin First not that spelling is a big deal or anything :0 but...Wright should be spelled "right" and laddie should be spelled "Lady." whew, with that out of the way, look the world is what it is. We can't wish away the problems with fantasy talk. There are homeless there are immigrants and unless you want to do what Hitler did to those he disliked... you need to have REALISTIC VIEWS about how to deal with these issues. So where to begin, for about a decade WE THE PEOPLE were able to skip along spending money we didn't have...take out equity loans, max out credit cards la de da....merrily we go along...life is great we are RICH!! Freedom just another word for "nothing left to lose", we chant.....(car screach sound) oh oh...the pied pipers don't want to pay back loans anymore!!! WHAT? WE HAVE TO PAY BACK DEBT???
Pish posh....Thats so unamerican.....
fast forward to the mess we are in. Okay folks..IF you can't handle your own financial situations...THE GOV will step in because you have shown your irresponsiblity AND IT AFFECTS us all. Look what the greedy house flippers and real estate people did! Oh, and the mortgage brokers and all the rest...WE THE PEOPLE DID THIS TO US!!! Not Bush, not Obama WE did this....land of the free....we we we!!!
I hope you do understand this. The Government Let us do what we pleased and we acted like drunken fools on payday. We must look to ourselves before we lay blame. But, we don't like to look too closely in the mirror, do we?
The blame game...been around forever. People need to quit complaining and being victims. Hell, look to the "greatest generation" the people who lived through the great depression my parents for one. IT WOULD BE an embarassment for them to whine about things. They had a spine. I have noticed that too many americans want to whine but, don't have any real solutions. I say...clean up your own "backyard." Quit blaming... be an individual.... do your part small as it may be. Hate is based on fear. Examine your own soul. One day at a time...and the future starts with you....Move forward...not backward!! peace