By Robert Haugh
Santa Clara City Councilman and Santa Clara High teacher Dominic Caserta was accused by a former student and campaign worker of making sexual advances on her. She is a 19-year-old exchange student from Germany.
SanJoseInside.com published earlier today an extensive and detailed on-the-record account with the alleged victim.
The story also reports that Caserta has had multiple sexual harassment allegations by other female students filed against him as a high school teacher for the last two decades. According to school records obtained by the site:
“In 2002, Santa Clara police Officer Brian Allen was twice summoned to Santa Clara High in response to allegations that Caserta sexually harassed students. “
The story already has had an impact on Caserta’s County Supervisorial campaign. Here’s what SanJoseInside reports:
“Despite Caserta’s documented history of demeaning women, the candidate holds himself out as a champion of the #MeToo movement. He was endorsed by Bay Area Women’s March co-organizer Jennie Richardson and Michele Dauber, who leads the campaign to recall Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, but the latter rescinded support upon reviewing the allegations on Tuesday morning.
‘These allegations are disturbing and deeply disappointing,’ Dauber tells San Jose Inside. ‘I and the rest of the Recall [Perksy] leadership feel personally betrayed. Our hearts go out to the students and young women who made these allegations … The point of the recall campaign is to say enough is enough. We need to hold these public officials accountable for misbehavior.’
Caserta’s attorney, John Mlnarik, has yet to provide comment.
This is a developing story and we’ll have updates. We’re interested to see what actions the Santa Unified School District and the Santa Clara City Council will take.
What’s next, a football team pressuring high school students? It’s time for the water bottle to step down.
You can say any thing don,t make it true
.
if all this was true he would have been gone a long time ago
despicable
From a female teacher who was completely nuts that was promoted to the District Office to the principal of an elementary school that would repeatedly urinate on a school teacher’s door simply because the teacher was refusing his sexual advances… SCUSD has a history of either looking the other way or actively promoting and protecting those that it favors. And on the flip side treating those that don’t kiss the ring of the “good old boys” by conveniently overlooking them for promotions of giving them bad reviews.
And I’m not even bringing up the examples of gross incompetence, nepotism and corruption at the District Office and with some principals. Or the certain SCUSD Board Members that have been completely nuts. Of course we’ve seen some parents at the SCUSD Board Meetings that could be locked up in a straight jacket for their behavior too!
My only problem with the #MeToo movement is that people do not have an “innocent until proven guilty.”
Yet on the other hand is the culture of fear and intimidation and the “good old boys network” that is allowing
this across the country and in the City of Santa Clara and that Santa Clara Unified School District.
I have heard these allegations of sexual harrassment several years ago with Councilmember Caserta. But was
told that these women did not want to relive it and truly feared Caserta’s anger.
We have all seen the boiling underneath of Caserta as well as the oubursts from Caserta at the City Council Meetings.
Ad well as his smug arrogance knowing that he was untouchable. I always wondered how someone gets so arrogant
and entitled. This is why I think he’s so upset at Mayor Gillmor. I think Caserta feels he should be Mayor of Santa Clara.
The erupting volcano in Hawaii reminds me of Caserta. Both seem to be bubbling under the surface and you can often see
the outbursts building up but not knowing when and where Kilauea are going to burst and create real mayhem, damage and
chaos. Both get hot orange and red too. Just like in Hawaii, some locals are in fear of these volcanoes. But in this case it
does in fact appear that women have been potentially drastically been affected and have lived in fear ever since!
OK, so it’s pretty clear that this joker is a hot-headed serial predator. Fine. He should be removed from the classroom immediately, and withdraw from the county supervisor race. He is what he is. But how can a high school administration and possibly a school district protect a serial predator for a decade and a half? Their primary charge is to protect and educate students, and they knowingly failed. How about a little inquiry into the handling of repeated offender?
Very, very disappointing to see Mohammed Nadeem and the Muslim community supporting Caserta. I thought they had better judgement and morality.
