Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi abruptly ended Tuesday’s brouhaha of a City Council meeting following a confrontational exchange between a councilmember and the public.
The moment was just a nightcap on an evening that saw accusations and infighting abound across the dais.
Around 10 p.m., Councilmember Michele Padilla was in the middle of her council comments, a moment at the end of meetings reserved for each member to talk about whatever they like, when she suddenly stopped to chastise a member of the audience for laughing.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing because this is serious to me. This is very serious,” Padilla said to someone in the audience, stopping mid-sentence. “Don’t act like you’re not laughing.”
The public in attendance at the meeting started to criticize and jeer Padilla as Fugazi wrapped her gavel and called for order. Instead of quieting, however, audience members pushed back and openly argued with the mayor, questioning why she didn’t address what they viewed as Padilla’s lack of decorum, something the mayor had advocated for on both sides of the dais earlier in the meeting.
“All y’all can go outside, how about that?” Fugazi said to the audience as people continued to talk over her. “We’ll just adjourn the meeting. How about that?”
“Adjourn it,” several people in the crowd said defiantly before Fugazi called for a motion on just that. Fugazi and Councilmembers Padilla, Mariela Ponce and Brando Villapudua then all voted to end the meeting.
Tensions were already running high, with three possible investigations into council and City Hall operations on the agenda, as well as calls for other possible investigations in the coming weeks.
One of the investigations that was approved focuses on the use of public funds to prop up a comedy event earlier this year that featured an appearance by Vice Mayor Jason Lee.
The city tapped its Risk Mitigation Fund for $50,000 in order help with low tickets sales for the Wild ‘N Out Live show at Stockton’s Adventist Health Arena on May 24. The “epic night of comedy, music, and wild freestyle battles,” as the performance was marketed, was the live version offshoot of a long-running MTV sketch comedy and rap show. Lee, a recurring cast member, was billed as one of the live performers.
Both Lee and the event’s promoter have said the vice mayor did not profit from the event or ask for payment for his participation. Lee also says that approval of the funds followed typical city protocol and that he was not involved in the process.
However, Lee said during council comments that he didn’t view the night as a negative experience.
“I want to thank the City Council for voting the way that it did, that we wanted to investigate everything,” he said, emphasizing that accountability is a value that all councilmembers should support. “And I am for that.”