A debate nearly quashed by Mayor Christina Fugazi’s usual majority on the Stockton City Council turned into a rare compromise at City Hall this week.
In the process, one mainstay of the four-person majority departed from the group.
One of several notable issues on the council’s packed agenda for its meeting Tuesday, the debate centered around new proposed rules that would clarify how council ad hoc committees can be created and disbanded.
The discussion marked a step away from the escalating vitriol the council saw over the summer, with public clashes between Vice Mayor Jason Lee and Mayor Fugazi in particular escalating last month.
Ad hoc committees are temporary panels of councilmembers appointed by the mayor to address specific issues. Tuesday’s rules sought to clarify that ad hocs can only be disbanded upon their own request through a supermajority City Council vote or after a preset period of time.
The rules appeared to be a direct response to Fugazi’s unilateral decision earlier this year to dissolve an ad hoc committee tasked with helping find a permanent city manager for Stockton. The committee had included Fugazi, Lee and Councilmember Mario Enríquez. Fugazi had emailed her fellow committee members in May notifying them she was dissolving the ad hoc, igniting a public spat and accusations of unethical behavior being slung across the dais.
Steve Colangelo was still interim city manager at the time, but he has since been replaced by acting City Manager Will Crew, who serves as a deputy city manager for the city. Final interviews for potential candidates to fill the role permanently are scheduled for next week, according to city documents.
Enríquez, Lee and Councilmember Michele Padilla sit on the council’s Legislation and Environmental Committee, which drafted the updated ad hoc committee rules council considered Tuesday.
When the rules came up for discussion at the start of what would become another late-night session at City Hall, both Fugazi and Padilla had objections. For her part, Fugazi thought a supermajority should not be required to disband an ad hoc if only a simple majority was needed to create it.
“I wanted apples to apples on that,” Fugazi said.
But throughout Tuesday evening’s discussion, the mayor didn’t push back strongly on that point. “I work with the people, and I work with the council,” she said after voicing her criticisms.
On the other hand, Padilla objected to a requirement that ad hoc committees would have to write reports on their accomplishments if they wanted to voluntarily disband.
“We all have second jobs,” she said. “We are all busy, we have families.”
Padilla’s objection was striking, given that last week she joined her Legislation Committee colleagues Lee and Enriquez in voting unanimously in favor of the draft rules — including the report requirement.
However, she was absent from a previous session where the committee had workshopped the rules. Councilmember Michael Blower served as her alternate.
Lee disagreed with Padilla that the reports would be burdensome.
“Yes, we all have second jobs,” he said. “But … we need to be accountable to the conclusion of that work, and that’s only going to be verified or quantified through a final work product.”
Then, with little further discussion — and no comments by Councilmembers Mariela Ponce or Brando Villapudua — the proposed rules went to a vote. They were defeated 4-3, with Fugazi, Padilla, Ponce and Villapudua voting “no.”
Councilmembers who voted “yes” were visibly puzzled.
“I’m concerned,” Lee said after the vote. “Councilwoman Ponce, you didn’t even comment on why you’re dissenting. I’m confused at how we’re not having full out debates — people voting and not even discussing (their) rationale for the public to consider.”
“It’s almost like there’s a discussion and a decision made before we get here,” the vice mayor added.
In turn, Padilla voiced her frustration about the discussion leading to the council’s initial vote on the matter.
“If somebody has another option to revise (the report issue), I’m open to listen to it,” she said. “But nobody has given me any suggestions.”
At one point, the mayor and Padilla suggested sending the proposed rules back to the Legislation Committee for revision before returning to the full council for further consideration.
Lee instead proposed reopening the discussion.
“Why don’t we offer some suggestions here and have a conversation?” he asked. “Because I don’t think that there’s major tweaks that would need to be made.”
Padilla ultimately took up Lee’s suggestion and moved to reopen the debate. (Council policy rules dictate that only a member of those who opposed the item could motion to reopen the discussion after the vote had taken place.) That motion passed 6-1, with only Villapudua dissenting.
Councilmembers then hashed out Padilla’s concerns about the reports.
“I don’t think it’s maybe as burdensome as you may think,” Blower said, noting that city staff and other committee members can help.
Ultimately, Lee proposed a compromise that would make the reports optional.
“I don’t think we created this recommendation for it to die on a report,” he said.
In a notable shift of opinion on the often-divided dais, the compromise passed. Padilla joined Lee, Enríquez and Blower in voting to approve the changes. Ponce, Villapudua and Fugazi voted against.
In comments after the meeting, Villapudua said he voted against changes to rules governing the council’s ad hoc committees because there was nothing wrong with the system that had already been set up.
“It’s been working for a long time,” he said of the existing ad hoc rules. “Until there’s an issue, (then) let’s address it.”
When asked if he believed the conflict over the city manager search committee pointed to an issue with the rules, Villapudua said someone should have brought it up during council discussion.
Throughout Tuesday’s meeting, Councilmember Ponce offered no comments on her vote against the new committee rules, or about any other item. She also did not immediately respond to Stocktonia’s emailed request for the reasoning behind her “no” vote.