In the final minutes of the City Council’s marathon session this week, Vice Mayor Jason Lee received backing for his request for a special meeting on his latest misconduct claims against former interim City Manager Steve Colangelo — and Mayor Christina Fugazi fired back with plans to form a temporary committee to investigate Lee.
The moves came as Lee, Fugazi and the other councilmembers made their customary remarks after Tuesday’s more than six-hour meeting.
But Lee’s and Fugazi’s comments in particular marked a culmination of rising tensions between the two officials in recent months — and especially the last few days, as each has released a flurry of press statements about the other.
Lee’s claims have focused on Colangelo’s alleged misuses of city money during his stint as interim and the extent of Fugazi’s possible involvement.
Last week, the vice mayor published a press release containing a city letter in which Colangelo appears to promise the nonprofit Service First of Northern California more than $800,000 in city money. The City Council never approved the spending, Lee said.
Meanwhile, Fugazi has raised questions about Lee’s nonprofit having sought millions in city support for a youth housing project; whether Lee, who spent years in Los Angeles, actually lives in Stockton, a requirement for him to hold office in his district; and the longtime entertainment commentator’s use of his social media bully pulpit.
“I want to work respectfully with everyone, especially (the) vice mayor, but the situation (has) reached a head,” Fugazi said Tuesday.
Lee kicked off his closing remarks acknowledging residents’ frustration over City Council’s infighting.
“Over the past 10 months, you know, the city has experienced turmoil, dysfunction at City Hall,” he said. “I know everybody is tired. And we are all still trying to figure out how to work together.”
After recapping his most recent claims about Colangelo, Lee made a motion for the City Council to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday to discuss them.
It passed 5-2, with Councilmembers Michael Blower, Mario Enríquez, Mariela Ponce, Michele Padilla and Lee voting yes. Fugazi and Councilmember Brando Villapudua voted no.
In her remarks, the mayor responded with a rundown of her own claims about Lee, including his alleged interference with the City Manager’s Office; possible city charter violations; and alleged “efforts to secure city contracts, while I believe pressuring staff to remove a hardworking employee.”
She provided no detail about her claim about the charter violations or the aforementioned employee.
Last month, City Council voted down a request by city Economic Development Department staff to give Lee’s nonprofit, Hollywood Cares, use of a $6.4 million property to bolster its request for millions more in state money to build a youth housing project.
Fugazi also accused Lee of threatening her and other councilmembers to vote his way. She didn’t give specifics. Stretching back to his 2024 campaign, the vice mayor has often used his Facebook platform to criticize city officials.
Ultimately, Fugazi said she plans to create a temporary council committee “to look at all of the documents, to make sure the facts are gathered, standards are enforced, and decisions are made in the best interest of Stockton, and not driven by ambition gain or private interest.”
In a telling moment, the mayor seemed to compare today’s tensions at City Hall with the city’s time navigating Stockton’s bankruptcy roughly a decade ago.
“While bankruptcy was awful — it was an awful time in this city’s history — what I feel like we’re going through now … isn’t necessarily sunshine and flowers,” she said.