A HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY news mogul is vying to unseat Stockton’s vice mayor this November to represent the city’s southside.
Jason Lee’s dive into local area politics has been anything but quiet.
For example, Lee, who is running against Kimberly Warmsley in District 6, was denied funding by the very City Council he’s trying to join for a youth pilot program. The meeting where the decision was made turned contentious multiple times.
Warmsley was one of five councilmembers to vote against giving Lee the money. A few weeks later Lee announced his candidacy for the vice mayor’s seat.
There are less than three weeks to go until Election Day. Ballots were mailed out last week and the drop-off locations are now open. With the election so close at hand, it’s still unclear how many races will turn out, particularly those at the local level where polling is not usually readily available to the public.
In March, Lee won the primary for Stockton City Council’s District 6 by a wide margin in a field of six candidates with nearly 42% of the vote. Warmsley came in at a distant second with just under 31%. But that doesn’t mean Warmsley won’t pick up enough votes to earn herself a second term in the general election from district residents who chose other candidates during the primary — or for Lee to widen his margin of victory.
Both candidates are Stockton natives and say the commitment they have to their city is what makes them the best choice for the job.
Lee has “the passion and will to do the job” and would bring to the council years of experience as a community organizer if elected, he says, as well as resources and relationships in both the private sector and state and federal government.
“This opportunity to lead the community and city that made me is not a political stepping stool for me,” Lee said in a statement to Stocktonia. “This is my chance to turn my city around. And I will!”
Kimberly Warmsley
However, the vice mayor says she’s already been here doing the work.
“I think that my legislative resume speaks for itself. I am emotionally mature. I’ve been able to formulate good relationships and maintain good relationships. And I understand the need of this community,” Warmsley told Stocktonia. “And I think that it’s disingenuous for someone to come in, who does not have that experience, who does not have that grit and tenacity, to come in to disrupt progress and change.”
Warmsley was first elected to the Stockton City Council during the pandemic in 2020 and sworn in with two of her children by her side.
The current District 6 representative, a licensed clinical therapist, won the seat over her opponent Gloria Allen, a community liaison for Lodi Unified School District, four years ago by a 39-point margin. Mayor Kevin Lincoln named Warmsley as his vice mayor last year.
She says the last few years have been difficult for anyone in political office due to the pandemic and extreme weather events. But the vice mayor told Stocktonia she wants her constituents to know she is genuinely invested in her south Stockton community.
“I’ve lived in this community. I’ve raised children in this community, and I continue to raise children in this community,” Warmsley said, adding that she has been a “proven leader” while representing District 6. “Any decision that I have made has been in the best interest of the community, and I will continue to be invested and make good decisions for this community.”
Jason Lee
Lee, whose full name is Jason Lee Johnson, spent his childhood in Stockton, though he’s since built a career in Southern California.
A self-professed millionaire who has rubbed shoulders with the likes of rapper Kanye West, singer Cardi B and comedian Kevin Hart, Lee has started several foundations and businesses, most notably the news and gossip website Hollywood Unlocked, which has millions of followers.
The Stockton native has followed a path strewn with obstacles, from being raised by a single mother, the victim of senseless violence and minor scrapes with the law to ultimate success in Tinseltown.
But he has also faced a series of lawsuits involving his company’s business practices, questions about whether he really resides in Stockton, and charges he’s trying to use his large war chest to influence the election.
However, Lee wants voters to know that he’s running for City Council because he wants to give them a better future.
“I grew up in Stockton with various challenges. Single mom that ended up on drugs, navigating foster care, being a survivor of gun violence, and losing a brother to the same gun violence, and in spite of all my experiences I still persevered,” Lee said. “I want (District 6 constituents) to know my intention in earning their trust is to lead them to see a safer, healthier, and happier community.”
This story originally appeared in Stocktonia.
The post Lee hopes to upend incumbent Warmsley in high-profile Stockton District 6 council race appeared first on Local News Matters.