Harry Black spent nearly five years as Stockton’s city manager.
Under his watch, Stockton faced a global pandemic, entered a new era of potential economic growth following its 2012 bankruptcy and has remained fiscally healthy.
The Stockton City Council has also long outwardly portrayed a satisfaction with Black’s work. Following a positive performance review last summer, Black’s contract was renewed for another four years and he received a pay increase for the second time during his tenure.
But Black’s tenure also endured a string of criticisms, sometimes instigated by an influential social media site, sometimes voiced by councilmembers. At least thrice, the previous council likely held closed-door meetings about the city manager’s job, with one preceded by a highly unusual public allegation and another followed by one councilmember seeking a restraining order. Through it all, Black remained firmly in his job.
That all changed last week.
Four new representatives officially took their seats on the council dais last Tuesday, including a new mayor, signifying a changing of the guard on the seven-member governing board following the 2024 election. Two days later Black resigned from his post under threat of firing.
So what happened?
Black’s sudden resignation
Taking up the issue of the city manager’s employment marked the first big-ticket item the council has tackled since its new members took office Jan. 1.
New Mayor Christina Fugazi, who succeeded former Mayor Kevin Lincoln, took her oath last week alongside freshmen councilmembers Mariela Ponce, Mario Enríquez and Vice Mayor Jason Lee. They joined returning councilors Brando Villapudua, Michael Blower and Michele Padilla on the dais for the first time that Tuesday.
The city then announced Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the council’s swearing-in ceremony, there would be a special closed session the following day. Just three items of business were listed on the agenda, including the “discipline/dismissal release” of an unnamed public employee to be followed directly by the appointment of another public employee — the “City Manager.”
The third item on the agenda was described as a discussion with the city attorney surrounding “anticipated litigation.”
After three hours of closed-door discussions, the city clerk announced the council had unanimously accepted Black’s resignation in lieu of a “no-cause” termination, with both parties agreeing not to disparage each other.
Deputy City Manager Will Crew was also unanimously appointed to step in temporarily for Black. Black’s official last day will be Feb. 28, though he will be on paid leave until then.
The council gave no reason as to why Black must leave. The mayor and councilmembers also declined or did not respond to requests for comment immediately after the meeting, though the city sent out a short press release later that night announcing the change.
“We thank Harry Black for his service to our city, our community and to our residents,” new Mayor Fugazi said in the news release following Thursday’s meeting. “We wish Harry the very best in all his future endeavors.”
What councilmembers have said about Black
None of the new councilmembers ran on an election platform that explicitly said Black could be out of a job if they were elected. And the only councilmember who did not vote last summer to extend Black’s contract was Michele Padilla.
Public comments made over the years by Fugazi, who served on the council when Black was originally hired in 2020 by a unanimous vote, indicate that she has not always been happy with his performance.
Fugazi was one of two councilmembers to vote against a pay and benefits increase for Black in 2022, according to The Record, saying it wasn’t the right time, citing staffing issues with the city as a more pressing issue. Fugazi served on Stockton City Council from 2015 to 2022.
She also spoke out against Black during public comment at a City Council meeting in October 2023 after Councilmember Michele Padilla publicly accused him of making inappropriate comments and creating a hostile work environment.
The Record reported that Fugazi said she was speaking on behalf of “the 1,400 public employees in the city of Stockton who may have faced … intimidation, bullying, a work environment that may be hostile.”
However, there were times when Fugazi expressed her support for the work Black has done.
During a public forum hosted by Stocktonia in February, Fugazi said there were areas where Black has succeeded.
“He is very strong in his performance in data analytics. He is very strong in meeting with community members and building and fostering those relationships,” Fugazi said. “Which isn’t something we’ve had before.”
Padilla has also both publicly criticized and commended Black.
“He has put the city in a fantastic financial position,” Padilla told Stocktonia Wednesday evening.
Councilmembers Villapudua and Blower have generally supported Black throughout their tenure on the council. Both are halfway through their first terms.
Black has done “excellent” work in Stockton, Villapudua told Stocktonia Wednesday when asked what he thought about his performance as city manager, including introducing transformative services and standards to the city.
“As a forward thinker, he has done an exceptional job of overseeing our community,” Villapudua said. “It would be a loss to let this vision slip away. I think Stockton deserves better.”
It’s unclear if Ponce and Enríquez have commented publicly about Black’s job performance.
Vice Mayor Lee declined Stocktonia’s request for comment Wednesday evening and did not respond to the requests for comment after the council meeting Thursday night.
In March, The Record reported that Lee criticized Black on the campaign trail.
“The city manager ran the city into the ground,” Lee told voters at a candidates’ forum according to The Record.
Black’s employment questioned previously
Black’s tenure with the city was marked by both successes and controversies. And this was not the first time Black found himself in a possibly precarious employment situation.
In October 2023, two council meetings included closed-session discussions of the “discipline/dismissal/release” of a public employee listed as the “City Manager.” It’s unclear what the council discussed about Black’s employment as no action came from these meetings.
Councilmember Padilla had publicly released a letter accusing Black of inappropriate behavior toward herself and other City Hall workers.
