STOCKTON- Motecuzoma Sánchez, the Chair of the Charter Review Commission, Strong Community Advisory Committee, and Salary Setting Commission for the City of Stockton has submitted a resignation letter to City Councilmember Michele Padilla who appointed him to the Charter Review Commission, which he was approved for by the City Council unanimously with a 7-0 vote. The letter in full can be read here:
“Dear Councilmember Padilla,
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve our community as your appointed commissioner to the Charter Review Commission. Effective today I am resigning in protest and will no longer be available to serve until a new mayor and council with integrity and independence from special interests like Fritz Grupe and his cronies are elected.
Despite being voted onto the CRC unanimously by the current city council, it is evident that I am now subject to political retaliation due to the recent results of the primary election in which several candidates whom were endorsed by council members Michael Blower et al were eliminated, and candidates I support are in the November runoff.
It is also evident based on the comments by Blower during open session, that he is using his position in government to retaliate against me for exercising my first amendment rights as well as freedom of the press. He made it clear that he has a problem with my media company 209 Times and our reporting of facts that have exposed his friends Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua and councilmember Brando Villapudua and their involvement in an investigation into allegations that Brando sexually molested his own relative when she was 5 to 6 years old.
I refuse to associate with anyone or any organization that would look the other way for such heinous crimes against children. The mayor and rest of the city council have also decided to look the other way and condone the behavior of Brando including his crime of violating the Brown Act while simultaneously slandering others of doing so. The mayor and council members are refusing to hold him accountable and place him on the agenda for censure, as well as refer him to the district attorney and grand jury.
The course of actions and inactions taken by the majority of this current city council, which is operating as a political click that hangs out together, going out for drinks and events on personal business, is unacceptable. It is no coincidence that Blower is also the president of Grupe Real Estate, owned by their puppeteer Fritz Grupe who continues to interfere in Stockton’s politics and government despite not living in our city.
Their continued bullying of you as the only Mexican woman on the city council for the two decades is also unacceptable and something I cannot tolerate. Attacking you by going after your required appointees also sets a precedent that is dangerous and counter productive to democracy. It is my understanding that their politically motivated retaliation has also extended to city employees and staff as well, which I believe is also being orchestrated by city manager Harry Black who apparently controls the city council when it’s supposed to be the other way around. I believe this is the result of undue influence by special interests behind the scenes who are making side agreements with Black regarding developments and funding sources like the $22 million ear marked for the Miracle Mile as secured by disgraced assemblymember Carlos Villapudua. Harry Black was witnessed at his personal home for a Super Bowl party and to me it is no coincidence that shortly after much of this targeting of you and myself began. Brando Villapudua is the brother of Carlos and according to his own bragging, and public violation of the Brown Act via Michael Fitzgerald’s online political blog, was the deciding vote to save Harry Black from being rightfully terminated in March of 2023.
Hopefully candidates with integrity are elected in November and should the current make up of the corrupt council that is choosing to attack my character for reporting on their misdeeds be replaced, I may be available to serve again at a later time. I will add that none of their complaints are related to my actual performance as a commissioner for which I have been the chair as elected by their own appointees, on three separate committees/commissions at the same time. This is a clear case of political retaliation for which I have no time for.
I will continue to support you and your leadership in our district and community.
Sincerely,
Motecúzoma Sánchez, MPA
P. S. I forgot to also mention that this is the same city council and city manager that refused to remove convicted child rapist Sammy Nunez from the City Manager’s Police Accountability Review Board, despite him already being a violent convicted felon with gang ties and arrested for raping his own daughter and nieces. There seems to be a common practice amongst these elected officials to protect child predators.”
