Two Stockton city councilmembers issued pointed criticisms of city leadership this week, calling for higher standards in the selection of a new city manager and shedding light on troubling budget practices and staffing shortfalls.
During a public town hall held Wednesday at San Joaquin Delta College, Vice Mayor Jason Lee and District 4 Councilmember Mario Enriquez emphasized the need for competency, integrity, and structure at the top of city government. The event — part of a new civic series organized by the San Joaquin County Civic Alliance — was moderated by Delta College political science professor Joel Blank, Stockton Record reporter Hannah Workman and Delta student Valentina Chavez.
Both officials, elected in 2024, used the event to reflect on their first nine months in office and to sound the alarm on what they described as systemic dysfunction inside City Hall…