Media businessman Jason Lee led incumbent Kimberley Warmsley Wednesday in the Stockton City Council race to represent District 6.
The fight for Stockton’s south side council seat between a Hollywood celebrity news mogul and the city’s vice mayor has been surrounded by unanswered questions and controversies.
The Fed restaurant and bar in downtown Stockton was packed Tuesday night with Lee supporters celebrating early election results showing the Hollywood Unlocked CEO with an early lead.
“I’m proud of the fact that I built a really good team,” Lee said.
Of the things he’d do differently, reflecting on the campaign, Lee pointed to the controversy of Stockton Councilmember Michele Padilla’s party in the park this summer.
“I felt that was a moment where I spoke passionately” but that opponents critiqued, Lee said.
The Stockton City Council plans to hold a censure hearing against Padilla next week for using city money on the event, where candidates stumped onstage, including Lee. City money can’t be used for political events.
Warmsley did not host an election results watch party but gave a statement to Stocktonia late Tuesday evening.
She expressed the “deepest gratitude for the opportunity to lead our beautiful district” and said she’s “truly honored” to serve.
“As we await the final vote tally, let us all embrace patience and trust in the power of democracy. Together, we will continue to build a vibrant and thriving community,” Warmsley told Stocktonia. “Thank you once again for your confidence in me.”
Lee’s dive into local politics has been anything but quiet.
He was denied funding for a youth pilot program by the very City Council he’s trying to join. The meeting where the decision was made turned contentious multiple times.
Warmsley was one of five councilmembers to vote against giving Lee the money. A few weeks later, Lee announced his candidacy for the vice mayor’s seat.
In March, Lee won the primary for Stockton City Council’s District 6 by a wide margin in a field of six candidates, taking nearly 42% of the vote. Warmsley came in at a distant second, with just under 31%.
Warmsley was first elected to the Stockton City Council District 6 during the pandemic in 2020 and sworn in with two of her children by her side.
A licensed clinical therapist, Warmsley won the seat by a 35-point margin four years ago over opponent Gloria Allen, a community liaison for the Lodi Unified School District. Mayor Kevin Lincoln named Warmsley as his vice mayor last year.
Lee, who’s full name is Jason Lee Johnson, spent his childhood in Stockton, though he’s since built a career in Southern California.
A self-professed millionaire who has rubbed shoulders with the likes of rapper Kanye West, singer Cardi B and comedian Kevin Hart, Lee has started several foundations and businesses, most notably the news and gossip website Hollywood Unlocked, which has millions of followers.
The Stockton native has followed a path strewn with obstacles, from being raised by a single mother, the victim of senseless violence and minor scrapes with the law to ultimate success in Tinseltown.
But he also has faced a series of lawsuits involving his company’s business practices, questions about whether he really resides in Stockton and charges he’s trying to use his large war chest to influence the election.
Both candidates are also currently under investigation for their finances.
The Fair Political Practices Commission opened investigations into both Warmsley and Lee after a July 8 complaint claimed they failed to share enough income and investment information, complaint receipts from the FPPC show.
It’s unclear how the complaint was made or by whom. The complaint is listed as “commission-initiated,” but that could mean a number of things that will not become clear until the case is resolved, according to the FPPC.
The commission, which does not comment on open investigations, will not say who made the complaint until the case is closed, FPPC spokesman Jay Wierenga told Stocktonia last week.