Stockton City Council candidates draw criticism over anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
Stockton City Council candidates draw criticism over anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
Hannah Workman, The Stockton RecordWed, May 6, 2026 at 11:36 PM UTC
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Two Stockton City Council District 3 candidates, Joey Veltri and Jessica Toccoli, are facing pushback over campaign mailers and text messages that critics called anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
Veltri, a realtor, and Toccoli, an educator, are challenging District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower in the June 2 primary election. Stefanie Alfaro, who has no ballot designation, is also in the race. The council is nonpartisan.
Veltri campaign text message draws criticism
The pushback against Veltri came Tuesday after Stockton resident Gaby Gonzalez shared a screenshot on social media of a text message labeled "Paid for by Veltri for City Council FPPC #1488903." The message referenced a June 2025 article by The Record about the city council's unanimous vote to fly the Pride flag over city hall each June.
The campaign text message said, "A Pride flag will fly over Stockton City Hall for years to come as Michael Blower joins openly gay Councilmembers Jason Lee and Mario Enríquez to push an agenda that has no positive effect on making Stockton a cleaner or safer city. Please vote for anyone other than Michael Blower."
Veltri's campaign website offered a stark contrast to the text message, stating he "believes strongly in restoring unity and collaboration at city hall" and "is committed to working with fellow councilmembers, community leaders and residents to move the city forward together."
The website also states that Veltri is the associate director of Café Coop, a nonprofit cooperative incubator business for social entrepreneurs, freelancers and artists in Stockton. The nonprofit was founded in 2014 by Esperanza Vielma, who is Mayor Christina Fugazi’s chief heat policy advisor.
More: How and where to vote in the 2026 San Joaquin County primary election
Neither Veltri nor his campaign responded by Wednesday's deadline to a request from The Record for comment on the statement and the concerns raised.
The campaign text message drew a response from Lee, who criticized it as a "direct, homophobic attack" sent by Veltri's campaign to voters.
"We take an oath to represent everyone," Lee said in a statement on social media. "That means leading with respect, even when we disagree. What we're seeing from a District 3 candidate, who is closely aligned with Councilwoman Michele Padilla, isn't leadership. It's division, distraction and an attempt to weaponize identity for political gain."
Lee also posted photos on social media showing Padilla and Fugazi with Veltri.
The same day, Stockton Democrats Together, a chartered Democratic club that works to support and elect local Democrats, issued a statement condemning the Veltri campaign's text message and calling it "textbook prejudice" that "has no place in Stockton."
The club called on Veltri to immediately remove the advertisement, issue a public disavowal and explain to Stockton voters whether the messaging reflects his values and intentions as a candidate for public office.
"This is not a policy critique," Stockton Democrats Together said in the statement, referring to the text message. "It does not reference a vote Councilmember Blower cast, a budget he supported or a public safety decision he made. It invokes the sexual orientation of two colleagues as the sole basis for opposing his reelection. That is anti-LGBTQ+ political targeting, and it is a deliberate appeal to prejudice, not principle."
Pride flag vote cited amid backlash
The council's vote to raise the Pride flag came during Pride Month in 2025, when at least three hate incidents were reported in Stockton. Those included vandalism at the Central Valley Gender Health and Wellness Center, where a rock was thrown through a front window near a prominently displayed transgender flag, and the tearing down of multiple Pride flags by individuals in the community. The Stockton Police Department opened investigations into the incidents as potential hate crimes.
"The Pride flag that Councilmembers Blower, Lee and Enríquez championed was raised in that same climate," the club said. "The vote served as a signal to LGBTQ+ Stocktonians that their city sees and stands with them. The unanimous council vote to fly that flag was not a partisan stunt. It was a civic response to documented community harm."
Blower defended the council's 2025 vote to raise the Pride flag, saying it reflected an effort to recognize all residents while supporting military families and veterans.
