Stockton City Council District 3 voters will weigh an incumbent’s record against a challenger’s pitch for change in the Nov. 3 general election.
Councilmember Michael Blower, a business owner, is seeking a second four-year term. His challenger, Jessica Toccoli, is a special education teacher and fifth-generation Stocktonian who says she is campaigning on issues raised by neighbors. Critics have questioned her lack of public campaign appearances, with some referring to her as a “ghost candidate.”
Toccoli advanced to the general election by finishing second in the June primary, in which four candidates competed for the District 3 seat. Blower received 4,192 votes, or 48.24%, while Toccoli received 3,145 votes, or 36.19%.
The City Council is Stockton’s governing body. It consists of seven members — six councilmembers and the mayor. Councilmembers set city policy, approve the municipal budget, allocate funding for public services and infrastructure, and make decisions affecting public safety, economic development and neighborhood services.
Councilmembers currently earn $30,832.62 annually, or $2,569.40 monthly. Their salaries are scheduled to increase to $40,000 annually, or $3,333.33 monthly, on Jan. 1. Council service is part time, with no benefits.
Stocktonia contacted both candidates for interviews ahead of the election. Blower answered questions by phone, while Toccoli opted to submit her responses in writing.
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▶ Stockton City Council District 1: Meet the candidates here.
The incumbent
Blower first joined the City Council in February 2016, when he was appointed to fill a seat vacated by a councilmember who moved to the Board of Supervisors. He served through December of that year.
As a lifelong Stockton resident, Blower said he cares deeply about his community and wants to finish the work he started. He began his first elected term in January 2023; Stockton councilmembers are limited to two four-year terms.
“I know I bring experience to the job,” he said. “I feel like that experience gives me a very valuable understanding of how city government works, how decisions get made and how you can get things done for your district.”
He identified public safety and neighborhood quality as the most pressing issues facing District 3, which includes north Stockton and extends southwest of March Lane.
“I know my people want to feel safe,” Blower said. “They want to see their tax dollars put to good use, and they want to know their neighborhoods aren’t being overlooked.”
But that requires more than one solution, he said.
“I think some of the things we need are adequate police staffing, well-equipped officers, reliable fire protection and a focus on preventing the problems before they even happen,” he added.
Blower supported the renewal of Measure A, which he credits with helping retain police officers. He also voted to replace much of the Stockton Police Department’s outdated vehicle fleet and three-quarters of the Stockton Fire Department’s equipment, including a new ladder truck. He said establishing a fire truck company at Fire Station 7 in District 3 benefited not only north Stockton but the entire city, helping shorten response times and relieve pressure on firefighters elsewhere in the city.
Blower said he’s also proud of Stockton’s decline in homicides, with 20 reported from January through August 2026, compared with 26 during the same period in 2025, a 23% decrease.
While Blower said the drop is “encouraging,” he acknowledged that “every homicide matters” and said it’s important for city leaders not to get complacent.
As for his infrastructure plans, including road repairs, parks and aging facilities — and how to fund them — Blower said the city needs to “prioritize the basics.”
“You want safe streets, well-maintained parks, reliable public facilities and infrastructure that protects our neighborhoods,” he said.
Blower said he has secured funding for several District 3 projects, including fencing at Swenson Park, pickleball courts at Grupe Park, an inclusive playground at Sandman Park and parking lot resurfacing at Grupe Park and in the Benjamin Holt Drive and Hammer Lane areas.
At Gibbons Park, Blower said constituents began contacting him last summer, reporting that a sign was missing and benches needed repairs. He said he thought he’d secured funding in the midyear budget adjustment to address the issues, but the council ending up allocating the money to other projects.
“I’m currently working on using some of my discretionary funds to make some improvements to that park,” he said. “I think I should be able to deliver that fairly soon.”
He said he was able to get funding for Five Mile Slough to clean up overgrown duckweed and water hyacinths — and more.
“I was able to take it a step further and also get funding to try to get an assessment district,” he said. “That was presented to the residents, and it did pass. I feel very proud about something like that because that will create a mechanism that going into the future, there will be funds to continue to maintain that waterway.”
Blower said Stockton needs a strong local economy that creates jobs, expands opportunities and strengthens the tax base. That way, the city can retain existing businesses, attract new ones and ensure new developments benefit residents.
He suggested streamlining the process for opening or expanding businesses, improving communications and making timely decisions. He also said it’s important to work with existing businesses rather than focusing only on attracting new ones.
