Stockton city candidates hoping to make their case to voters gathered at the San Joaquin Delta College candidate forum on Wednesday night.
Candidates running for Stockton Mayor and city council District 4 and District 6 engaged with each other and the public, handing out signs, taking pictures and talking with everyday Stocktonians in and outside the Dawn Mabalon Forum.
Candidates At Wednesday Forum
| Stockton Mayor Candidates | Stockton City Council District 4 Candidates | Stockton City Council District 6 Candidates |
| Tom Patti | Mario Enriquez | Jason Lee |
| Christina Fugazi | Gina Valadez-Bracamonte | Kimberly Warmsley |
People packed into the forum, filling up nearly every seat and listening intently to each candidate answer several questions. Each of the six candidates at Wednesday’s event were asked the same questions. The questions centered around pressing issues in Stockton, including the 2023 – 2024 Civil Grand Jury Report, collaborating with the city manager, and the U.S. Supreme Court Grants Pass decision affecting homelessness.
The Mayoral candidates, San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti and former Stockton Vice Mayor Christina Fugazi, were first up.
Fugazi said that although she never envisioned herself entering the arena of politics, her time as a science teacher has provided her with insight into breaking down complex issues and collaborating with others.
“This is your home. You should care about it. You should care about who is leading the way as well,” Fugazi said. “Passion, grit, integrity. Somebody that is willing to take charge.”
Calling upon his experience as a two-term supervisor, Tom Patti said he is well suited to be mayor, noting that the issues talked about during the forum are the same ones he is currently dealing with.
“We have challenges in this city that need to be met. So I’m going to ask you. Why are we here,” Patti said. “I’ll tell you. Results. Results are what is going to matter. Results are what you expect.”
The District 4 forum featured Gina Valadez-Bracamonte and Mario Enriquez. Tackling crime is the most important issue facing Stockton, said Valadez-Bracamonte, who vows to significantly invest in law enforcement to enhance the safety of Stockton residents.
“If we invest in our safety the businesses are going to come. This town will flourish,” Valadez-Bracamonte said. “We need to invest in safety that is why I am public safety’s choice for candidate.”
Enriquez says the city is in need of transparency in government and someone who will take a firmer stance on corruption which is why he chose to return to Stockton and run for office.
“We need the next generation of leadership for Stockton City Council,” Enriquez said. “I’m 36 and we need a young perspective representing diverse voices on the City Council and I am that person.”
The final forum of the night, District 6, was the most heated with businessman Jason Lee and current Vice Mayor Kimberly Warmsley disputing each other’s experience and inability to tackle the underlying issues in south Stockton.
Stockton City Council requires a serious leader to implement reasonable solutions, said Warmsley, noting that misinformation and division in the city needs to be addressed in order for Stockton to prosper.
“South Stockton is one of the most vulnerable communities in the city. It deserves continuity,” Warmsley said. “It deserves consistency. It deserves a leader… this is a community that deserves to be protected.”
Lee says Hollywood Unlocked, an entertainment news website, is nothing to scoff at, saying that the company’s success is testament to the hard work he is willing to put in as a councilmember.
“I promise that on November 5th, I’ll be focused on how to bridge and make the community better not use it as a steppingstone to become the vice mayor or legislator outside of Stockton,” Lee said.
The future will tell whether the candidates won support from the crowd. Latisha Franklin, a Stockton resident, says she frequently attends these events as they allow her to solidify who she intends on voting for in this upcoming election. By attending these events, Franklin says you can get to see how candidates act under pressure.
“Some of the candidates are skating around the questions a little bit when it comes to how they are going to implement policy and have transparency and follow through on things,” Franklin said.
If you want to rewatch this forum and previous candidate forum events, please visit either the San Joaquin County League of Women Voters website, Facebook page, or the San Joaquin Delta College political science website.