As voters weigh their choices for the Stockton City Council District 3 seat, candidate Jessica Toccoli has skipped public forums, avoided community events and circulated mailers with altered newspaper headlines, leaving few chances for residents to hear her platform firsthand.
Toccoli, an educator, is seeking to unseat District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower. Other challengers in the race include realtor and business owner Joey Veltri and Stefanie Alfaro, who listed no ballot designation.
Unlike Blower and Alfaro, Toccoli did not attend any public candidate forums during the election cycle. Forums give voters an opportunity to compare candidates side by side and hear their positions on local issues.
The Record asked Toccoli why she chose not to participate in forums, whether attending public forums is an essential part of running for office, and how she would respond to voters who rely on forums to evaluate candidates. She did not respond.
Toccoli also does not maintain a campaign website outlining her platform or policy positions.
Questions about Toccoli’s campaign outreach have emerged following criticism of her mailers by local organizations.
In May, the San Joaquin Pride Center, an LGBTQ+ community center serving San Joaquin County, issued a statement condemning a letter Toccoli sent to voters.
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.
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.
A second mailer sent later in May also drew scrutiny after including altered versions of stories from The Record.
One image in the mailer shows a Record article with the headline “Stockton becomes latest ‘Sanctuary city’ for immigrants” and attributes the approval to Blower. The original headline read, “Stockton becomes latest ‘compassionate city’ for immigrants.” The mailer also changed the story’s first paragraph, replacing “compassionate city” with “sanctuary city.”
Sanctuary cities generally restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, while compassionate city resolutions emphasize equal treatment of residents but do not prohibit cooperation with federal authorities.
The Record asked Toccoli what role she played in reviewing or approving the mailers and whether she was aware the headlines had been modified. She did not respond.
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In a Facebook post, Vice Mayor Jason Lee said he contacted Toccoli because voters deserve answers and that what he heard was troubling.
“She allegedly didn’t approve the mailers herself and was told not to attend community forums and not to worry about what was being sent to voters on her behalf,” Lee said. “Think about that for a second. If someone wants your vote but won’t show up, won’t speak for themselves and won’t take responsibility for their own campaign, how can they possibly stand up for District 3 when it matters most?”
Reached for comment by phone, Blower criticized Toccoli’s latest mailer.
“It was disappointing to see such blatant lies put in a mailer and misrepresentations,” Blower said. “I’ve always preferred running a clean campaign, and I wish everybody did the same.”
It is unclear who is running Toccoli’s campaign. Toccoli did not respond when asked who her campaign manager is or how voters can learn more about her platform outside of campaign mailers.
Toccoli also has not filed a Form 460, a campaign finance disclosure required of candidates or officeholders who have a controlled committee or who raise or spend, or expect to raise or spend, $2,000 or more in a calendar year in connection with an election or holding office, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission.
The Record asked Toccoli to explain her compliance with Form 460 filing requirements. She did not respond.
State records from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing show Toccoli holds an intern education specialist credential valid through January 2027 and a 30-day substitute teaching permit valid through July 2026.
Voters will choose the next District 3 representative on June 2. A candidate must receive a majority of votes to win outright. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff in the general election.
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: Toccoli questioned over mailers, outreach in Stockton City Council race
Reporting by Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record / The Record
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