“Those businesses have already invested in Stockton,” he said. “They’re already employing our residents, so I think that’s important too.”
Blower noted that “every dollar of public money should be treated as money entrusted to us by the taxpayers” and said city leaders should take that responsibility seriously. He believes residents should understand the City Council’s decisions, why they are made and how their tax dollars are being spent.
He also thinks the current council has “made some significant mistakes.”
“During my first two years on the council, we had a productive working relationship and a city manager who I thought was doing a very good job,” Blower said, referring to Harry Black, who abruptly resigned in January 2025 under threat of firing. “After the election two years ago, that brought on a new mayor and three new councilmembers, the dynamics changed considerably. The conflict that developed has been very public, and I think it’s distracted attention from the work that the residents expect us to do.”
Blower said he opposed the decision to remove Black. And when councilmembers considered hiring Steve Colangelo as Black’s replacement, Blower opposed his appointment. Colangelo served for six months as interim city manager after Stockton officials allowed his contract to expire. He was the subject of misconduct and financial mismanagement investigations.
Blower said his work as chair of the Legislation and Environmental Committee, which advanced the city’s tobacco retail license ordinance, is among the proudest accomplishments during his first term. The local law requires all tobacco and e-cigarette retailers to obtain a specialized city license in addition to a standard business license.
“We’re just now seeing the fruits of that labor where 13 smoke shops that were out of compliance have been shut down,” he said.
The challenger
Toccoli did not respond directly to written questions emailed to her, but she provided a lengthy emailed statement outlining her background and campaign priorities.
“Stockton is special to me, and my family has been here for a long time,” she said. “I’ve been fighting for the disadvantaged youth since the day I started volunteering at SUSD’s after-school program over 10 years ago that inspired me to go into teaching. That after-school program no longer exists, and I see the need now more than ever for after-school activities and activities on the weekends for our youth here.”
She cited her experience working as a mental health counselor at 1212 California before becoming an educator and said she wants to give young people in Stockton positive outlets, including places to go and things to do.
Toccoli said she hears daily complaints from neighbors about public safety, homeless issues, basic services and the need for positive outlets for children. She said people want to know they won’t be robbed at the store and that their children can play outside safely.
She proposed tying nonprofit contracts to measurable results, including the number of people housed, how many remain housed after 12 months and treatment completion rates. She also called for public reporting on administrative and direct-service spending and said contracts should not be renewed for organizations that fail to deliver results.
If elected, Toccoli said she will remain available to her constituents. “There won’t ever be any statements about how I couldn’t get something done for my constituents because I was unreachable — like some current councilmembers,” she said.
She criticized what she described as a “circus” at City Hall, saying the council has been plagued by arguments, infighting and a lack of leadership.
“My opponent sits there and votes along with Vice Mayor Jason Lee as a co-star in his reality show, while families are worried about safety, needles in our parks and potholes,” Toccoli said. “I’m an educator and I work every day with special needs students who already feel the odds are stacked against them, and I show up to inspire them anyway. I’ll bring that same fight to the council, with a focus on results instead of drama.”
She said she would take a community-focused approach to problem-solving, recognizing that neighborhoods across Stockton face different challenges. She cited speeding and drivers performing doughnuts on residential streets, mailbox thefts and encampments in parks as examples. She promised to meet with residents block by block to identify their most pressing concerns and prioritize solutions, noting that visible improvements in neighborhoods will help rebuild trust in city government.
Toccoli has not attended any of the four public candidate forums held this year, including one last week at San Joaquin Delta College. She disputes criticism of her absences, saying she communicates with voters in other ways.
“Nearly every day after I get off work, I’m knocking on doors or making phone calls to talk with my neighbors and earn their support,” she said. “Every single day, I’m speaking with someone new. Being public-facing isn’t limited to one forum stage. It means showing up on people’s doorsteps and listening.”
Toccoli said she wants city funding shifted toward programs that demonstrate measurable results, noting that, “People in the past that were elected claimed to have all sorts of experience and yet Stockton fell into bankruptcy.”
“My job is to make sure that never happens again,” she said.
As an educator, Toccoli is especially focused on the future of Stockton for its youth. She wants to protect money for after-school and children’s programs and implement grants and partnerships with schools and community organizations to expand those initiatives.
“I’ll be honest: I don’t have all the answers, and I can’t do this by myself,” she said. “It will take the county, nonprofits, schools and residents working together. But this is where we need to start, and this is why the council works as a team to get things accomplished.”
Stocktonia staff reporter Andrea Baltodano contributed to this article.