Hi Lexar,
Your statement that the Muslim community supports Caserta couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, before these new revelations I’m not surprised that some individuals who are Muslim supported him (as people of other faiths do/did) but to lump all Muslims as supporting him is unfair and untrue. Also, I’d be shocked if Muslims continue to support him once they learn of these incidents.
If you’ve watched any council meetings you’d have seen that I’ve had more than my fair share of confrontations with Dominic, many of which have been documented on this site.
I’m a proud unapologetic American Muslim and it’s because of my faith that I will always stand up against injustice and against bullies.
Let’s not use labels to divide us, but rather let’s use our diversity to strengthen us in the fight against injustice, hate and bigotry.
Your neighbor and ally,
Hosam Haggag
I don’t fault most of the endorsers. They didn’t know this guy was a scumbag when they endorsed him.
But it’s the people who defended him after the allegations came out that deserve to be tar and feathered with Caserta. Yes, that would be Jeannie “so, so wrong Mahan” and Mike OH (is that O’Halloran?) who posts on this site that these courageous young people are guilty of slander and defamation.
They are part of a coverup that didn’t work. Thank God.
Seriously JR? The only questions should be what type of scumbag he is.
The may also dictate the “what did he do and when did he do it?” type of question.
JR Bean… I qualified my (may 3rd) concerns re slander, libel and defamation; that such scathing, personal and damaging charges require some clear evidence. I don’t believe one person’s “draft letter sent anonymously” and reported by an obscure “social profile” (the Fly) are sufficient basis for the quick hanging you apparently desire. That defense was not a cover up.
Yesterday’s San Jose Inside article presented the follow-up reporting I thought was due reader before any damning headlines. It reported testimonials by different persons wth corroborating claims, as well as revealing (now) public documents. I appreciate, also, that Jennifer Wadsworth took clear responsibility for the report, willing to accept accountability.
Clearly, Dominic needs to respond to these more substantial allegations in some specific manner. I am willing to give him that chance. Certainly, if those charges are true, I would not support his candidacy.
Good for Michele Dauber. Now let’s hear from the other Caserta supporters and apologists:
Patty Mahan
Jeannie Mahan (“so, so wrong”)
Mike O’Halloran
Miles Barber
Mike Honda
Norm Mineta
Elaine Alquist
Jerry Hill
Kansen Chu
Jim Cunneen
Tom Campbell
https://dominiccaserta.com/endorsements/
It was so hard not to tell people what myself and others knew about this. One night at City Council, Caserta was yelling at our Mayor, ” shame on you “. I could not hold back, so I got up and said to him ” Gee Mr. Caserta , is there anything that you have done to make us say to you “, Shame on you? ” He got up an left the Council, saying he had a headache. What does that tell you?
Funny how people that are so supportive of women’s causes are too often the biggest culprits. Anyone seen what’ happening to NY’s Atty Gen? “Eric Schneiderman has raised his profile as a voice against sexual misconduct. Now, after suing Harvey Weinstein, he faces a #MeToo reckoning of his own.”
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/four-women-accuse-new-yorks-attorney-general-of-physical-abuse
Some might ask, how an he not get fired if he was sexually harassing students? Well, teachers unions are well known fo protecting their own. And students are not their own. Recently a union leader in New Jersey was caught on tape admitting to protecting a teacher that had sex with a student.
https://www.projectveritas.com/2018/05/03/nj-valencia/
The job of a union leader is to protect union members and represented them in job hearings. It wouldn’t make any sense for them to advocate for firing one of their members, because they don’t have the power to do so anyway.
This does not explain, however, why the school district didn’t even try to go ahead with disciplinary proceedings. Their cover up is inexcusable.
This might affect his political career. 👍
If true, not fit for public service.
How come the school district didn’t take any action to protect students?
Sadly Santa Clara Unified is rotten to the core . It’s the most TOXIC environment I have ever experienced in my life. It does not surprise me that they have brushed this under the rug for years.