Stockton’s elected officials promised a new era of transparency, but questions are swirling around the office meant to deliver it.

Stockton Public Information Officer Tony Mannor first briefed the Council Audit Committee on the newly formed Office of Public Transparency, Information and Communication (OPTIC) in July, created in response to the 2023-24 San Joaquin Civil Grand Jury report, “Crisis in Government,” which called for greater transparency in Stockton.

While OPTIC appears to be a necessary addition and aims to strengthen city communication, its quiet formation has raised concerns, with some councilmembers accusing the former interim city manager of using old budget funds to create it without council approval.

Questioning around OPTIC has continued, with growing tension around its creation, its leadership and its role in reshaping how transparency and information are managed in Stockton.

July: OPTIC’s debut met with scrutiny

Mannor, who leads and oversees OPTIC, presented the office for the first time to the council’s Audit Committee July 28. Mannor said OPTIC’s mission is to give residents clear, timely access to city information and to improve accessibility by auditing public-facing digital tools to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and federal law governing accessibility to digital information or technology.

Stockton Human Resources Director Rosemary Rivas told the committee July 28 that no new funding was needed to create OPTIC, as it was formed through a restructuring of the city manager’s office. Rivas said this reallocated existing staff and resources from the Office of Performance and Data Analytics (OPDA) to OPTIC.

Vice Mayor Jason Lee raised questions about the hiring process for those chosen to work in OPTIC, noting that the jobs were never publicly posted. Rivas said HR was told applications had already been submitted and screened.

“I know that’s how we hire people at Hollywood Unlocked,” Lee said, referencing the multimedia entertainment platform he founded. “But in the city, my understanding is that, in being true, trustworthy and transparent, when jobs are available for city employment, you post them for the public to apply.”

Rivas explained that, while classified roles require open recruitment, unclassified positions like the five in OPTIC could be filled without public posting. Classified employees are those who work for hourly pay, while unclassified are salaried employees.

Lee questioned how permanent roles could be filled without broader notice, but Rivas said no policy was violated.

Rivas confirmed discussions to eliminate OPDA and create OPTIC happened before the budget approval in May, with the intent for OPTIC to operate within the original OPDA budget.

August: New information office tied to allegations of fraud

OPTIC eventually became part of allegations of budgetary fraud against former interim City Manager Steve Colangelo, raised by Lee and Councilmember Mario Enríquez. Colangelo’s contract ran out in August and City Council opted not to reup.

Lee held a press conference with Enríquez Aug. 6, where they accused Colangelo of deliberately submitting a budget that funded an office — OPDA — that his office had already eliminated, then used those funds to create OPTIC and hire staff without a competitive process. Lee said OPDA still appears in the current budget, which took effect July 1.

Enríquez and Lee had said at the time that they were in contact with the city attorney to have the issue referred to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“OPDA was not dissolved. This was an expansion and rebranding, not a dissolution,” Mannor told Stocktonia on Aug. 11. “The City Manager has legal authority to reorganize and rebrand existing offices without Council approval or notification when using existing staff and budget.”

Mannor said funding and staffing came from OPDA’s existing budget, with no new positions created. OPTIC also uses past OPDA data for public-facing transparency content, he added.

In June, Colangelo reorganized multiple staff positions starting in April and sent termination notices to at least two city employees, according to public records obtained by Stocktonia.

Lee told Stocktonia Aug. 13 that he takes the integrity of the council’s Audit Committee and an investigation very seriously.

“This is not about politics or performative theater. I will not engage in public debate over the facts while the process is underway,” Lee said. “I look forward to a thorough review, and once it is concluded, we will share the results with full transparency.”

September: Priorities are made clear, but doubts remain

Mannor presented OPTIC and its goals to the full City Council last month, where Lee questioned him extensively.

“It’s not a secret that I’ve been very critical of your department and the city manager’s office for how this department even came to life,” Lee said. “For the sake of transparency, this department does not exist in our current budget.”

Lee said OPTIC didn’t go through the typical introduction and approval processes. He also pressed Mannor on his qualifications to run such an office, and the city’s need for it.

OPTIC is being asked to take on an unusual blend of communications and software development, Mannor said, with a current focus on accessibility updates due to an upcoming federal mandate set to take effect in April of next year. Mannor said he and the OPTIC team, consisting of five local software developers, are highly experienced and qualified to take on the task.

Lee asked Mannor why the city couldn’t outsource these tasks, considering the high annual cost of nearly $1 million to run OPTIC.

“Why do we need to have in-house, full-time coders and developers to do something that, once you get in compliance, you’re not going to have to do full time,” Lee asked.

The city’s use of third-party vendors is part of the problem, Mannor replied, and that the work would be more expensive to outsource. 

When councilmembers asked what moves OPTIC is making in terms of communication and public outreach, Mannor kept redirecting the conversation to advancing accessibility features.

“My primary goal is that accessibility audit and making sure that we’re compliant,” Mannor said. “After that, it’s going to be the storytelling that we would all like to see.”

Councilmember Michele Padilla said, while she appreciates the goals Mannor is trying to meet, OPTIC’s priorities don’t align with what the city needs.

“My priority is to change the narrative of Stockton, and the way I see that is through storytelling,” Padilla said, criticizing Mannor’s postponing of outreach projects until midyear of 2026. “We need our story told. We need to flip this narrative tomorrow.”

Lee echoed Padilla’s level of impatience, noting that many of Stockton’s latest successes haven’t been adequately captured and shared with the community.

 “It’s not even an unrealistic impatience,” Lee said. “It’s the fact that we have done a lot of amazing work since we’ve been here, and we don’t have the content to share.”

Mayor Christina Fugazi said it’s important for the council to discuss OPTIC and its outcomes, but the office reports to the city manager, not councilmembers. 

“This council is showing (Mannor) there are things they would like, but ultimately, it rests with whoever is in (the city manager’s) seat,” Fugazi said, pointing to acting City Manager Will Crew.

Crew agreed with Mannor’s prioritization and the conversation came to a cautiously optimistic halt. Councilmembers Lee, Padilla and Enríquez said they had remaining concerns about OPTIC’s timeline and benefit to the city, and hope it will prove to have some more immediate impacts.