The Stockton City Council voted to remove Jason Lee as vice mayor and from the city's Audit Committee, escalating a dispute over his leadership role amid ongoing tensions at city hall.
The council voted 4-2 to remove Lee as vice mayor. Lee did not vote on that measure.
A separate vote removed Lee from the Audit Committee by a 6-1 margin, with Lee casting the only opposing vote.
Before the vice mayor vote, a substitute motion that would have allowed Lee to resign from the position instead was considered. Lee supported the motion, but it failed in a 4-3 vote.
The decisions come amid months of friction between Lee, Mayor Christina Fugazi and other council members over leadership, committee assignments and the conduct of city business.
During the discussion, Lee questioned why council members were seeking to change his committee assignments and remove his vice mayor title. Fugazi said the changes were within her authority and emphasized that the decision was not personal.
Lee also questioned whether the city had the legal authority to remove him from the vice mayor position.
Ahead of the meeting, Lee released the following statement: "The Council unanimously ratified my appointment as Vice Mayor through December 31, 2026, as the City Charter provides. The City's own staff report acknowledges that its reconsideration procedures do not, on their own, authorize removing a sitting Vice Mayor.
Before the Council acts, I'm asking the City Attorney to identify in writing the legal authority for these items. It's a simple question, and residents deserve a clear answer.
With less than three months left in this term, our time is better spent implementing the Civil Grand Jury's recommendations and cooperating fully with the State Controller's audit. My commitment to District 6 has never depended on a title, and I'll keep doing the work."
The dispute follows a series of controversies involving Lee, including clashes with local leaders and law enforcement over records handling, heated exchanges with the mayor and other council members, and scrutiny over city payments for a comedy show featuring Lee.
He has also accused the city of silencing him after he was blocked from attending meetings remotely.
Councilmember Michelle Padilla called the vice mayor agenda item a "charade" and criticized the actions as bullying.
"I am sick of being bullied, and the employees and the departments of Stockton are sick of being bullied as well," she said.
The council's internal conflicts have also drawn scrutiny from a civil grand jury, which criticized the body over infighting, treatment of staff and allowing political disputes to interfere with city business.
In recent weeks, the city largely agreed with findings that public feuds among council members erode public trust and distract from the council's responsibilities.
The votes remove Lee from the vice mayor role and the Audit Committee. The votes did not affect his status as a member of the Stockton City Council.
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