Residents Report Prior Warnings About Registered Sex Offender Connected to $157,000 Manteca City Contract

At the center is Mayor Singh’s alleged friend, Robert Wolfe, a co-owner of Manteca Property Services, a company contracted to remove homeless encampments and perform cleanup services in parks and other public areas.

According to KCRA 3, Wolfe was convicted in 2009 of felony lewd or lascivious acts against a child under 14. He served time in state prison and was released in 2016. Wolfe is listed on California’s s*x offender registry.

The Manteca Bulletin identified Wolfe as a co-owner of the company alongside his wife. Manteca Property Services has performed contracted cleanup work for the City since December 2023, with its most recent $157,000 contract approved by the City Council in March 2026.

Following public outrage, the City suspended the contract. But a potentially more consequential question remains:

Did Mayor Gary Singh know about Wolfe’s criminal history before voting on his contract?

Residents speaking at the October 6 Council meeting said they had previously warned Singh that Wolfe was a registered s*x offender.

On October 8, we submitted a formal inquiry to both Singh and City Manager Toni Lundgren, asking when Singh first learned about Wolfe’s convictions.

Only Lundgren responded.

Singh separately addressed the controversy on social media, issuing a public apology and acknowledging shortcomings in the City’s handling of the matter.

However, neither his public statements nor Lundgren’s written response answered the questions concerning his prior knowledge.

In her written response Lundgren maintained that the City complied with applicable law. “The City followed the law when it awarded this contract,” she wrote.

Lundgren explained that municipal procurement procedures evaluate businesses rather than conducting criminal background checks on individual contractor employees. She stated that California law does not require such screening for this type of work.

Nevertheless, she acknowledged that legal compliance might not be sufficient. “Our community has told us the law isn’t enough, and I agree,” Lundgren wrote.

She confirmed that the City is reviewing contractor screening, supervision, work near playgrounds, and its authority to require personnel changes.

Mayoral challenger Jacob Naven called for an independent, third-party investigation into the City’s procurement practices. “Suspending a single contract after public outcry is a reactive band-aid on a systemic failure,” Naven stated.

Singh publicly apologized, stating, “We should have done better. And we will.”

But promises of future reforms do not establish whether the mayor knew and when.