OCEANSIDE (KGTV) — The executive director of a nonprofit serving people with disabilities says she was shocked to discover alleged text messages between Oceanside city officials that contained derogatory language about people with special needs.
"Absolutely could not believe it," said Tonya Danielly, executive director of the Ivey Ranch Park Association.
Danielly says she felt demoralized after a friend shared a demeaning text message allegedly sent between Oceanside city officials that used an expletive to refer to people with special needs.
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"Somebody in an outward-facing position holds that opinion of populations with disabilities is not okay," Danielly said.
The Ivey Ranch Park Association operates multiple programs supporting disabled people through daycare, summer camps, and horse therapy.
"We are all here to do the right thing by each other. If a city can't do that, how does that filter down to your community?" Danielly said.
According to Danielly, a parent secretly photographed the city planner's phone during a March council meeting, capturing the offensive text. She believes he was texting the city's principal planner. The meeting had many disabled attendees present to support Ivey Ranch's request for approval to expand its ranch house and classroom.
"There were no accommodations for some of our participants with special needs. They had anxiety and physical issue getting down there to speak," Danielly said.
The ranch and classroom expansion project has been stalled for almost two years. Ivey Ranch filed a formal complaint with the city claiming the city attorney's discriminatory opinions led to the delays.
"Now it makes sense when you have this opinion of this population, we're one of those projects you slow walk, it's on the back burner," Danielly said.
Oceanside's city manager disputes this characterization. He sent ABC10News this statement: “The City is in receipt of the complaint filed by Ms. Danielly. We take such complaints very seriously and have initiated steps to promptly and fully investigate this matter. While we cannot comment on personnel investigations, it is important to clarify that the decision to delay consideration of the Ivey Ranch historic permit came from the City Manager’s Office based on concerns raised by the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians and not from the City’s Planning Division as alleged in Ms. Danielly’s complaint."
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