Stockton City Councilmember Michele Padilla may have run afoul of council policy at a community event she hosted over the weekend by providing a public platform for local candidates seeking political office.
The event reportedly cost more than $10,000 to host and was paid for with City Council discretionary funding, which councilmembers are barred from using for political events.
Stocktonia was sent several videos recorded by an attendee of the Saturday-evening event, described as a community BBQ with free food and entertainment in a flier on Padilla’s social media accounts, showing four candidates that are running for office locally in San Joaquin County on a stage with the District 1 councilor and other officials giving speeches that were largely political in nature.
Reached Wednesday evening, Padilla sent a written statement in response to Stocktonia’s request for comment denying she’d done anything inappropriate.
“Your question implying that there was a $10,000 expenditure on a ‘political event’ seems to impose judgment before presenting all the facts,” Padilla wrote, noting this was the second year in a row that she’s hosted the community BBQ in her Council district.
Padilla said she’s well aware of California state law surrounding the use of public resources and that she “can emphatically state that there was no violation.”
“Every expenditure of public funds for this event was reviewed by legal counsel from the city and approved,” Padilla wrote. “This event was open to the public, and all community members, elected or not, had the opportunity to speak. I believe in upholding the First Amendment right to speech and do not censor community members.” …
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Cassie Dickman 