After a Stockton City Council member received a traffic ticket Thursday, some fellow councilmembers are weighing in on whether he should resign.
On Thursday afternoon, two officers pulled District 5 representative Brando Villapudua over in front of Stockton City Hall for driving with expired registration, Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said in a statement.
Officers gave Villapudua a citation for the expired tags, and for failing to show proof of insurance, the department stated.
Villapudua confirmed he was the driver.
“While I take full responsibility for ensuring my tags are properly maintained, I simply forgot (to register the vehicle),” Villapudua said in a statement Friday. “I’m human, just like you, and I recognize the importance of taking a step back at times.”
Two other Stockton councilmembers have called for Villapudua’s resignation.
“I don’t know how we maintain public trust when we continuously allow someone to maintain the responsibility of governing the city when they have no intent to follow the same laws our constituents do,” District 6 Councilmember Jason Lee said Thursday on Facebook.
“I’m calling on councilman Villapudua to resign,” he added.
District 1 representative Michele Padilla “absolutely” agrees, she said by phone Friday.
“We’re obligated to conduct ourselves with integrity, you know, as well as upholding the law,” she said.
Padilla also pointed to previous alleged misbehavior by Villapudua on the dais.
In January, Lee and Padilla asked the council to start censure proceedings against Villapudua after alleging that he gave someone the middle finger during a City Council meeting. The council ultimately agreed Villapudua should face the censure process.
However, not all of his colleagues believe the ticket merits his resignation.
“It sounds like it was a simple fix-it ticket. The (police) chief addressed it. It sounded like Councilmember Villapudua was treated like any other citizen would have been treated, which I think is appropriate,” District 3 representative Michael Blower said Friday. “I think to call for his resignation over getting a fix-it ticket is a huge stretch.”
While Councilmember Mario Enriquez denounced Villapudua’s actions in a statement Friday, saying, “His pattern of poor behavior is concerning,” the District 4 representative made no direct call for Villapudua to step down.
“I think this is a moment for District 5 residents to take a look at their Councilmember’s record and decide whether they want to be represented in this way. I respect their voice on this matter,” Enriquez stated.
Mayor Christina Fugazi and District 2 Councilmember Mariela Ponce did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday evening.