SAN DIEGO — Mayoral candidate Larry Turner is scheduled to appear in court next week to answer allegations that he lacks a necessary qualifications to run for San Diego mayor based on where he lives.
Turner's campaign is now providing more details as to where and when Turner has lived in San Diego.
This lawsuit challenges the eligibility of the San Diego police officer to run for the city's top job, claiming that he does not meet the residency requirement. However, a defiant Turner said he is ready to prove to the courts that he actually lives in the city.
"I've got my lease agreements, my checks, statements from my neighbors," said Turner, speaking to CBS 8 inside the Ocean Beach bungalow he calls home.
Turner also continued to blast the lawsuit he's currently facing, which alleges he is not a San Diego resident and therefore not qualified to run for office.
"This is just a ridiculous attempt to mess with an election," he said, "This is very Trump-ish."
Friday, Turner's campaign released a list of which San Diego communities where Turner says he has lived, dating back to 2015, noting that from 2020 to 2023, he lived near Alpine. The release states that he moved to East Village in downtown San Diego in July of last year, and then Ocean Beach in December.
"This is ridiculous," Turner said. "It is messing with an election, doing this right before the March fifth primary, trying to take people away from understanding that I'm the person to lead this city."
"Election integrity is the thing that protects our democracy," said attorney Bob Ottilie, who spoke to CBS 8 earlier this week, and filed the lawsuit on behalf of San Diegan Michelle VanDiver.
The suit claims that all publicly available information contradicts Turner's claims he is a San Diego resident.
"There is no evidence out there that you did move," Ottilie said. "There's a ton of resources that should show that."
Turner contests that claim
"The evidence that they are talking about is not where my feet are right now," he said. "They are looking at where my library cards says I live, that my driver's license has another address on it. That does not mean that's where you live."
CBS 8 reached out to the San Diego City Clerk, who confirmed that she worked with the Registrar of Voters to verify that Turner was a registered voter of the City of San Diego at least 30 days before his nomination papers were filed.
While it appears it will be left to the courts to decide whether Turner is ultimately qualified to run, Turner said his campaign is continuing forward.
"I am the one who is going to turn this this around," Turner said. "We're going to stop the clown car, we're going to fire the clowns, and we're going to move in a different direction."
Both sides of this case are scheduled to be in court Tuesday morning, which is two weeks before the March 5 primary election.
The statement from Turner's campaign reads in part:
"For the past eight years, Larry Turner, San Diego Police Officer, and Community Relations Officer, has resided most of the time in the City of San Diego. For a brief period, he resided in Bonsall (2016-2017) and spent a short time in an area close to Alpine (2020-2023) to establish a retirement home for his aging in-laws and parents.
• Mira Mesa mid 2015 to late 2016
• Ocean Beach early 2017-2018 • Rolando in mid 2018-2020
• Shelter Island/Point Loma (yacht residence) early 2022 to mid 2023.
Due to Covid concerns, his wife and kids stayed at the Alpine address for their wellbeing.
• East Village – July 2023 through December 2023
• Ocean Beach – December 2023 through now (February 2024)"
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