In a two-page statement, Padilla alleged Black had created a working environment with a “prevalence of bullying, hostility and retaliation,” though she did not go into specifics. She also noted an incident in which Black allegedly used “disparaging and vulgar” language while describing a California Water Service female employee. California Water Service is a private utility company that serves many of the city’s water customers.
“The severity of this issue has led me to the difficult decision of no longer engaging in private meetings with the city manager,” Padilla wrote. She also criticized her fellow councilmembers for “refusing to stand up and put a stop to” what she saw as “the pattern of continued unprofessional behavior by Harry Black.”
California Water Service did release a statement t the time saying its employee had not authorized anyone to comment on her behalf and the matter had already been settled in April of that year. The correspondence from CalWater did not specifically name a city employee.
Black received considerable public support from both citizens and community leaders during an October meeting following the letter’s release.
Current and former councilmembers also criticized Padilla at the time for her handling of the matter, including the use of city letterhead to release the statement. Using official city letterhead for personal use or to give opinions separate from the rest of the council is considered against the standards of the League of California Cities, though there was no council policy at the time forbidding it.
The meetings addressing Black’s employment occurred Oct. 17 and Oct. 24. No action was taken against Black during either, prohibiting council members from public discussions on the matter.
Padilla released her letter on Oct. 23.
Several months earlier, councilmembers also deliberated the firing of Black during a closed-session meeting, according to later allegations made by one member. Possible discussions of Black’s employment only became public two weeks after the meeting when Councilmember Villapudua filed a harassment restraining order against 209 Times owner Motecuzoma Sanchez.
Villapudua said Sanchez harassed him for not supporting Black’s firing at the March 1 meeting. He also accused some fellow councilmembers, including then-Mayor Kevin Lincoln, of violating California open meeting laws by allegedly discussing closed-session business with Sanchez.
State law, known as the Brown Act, generally prohibits councilmembers from talking about what happens during closed session when no action has been taken.
Villapudua alleged in court documents that Sanchez verbally harassed him at a local restaurant following the meeting in question and showing up at his son’s school at a later date.
Though Villapudua’s request was partially approved temporarily, a judge ultimately denied a restraining order against Sanchez a few months later.
Sanchez has previously disputed Villapudua’s characterization of the encounter, including accusing Villapudua in the case’s court filings of not being honest about their sons attending the same school and having seen each other at school pick ups and other events on previous occasions without incident.
All that is officially known about the closed-session in question is from the meeting’s agenda and Villapudua’s account in court documents. The meeting is believed to have included a performance review for Black where a motion was made to fire him.
Villapudua said in court documents that the closed session meeting had been scheduled “to address Executive Management,” describing himself as the tie-breaking vote that saved Black’s job. Four of the seven council members would have been needed to vote for Black’s removal as city manager.
The other six councilmembers at the time either did not respond to Stocktonia’s request for comment or refused to discuss closed-session business.
Sanchez has been a long-time critic of Black, often speaking out against him over the years in emails, on social media and during public comment at City Council meetings.
Sanchez’s site, the 209 Times, was cited in a San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury report criticizing the social media platform for affecting the workings of Stockton’s city government with a campaign of bullying and threats. The 16-page report also criticized unnamed city officials for enabling the actions of the controversial website, which is operated by Sanchez and Frank Gayaldo, as well as not properly addressing violations of the Brown Act concerning closed/session meetings and other issues.
Two days after the November general election, Sanchez sent an email addressed to Black asking for comment on the current ballot tallies. Sanchez also asked whether Black expected to face consequences for what he described as interference in local politics and shows of disrespect “now the cabal’s protection of you has evaporated.”
The email, which Sanchez also sent to the sitting councilmembers at the time and the Grand Jury, included a large photo of three suitcases.
It’s unclear if Sanchez had any effect on the council’s considerations regarding Black’s resignation Thursday.
Mayor Fugazi, Vice Mayor Lee and Councilmember Ponce all received positive coverage from the 209 Times during the 2024 election season. Lee hugged Sanchez before last week’s swearing-in ceremony and said, “We did it.”
Both Lee and Ponce also thanked Sanchez during speeches after taking the oath of office, though Lee did say that he was not beholden to Stockton media outlets.
The 209 Times has also long supported Padilla, who thanked her “management team with the support of Motec Sanchez and Frank Gayaldo” when she was sworn in two years ago. At a public event in July that was hosted by Padilla, Lee hinted he, Fugazi, Padilla and Enríquez would together be able to take action on the City Council.
While Councilmember Enríquez ran as part of the Safer Stockton Coalition with Fugazi and Lee during the election, the newly-minted District 4 councilor denounced the 209 Times at a forum in September when asked about the Grand Jury report.
Enríquez also did not join fellow councilmembers Fugazi, Lee, Ponce and Padilla in voting to limit public comment at Thursday’s meeting.
Following the special closed session, Sanchez told Stocktonia that he was happy with Black’s resignation.
“I think this was a win for the community,” Sanchez said after the meeting standing outside the Council Chamber. “There’s a lot of people happy right now.”
Black is poised to receive more than $400,000 in severance pay and benefits from the city upon his departure.
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