Jason Lee says he is a victim of discrimination and retaliation at Stockton City Hall after questioning spending by city leaders and challenging government decisions.
The city council voted 4-2 to remove Lee as vice mayor during its Oct. 13 meeting, after he offered to resign from the position. In a separate 6-1 vote, the council ousted him as chair of the city’s audit committee.
The Hollywood Unlocked founder did not vote on his removal as vice mayor because he left the meeting early to catch a previously scheduled flight for a speaking engagement on the East Coast, according to his attorney.
In a lengthy statement sent to Urban Hollywood 411, attorney Walter Mosley alleged Lee’s race and sexual orientation were factors in the way he has been treated.
“Jason Lee is Black, gay and proud of both. He is also a lifelong Stocktonian and the elected representative of District 6. His identity matters to this story,” Mosley said.
“Mr. Lee believes race and sexual orientation have shaped the unequal treatment he has received, and that retaliation for his scrutiny of City Hall is part of that pattern. Those claims have not been adjudicated. They deserve serious examination against the full record, not dismissal because City Hall is uncomfortable with his criticism,” the attorney added.
Mosley also questioned the legality of voting Lee out, saying the city charter does not explicitly authorize the removal of a sitting vice mayor.
Mayor Christina Fugazi’s office did not immediately respond to Urban Hollywood 411‘s request for comment on Lee’s discrimination allegations.
The day after the council votes, Fugazi held a news conference with Councilmember Michele Padilla at Stockton City Hall, defending the votes to remove Lee.
The mayor described the city charter and council policy as “ambiguous” on removing a vice mayor, but said city leaders were within their rights.
“We do have legal authority,” she said.
Fugazi told reporters she offered Lee an opportunity to resign before the meeting, but she alleged he threatened retaliation.
“Behind closed doors, there is much more to it,” Fugazi said. “When I made that offer and was told no, I was then told, ‘Well, guess what, mayor? I have recordings of you, and I can’t wait to release them.’ Who does that? Is that something we want in our elected officials? I would say no.”
The mayor and Padilla also accused Lee of “bullying” and disruptive behavior at council meetings.
“We are tired of the behavior,” Padilla said. “We are tired of the embarrassment… there are people across the country watching us and, as you know, calling us a circus and that has to stop.”
At one point, the mayor accused Lee of trying to capitalize on his role as vice mayor.
“To try to get likes, clicks, to monetize and pimp out the city of Stockton is intolerable. We’re not doing it anymore,” Fugazi said.
Also at issue were returned checks totaling $4,955 that were issued to Stockton by Lee’s nonprofit, Hollywood Cares Foundation, according to city records cited by Stocktonia.
Lee downplayed the controversy at the meeting and questioned city revenue officer Sharon Dhillon-Ghio about the bounced checks.
“Any time that a check was written from an account that may have been an expired account or an old account or the wrong checkbook, how immediate was the repayment of any money that may have been owed to the city?” he asked.
Dhillon-Ghio said “three weeks was the longest” it took to pay the city and confirmed the foundation now owes “zero.”
Lee was elected District 6 councilmember in 2024, with his term continuing through 2028.
He previously faced allegations that he mishandled $50,000 in public funds connected to bringing the Wild ‘n Out comedy tour to Stockton. An independent review cleared him of wrongdoing but pointed out a “possible lack of awareness of the need to consider ethical standards.”
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