Stockton City Council will move forward with the censure process initiated against District 1 Councilmember Michele Padilla, who is facing scrutiny over her use of taxpayer funds for a community event where political candidates spoke onstage .
Padilla held a public cookout on July 20 at Michael Faklis Park in north Stockton. At the event, four candidates running in the Nov. 5 general election — city council candidates Jason Lee and Mario Enríquez, mayoral candidate Christina Fugazi, and San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors candidate Mario Gardea — spoke onstage.
Some candidates’ comments conveyed specific messages about the November election, which led two councilmembers to file a complaint with the city clerk’s office.
In the complaint, District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower and District 5 Councilmember Brando Villapudua alleged that Padilla violated Council Policy 5.10, which sets guidelines on how discretionary funding can be used by councilmembers and the mayor. They claimed Padilla used over $10,000 in discretionary funds “to host a community event that became political.”