A month ago, Stockton’s city attorney told the council that City Clerk Katherine Roland could be considered a whistleblower because she had reported an alleged attempt to interfere with the June primary election.
The city attorney warned the council that any action against Roland could be considered retaliation.
Now, Roland says that’s exactly what happened. The retaliation came when two councilmembers called a meeting for Monday, later canceled, to potentially have Roland disciplined or dismissed, the clerk claimed in an email reviewed by Stocktonia.
“This email is to notify you of the retaliatory action of Councilmembers against myself in my capacity as City Clerk,” Roland wrote to the City Council and then-City Attorney Marci Arredondo.
At 5:11 p.m. Friday, Roland received an email from two councilmembers asking her to arrange a special closed-door council meeting for Monday, she stated.
The councilmembers said the subject of the meeting would be the possible discipline, dismissal or release of the city clerk, Roland stated.
The councilmembers then attempted to order two city staffers to work over the weekend to ensure the meeting was scheduled and councilmembers could attend, she stated. Under local law, only the city manager can direct city staff.
According to Roland, she wrote back to say that only the mayor — or in her absence the vice mayor, or a majority of the city council — has the power to call a special closed-door meeting.
The City Clerk is responsible for running city elections. The candidates that inappropriately accessed the clerk’s office were the same councilmembers that requested the meeting, Roland said.
Councilmembers up for reelection this year include Blower, District 1 Councilmember Michele Padilla and District 5 Councilmember Brando Villapudua.
Roland provided no further detail about the alleged incident.
It’s not the first time the clerk has claimed someone interfered with her office. Before the June 2 primary, Roland told the city attorney that Mayor Christina Fugazi’s spokesman had allegedly pressured her and “attempted to interfere” with the election.
That’s what led the city attorney to warn the council that Roland could be considered a whistleblower, which could afford her legal protections.
Roland’s accusation against Fugazi’s spokesman, Jason Teramoto, are similar to claims Vice Mayor Jason Lee made in June.
In emails from Lee’s lawyer to the city, Lee alleged that Teramoto asked the clerk’s office to change City Council District 1 candidate Tamica Small’s ballot designation or candidate statement.
Lee claimed that Teramoto told Roland to “be creative” after his request was rebuffed.
Teramoto previously told Stocktonia the allegations had “zero merit,” calling them “yet another distraction from the reality of what the mayor is doing in Stockton.”
District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower, who provided Stocktonia a copy of Roland’s email claiming retaliation, expressed dismay at actions against the clerk.
“I think it’s very concerning that in the middle of an election, there’s even the possibility of dismissing our good and honest city clerk, who’s done a great job for us,” Blower said Monday.
Lee, who said he also received the email from Roland, told Stocktonia, “I have no faith that this council will uphold its ethical duty to the public.”
What Lee described as “corruption” and the breakdown of institutional guardrails “will not stop with this council,” he said.
Roland didn’t say in her email which councilmembers requested the meeting about her discipline or firing. But she they were “both candidates who inappropriately accessed the Clerk’s Office.
Councilmembers up for reelection this year include Blower, District 1 Councilmember Michele Padilla and District 5 Councilmember Brando Villapudua.