The latest developments rocking Stockton City Hall mark the culmination of tension that has been building for months.

Here’s a look at key moments in 2025 that have led to the accusations and revelations questioning how Stockton’s leaders — both elected are appointed — are spending public funds:

  • Jan. 7: A new City Council is sworn in with four new members. Christina Fugazi, a school administrator and former teacher, was elected as mayor. One of the new councilmembers, Jason Lee from District 6 in South Stockton, is named vice mayor. He is an entertainer and podcaster who founded Hollywood Unlocked and is a recurring cast member on MTV and VH1’s Wild ‘N Out sketch comedy show.
  • Jan. 9: Stockton City Manager Harry Black, signed to a new four-year contract the previous August amid positive reviews, abruptly resigns under threat of being fired. He is awarded $400,000 severance. His last day of employment is to be Feb. 28.
  • Feb. 4: The City Council names Steve Colangelo as interim city manager by a 4-3 vote. He is the former general manager of the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, but has no experience running a city. He is to be paid more than $20,000 a month in his new role.
  • May 24: Lee is among the cast members at an event at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, Wild ‘N Out Live.
  • May 26: Stocktonia reveals that Colangelo hired Lathrop City Manager Stephen Salvatore as a consultant without City Council approval. He is to be paid $11,000 month. In a memo to the city attorney, Colangelo said he hired Salvatore “in an advisory role, providing strategic guidance … on best practices in municipal management.”
  • June 16: Stocktonia reports that funding for Salvatore’s contract came from diverting up to $100,000 in funds that were supposed to be allocated to the city’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Lee, chair of the city’s Audit Committee, vows to try to find out how it happened.
  • June 23: Following the uproar, the city terminates Salvatore’s consulting contract.
  • June 24: Lee, normally a staunch ally for Fugazi, gets into a verbal tussle with her at a City Council meeting over concerns the city is crippling its DEI efforts.
  • July 29: Acting behind closed doors, the city decides to replace Colangelo as interim city manager starting in sometime in August. A deputy city manager will become acting city manager. It is left unclear whether Colangelo’s release is temporary or permanent.
  • Aug 4: Jason Perry, head of ASM Stockton which manages Adventist Health Arena where the Wild ‘N Out event was held, tells Lee’s Audit Committee that the show’s ticket sales were poor and that he asked the city to help compensate the promoters. He said he feared if he did not do so, its cancelation would dissuade other acts from coming to Stockton. He said Lee was not involved in the bailout discussion.
  • Aug. 5: In response to news media inquiries, the city releases emails between its officials and Perry showing that it contributed $50,000 to bail out the Wild ‘N Out Live show. Lee questions why the city manager suddenly took an interest in the show two months after it occurred. Lee raises questions of political retribution for his digging into alleged improprieties in city government. Colangelo counters that he’s investigating how $50,000 was spent to bail out Wild ‘N Out Live without his consent or authorization.
  • Aug. 6: Lee and Councilmember Mario Enríquez call for California’s attorney general to investigate allegations of possible budgetary fraud by Colangelo. The issue involved funding of a department that they say had been eliminated.