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Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Local Politics · Stockton, CA
During a contentious Tuesday evening meeting, Stockton City Council voted 4-2 to remove Vice Mayor Jason Lee from his position after he attempted to resign first. Mayor Christina Fugazi made the removal motion, joined by councilors Padilla, Villapudua and Ponce; Enríquez and Blower opposed. Interim City Attorney Donald Larkin acknowledged legal ambiguity about whether the charter permits revoking a vice mayor's appointment before the Dec. 31, 2026 term expires. Lee remains District 6 councilmember and said he would continue scrutinizing city government.
Crime · Lodi, CA
Lodi police arrested George Marquez, 19, of Galt, California, on Sunday after he allegedly robbed a juvenile selling an iPad and another person selling a video game controller at gunpoint. The two robberies occurred about an hour apart on Wyndham Way and Culbertson Avenue in Lodi; officers recovered both stolen items and found a Glock 19 airsoft pistol in Marquez's waistband. No one was injured, and Marquez was held at San Joaquin County Jail in lieu of $240,000 bail with arraignment scheduled Tuesday in San Joaquin County Superior Court in Stockton. Lodi police urged residents to take precautions when buying or selling items through social media and online marketplaces.
Local Politics · Lodi, CA
Public records obtained by the Lodi News-Sentinel document personal purchases made by City of Lodi employees using city credit cards or accounts primarily in 2024 and early 2025, including charges by former City Clerk Olivia Nashed and former City Attorney Katie Lucchesi. All employees said the purchases were accidental and reimbursed the city, with amounts ranging from a 94-cent chocolate bar to a $543.56 airline purchase. The records are part of a broader dispute over financial oversight at City Hall that became public in spring 2025 after former City Manager Scott Carney alleged widespread misuse during an April 1, 2025, council meeting; Carney was terminated and sued the city in June 2026. Subsequent financial reviews found no evidence of fraud, waste or abuse but identified weaknesses in credit card approvals, account reconciliations and purchasing procedures.
Housing & Development · Manteca, CA
The City of Manteca selected the 600 block of South Main Street for its new Police Department, citing the city's existing land ownership, central location near downtown, and avoidance of a high water table that would have added $10 million or more in foundation costs at an alternative site north of Big League Dreams. Other considered sites—including parcels in the family entertainment zone, along the 120 Bypass, and near the wastewater treatment plant—were dropped due to expected commercial value or infrastructure challenges. A state mandate requiring first-responder buildings to withstand a 7.0 earthquake further complicated construction at water-logged sites. The station will include a community room designed for rapid conversion into an emergency operations center. Ground work is expected to begin in November and take up to 18 months.
Public Safety · Lodi, CA
The Lodi Police Department received a $1 million federal funding boost this week for a new 20-acre training facility and shooting range northwest of the White Slough Water Pollution Control Facility near Interstate 5. Rep. Josh Harder (D-Tracy) presented the check at the project site Tuesday morning, noting San Joaquin County is the only region in California without a police academy. The department's current training facility beneath its Elm Street offices is more than 50 years old, with issues including projectile deflection, inadequate ventilation dating to 1968, and detected lead contamination. The first phase includes 10 shooting positions with a 300-yard range, target berms, protective shielding walls, parking, and fencing. Officials said the facility could train up to 400 new officers annually and eliminate the need for local departments to travel to Galt, Linden, or Fairfield for range access.
Public Safety · San Joaquin County
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Golden Mussel Response Act, authored by Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton), to reduce permitting delays that slowed water agencies' responses to invasive golden mussel infestations in Delta intake pipes and irrigation systems. Golden mussels, first detected two years ago at the Port of Stockton and believed to have arrived via ballast water from an Asian ship, have spread across inland California waterways as far south as San Diego County, clogging water intakes and threatening supply to people and farms. In Congress, Rep. Josh Harder (D-Tracy) sponsored the Golden Mussel Eradication and Control Act, which received a House Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing last month; Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff introduced companion legislation in the Senate. The federal bills would provide funding for treatments to slow mussel spread, with passage uncertain before the legislative session ends Jan. 3.
Read the full Wednesday, October 14, 2026 edition (+6 more stories) →
About Your Local News in San Joaquin County
Every night we go through the news sites and public notices that cover San Joaquin County, CA. When several outlets report the same council vote, you read about it once.
The email goes out before 6am. Where the original article is free to read, we link to it.
Towns in San Joaquin County and nearby
- Escalon, CA news
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- Lockeford, CA news
- Lodi, CA news
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- Ripon, CA news
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