"I voted for a flag policy that recognizes the full strength of our community — including flying the Pride flag and the flags of each branch of our armed forces," Blower said. "It passed unanimously."
Blower said he represents "everyone" in District 3 and described his opponents' rhetoric as divisive instead of focused on issues such as public safety, homelessness, economic growth and city services.
"Stockton voters deserve better than that," Blower said. "I'm focused on bringing people together and delivering real solutions for our city's future."
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Vice Mayor Jason Lee, city council member Mario Enríquez and Tracy Mayor Dan Arriola pose for a photo during the Pride flag raising event at Stockton City Hall in Stockton Monday, June 2, 2025.Candidates, officials weigh in on rhetoric
Allyson Aranda, a Lincoln Unified School District trustee representing Area 1 and a District 3 resident, said she condemned the rhetoric as homophobic and endorsed Blower.
"I unequivocally condemn the homophobic rhetoric from candidates in the City Council District 3 race," Aranda said. "I stand with Councilmembers Mario Enríquez and Jason Lee. No one should be targeted for who they are. Stockton deserves leaders who treat every resident with dignity and focus on real issues. I’m proud to support Michael Blower for his record, his integrity and his commitment to Stockton."
Desiree Lynch, a candidate for Stockton City Council District 5, also criticized the messaging and expressed support for the city’s Pride flag policy.
"I'm deeply disappointed by the blatant homophobia recently displayed by a city council candidate in north Stockton," Lynch said. "Attacks on the LGBTQ+ community do not reflect the values of our city and only divide people at a time when we should be focused on bringing Stockton together."
Lynch, a nurse and healthcare provider, said she supported raising the Pride and Progressive flags because they represent "inclusion, dignity and respect for all members of our community."
"If elected to the Stockton City Council, I will represent everyone equally — regardless of who they are, who they love, or where they come from," Lynch said. "Hate and intolerance have no place in local government."
San Joaquin Pride Center condemns messaging
The San Joaquin Pride Center, an LGBTQ+ community center that serves San Joaquin County and provides counseling, outreach, education and training for the public and private sectors, issued its own statement Tuesday condemning the Veltri campaign's text message.
It also condemned a letter from Toccoli to voters in which she criticized pro-LGBTQ+ policies.
In the letter, Toccoli said Blower "backed policies allowing drag performers to read to children in public libraries and community centers."
No Stockton City Council policy has been publicly documented as allowing drag performers to read to children in public libraries and community centers.
"The anti-LGBTQ fearmongering in these mailers is embarrassing, divisive and wildly disconnected from what Stockton residents actually need from leadership," the San Joaquin Pride Center said in the statement. "Pride flags are not causing potholes. Drag performers are not controlling the city budget. Gay people are not the reason your commute sucks."
Toccoli's letter included several other claims, among them that Blower "voted to make Stockton a sanctuary city and directed police not to cooperate with federal law enforcement."
Stockton has not been formally designated a sanctuary city but adopted a compassionate city resolution in January focused on immigrant rights and community trust, according to city records. City policies limit certain cooperation with federal immigration authorities under state law.
Additionally, Toccoli's letter said Blower "voted to impose mandatory DEI policies on the entire city of Stockton."
City records show no such citywide mandate. The city has, however, restored its diversity, equity and inclusion officer position, which develops and implements strategies to promote equity within municipal operations.
The letter indicates that a campaign committee supporting Toccoli's bid for the District 3 seat has been established but has not yet completed its formal registration with state campaign finance regulators. A campaign website has also not been set up.
Toccoli listed a cellphone number in the letter and encouraged readers to call or text her directly. A Record reporter tried twice Tuesday to reach her at the number provided for comment on this article but was unsuccessful. An automated message said the call could not be completed, and no voicemail could be left.
The mailers are among the most prominent public statements Veltri and Toccoli have made this election season. Neither attended a candidate forum organized by the San Joaquin County Civic Alliance in April despite being invited.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton council candidates criticized over anti-LGBTQ+ campaign messaging
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