As Stockton’s councilmembers gear up for their first meeting of the New Year today, city documents hint at another shakeup in leadership on the horizon.
This time, it appears City Attorney Lori Asuncion might be on her way out. Two items lined up for discussion during the meeting’s closed session suggest the council is set to tackle the “discipline/dismissal release” of an unnamed public employee. Emails obtained by Stocktonia confirm that the employee in question is Asuncion.
Who might step in if Asuncion gets the boot is already up for discussion as well, with the next agenda item focusing on the appointment for the role of “City Attorney.”
This kind of agenda looked familiar last January, when former City Manager Harry Black resigned just before being fired. And if that name rings bells, it’s because his departure cracked the door open to a year full of dysfunction that many residents are still recovering from.
Black’s exit kicked off a tumultuous year marked by City Hall controversies, including a mass exit of city employees, many from top positions. Public disputes spilled into meetings. Leadership rotated like a bad DJ set. Four different city managers cycled through in a single year. Meanwhile, residents packed chambers pleading for unity, professionalism, and leadership that didn’t feel like a reality show.
Now, it seems Stockton may be starting 2026 exactly where it left off.
Closed Session Agenda Signals Possible Dismissal of City Attorney
The closed-session language alone raised eyebrows. “Discipline/dismissal release” is not vague on accident. It’s deliberate. And when paired with an immediate follow-up agenda item about appointing a new city attorney, the message feels loud even without a microphone.
According to emails obtained by Stocktonia, City Attorney Lori Asuncion is the employee tied to the item. While the public won’t hear details due to the closed-session nature, the sequence tells its own story.
Timing matters. Just weeks into the new year, the council is already entertaining the removal of another top official. For a city still bruised from last year’s leadership instability, this feels less like progress and more like déjà vu with a worse soundtrack.
And yet, this isn’t happening in a vacuum. The push comes amid simmering internal conflict, shifting alliances, and an ongoing power struggle that continues to play out both on the dais and behind the scenes.
Residents have seen this movie before. And last time, the ending wasn’t pretty.
Council Infighting Resurfaces Just Weeks Into 2026
The tension isn’t hypothetical. It’s documented.
Just two weeks into 2026, council divisions are already spilling into public view. Councilmembers Brando Villapudua and Michele Padilla formally asked the city clerk to keep their involvement in Tuesday’s review of the city attorney’s position confidential.
Emails obtained by Stocktonia confirm Villapudua requested the item be added to the agenda. Councilmembers Padilla and Mariela Ponce backed him up. Neither Villapudua nor Ponce responded to inquiries about their motivations. Padilla said she couldn’t comment.
Confidential requests. Closed sessions. No explanations. That combination doesn’t sit well in a city where trust in leadership is already thin.
Transparency has been a recurring demand from residents. Yet, actions like this only deepen the divide between City Hall and the people it serves.
Mayor Christina Fugazi Calls Out Councilmembers Over Transparency
On Monday, Mayor Christina Fugazi didn’t stay quiet.
She publicly called out Vice Mayor Jason Lee along with Councilmembers Michael Blower and Mario Enríquez on social media, accusing them of “unfairly” targeting the newly appointed city manager by pushing for a performance review to be added to Tuesday’s agenda.
Fugazi took issue not just with the review itself, but with how it was added. She raised concerns about transparency and process, especially so early into the city manager’s tenure.
“Our city deserves continuity, and our staff deserve to know that their work will not be undermined by abrupt or unexplained actions,” Fugazi stated.
Her post included a photo of her alongside newly appointed City Manager Johnny Ford, both smiling at a conference table. She expressed her “full confidence in our City Manager.”
Councilmember Michael Blower Pushes Back
Councilmember Michael Blower wasn’t having it.
He responded to Stocktonia Monday evening, pushing back on the mayor’s characterization of the review.
“There’s no other action attached to this. It’s not a negative in any way,” Blower said.
“So for the mayor to turn this into a big deal, I think, is pretty hypocritical.”
He went further.
“Especially considering apparently other councilmembers put an item (on the agenda) to not just review but to dismiss our very competent, ethical and honest city attorney, yet she doesn’t call them out,” he added.
At that point, the contradiction became impossible to ignore. Public outrage over transparency on one agenda item. Silence on another that could cost someone their job.
Longstanding Conflict Between Villapudua and the City Attorney
The move against Asuncion didn’t come out of nowhere.
Emails obtained by Stocktonia show an ongoing conflict between Councilmember Brando Villapudua and the city attorney that stretches back at least six months. This marks at least the second time Villapudua has sought a review of Asuncion.
In a Jan. 7 email to City Clerk Katherine Roland, Villapudua requested to add a six-month performance review of the city attorney to Tuesday’s agenda. Padilla and Ponce supported the request.
Roland informed Villapudua that Asuncion’s last review took place on August 12, meaning a six-month review couldn’t occur until mid-February.
After a brief exchange, Villapudua adjusted his request to focus solely on possible discipline, dismissal, or release of the city attorney.
Emails show Padilla and Ponce backing that request as well. And just like that, the scope shifted.