Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee shares why he is running for Stockton City Council
(FOX40.COM) — Former reality television star and founder of the entertainment platform Hollywood Unlocked Jason Lee recently announced his run for Stockton City Council and sat down with FOX40.com to talk about what motivated him to run for office.
“It wasn’t something that was a political plan,” Lee said. “I don’t want to be the governor. I don’t want to be the president. I don’t want to be the mayor of Stockton. I want to focus on my district, where my house and my family is – where I grew up and help restore what it was when I was growing up there.”
Hollywood Unlocked founder, Stockton native Jason Lee announces campaign for city council
Lee grew up in south Stockton, where he said he survived being shot, his brother being murdered, and living with an absent father and a mom on drugs. From there, he moved to Los Angeles, starred in the reality show Love & Hip-Hop, worked for Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), and started his own talk show and entertainment blog.
He said he used his “trying times” to fuel his success.
“I realized that all you need is a dream and an idea of what you want to do in life,” Lee said. “If you put in the work and stay consistent you can obtain that.”
Lee said he recently came back to Stockton with hopes of making a positive change in the city’s economy and crime rate.
“When you look at crime and you look at what the contribution to crimes is, it’s not just because kids have access to guns which is a real issue, but it’s the fact that they have nowhere else to go and nothing else to do.”
Lee said that when he grew up in Stockton, the youth had outlets like Golf Land, Naughty Nicks, Hammer Skate, water slides, arcades, and multiple movie theaters. He said all those places are closed down and there’s not much for the younger generation to do besides get into trouble. Lee hopes to change that.
“I’m hoping that I have both the optics and lense of living in and out of Stockton and traveling the world to see what culture and arts look like and provide opportunities for people,” Lee said. “As a part of Stockton City Council, I want to make sure that economic development is a priority.”
Lee said he does not have any specific ordinances or legislation in mind to accomplish his goals because he is focused on winning the election but has been doing research and working with law enforcement and community leaders to learn more about the current issues and build a coalition to develop solutions.
Although there is a lot to do as a representative on a city council, Lee said if elected he will be able to successfully balance being a city official and his endeavors outside of Stockton. He plans to maintain his position of running his talk show and entertainment blog.
“I have employees and I have a great support system,” Lee said. “We’re extremely well-organized as a business, a lot more organized than the business of the city.”
Some Stockton residents have expressed positive feedback about his political run, according to Lee.
“I think that while they’re fans of my career they’re also able to digest my beliefs and love for the city,” Lee said. “There’s so much energy around wanting to see real change. They’re really frustrated.”
On Tuesday, Lee said he was on the front lines of a strike organized by Stockton city workers who handle wastewater, traffic lights and maintenance for city streets and vehicles. The workers said they protested unfair labor practices.
Stockton workers strike against the city
“…I went down to City Hall,” Lee said. “I spent 11 years working for the union and I understand the importance of supporting service workers. These are people that are building a better city for Stockton so they shouldn’t be out in the cold striking with or without pay.”
He added, “(Current leaders) are not even making sure to support the families and the people who are building this city. I did get on the line with them, I did interview them, and I’m going to put content out to support them.”
Lee said he is pro-labor.
“As much money as I’ve made, my feet still haven’t left the ground,” Lee said. “I know what’s important and those people are important. But more importantly, so are the people of Stockton as a whole.”
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