Stockton mayoral candidate says he's faced 'malicious' attacks by colleagues but survived

After seven years as part of San Joaquin County's often-chaotic board of supervisors and a 2022 run for Congress, Supervisor Tom Patti is seeking office again — this time as Stockton's mayor.

The Long Island-born, Stockton-raised official from District 3 — which includes French Camp, Manteca, Lathrop and west county — is one of six people competing for Stockton's political leadership heading into the March 5 primary.

Patti's time on the board has been tumultuous: he's faced ethics and HR investigations and a DUI conviction during his two terms.

The supervisor claims his challenges on the board boil down to "divisive and malicious" attacks by colleagues and has a message for voters: "I have been politically targeted, and I've survived."

What does Patti represent?

Patti’s top issue is arguably Stockton’s top issue: homelessness.

As a supervisor, Patti worked to steer San Joaquin County away from the “housing first” approach, where officials start by seeking permanent housing for homeless people to help them with their work on issues like getting clean.

Patti favors putting money toward temporary shelters instead, he said.

“The housing first model isn’t addressing the issue fully ... when I was (board) chairman, I shifted the county and the narrative,” he said. “I’m very proud of that shift.”

He and the board recently voted to create a new homelessness case management program under the county probation department, he said.

Patti’s often repeated catchphrase is, “What can we do different, better or more?” He comes across as energetic and describes himself as a team player.

That includes with Stockton City Manager Harry Black, he said.

Black and current Mayor Kevin Lincoln have sometimes clashed, and the council is expected to debate what authority each should hold over gathering and releasing city information to the public.

“It’s not a strong mayor (system),” Patti said. “You must work and collaborate with the city manager. It shouldn’t be a tug of war. And it shouldn’t be a clash.”

“My first day in office, I'll walk right into the city manager’s office ... sit down in front of him and go, what’s on the plate, and how can we get things done?”

Patti's bid for the mayor's seat depends on whether voters can overlook the political and legal troubles linked to him.

A trail of investigations

In 2018, then-District 4 supervisor Chuck Winn asked county attorneys to determine if Patti's comment in The Record broke board ethics rules.

Patti had told The Record he thought Dr. Bennet Omalu - a forensic pathologist famous for his research on NFL players' concussions - would be the best hire for the county's chief medical examiner job.

Hiring was under way at the time, and though Omalu had worked for the county until 2017 he wasn't believed to be a candidate.

The board voted 3-2 against censuring Patti.

In 2021, the board approved a $380,000 lobbying contract with a company that included Patti’s former campaign consultant and a campaign donor.

Patti acknowledged that he didn’t mention the connection during the company’s pitch to the board or the vote on the deal.

The board voted to explore re-opening bids for the job, meeting records show.

Less than a year later, in April 2022, an independent investigator found that Patti had retaliated against then-District 2 supervisor Katherine Miller's staffer after the staffer complained about Patti to HR.

The board deadlocked on whether to take further action. The staffer resigned.

In October 2022, during Patti's run for Congress, the board reviewed yet another ethics investigation into the supervisor.

The board once again voted 3-2 against censuring Patti.

A copy of the report leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle showed independent investigators found Patti "threatened" county staff and community organization members, the paper reported.

Following the inquiry, the supervisor failed to convince the board to rewrite its ethics rules.

Patti says the investigations were political attacks.

"There are some people that look at the position they hold as political opposition, or ambition, or they have ulterior motives," he said.

As mayor, Patti says he likely wouldn’t seek to overhaul city ethics guidelines. However, he didn’t commit outright to cooperating if he came under investigation in the mayor’s office.

“I’m 100% in favor of open and transparent accountability," he said. "What I'm not in favor of is booby traps. ‘Gotcha’ politics.'"

Patti has also faced legal issues outside public life over the past decade.

In 2019, California’s attorney general charged him with driving under the influence of a drug, court records show. The supervisor insisted it was a prescription.

“If you accidentally take the wrong pill, that’s not a (drug) habit, that’s a human mistake,” Patti said in 2020.

Last year, court records show that Patti sued a Florida company after it allegedly didn’t repay his $100,000 investment in a COVID mask manufacturing deal. That case appears ongoing, records show.

What's next for Patti?

Patti said he has a guiding rule as an elected official: "You can never make a decision (that's) to the sacrifice of many to the benefit of some."

If he wins the mayor's seat, the public will see if he acts on his stated ideals at city hall. 

“This is an old saying that I believe is true,” Patti said, quoting his former boxing trainer, Cus D’Amato. “What a person does in the end is what they intended to do all along.”

If he doesn’t win, Patti doesn’t have specific plans about what he’ll do next, he said. Beyond politics, Patti is a real estate investor and holds interests in Delta Power Wash and a local crane company, he said.

His term on the county board ends this year.

Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers public safety. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow

This article originally appeared on The Record: Will Patti's rocky track record hinder his chances at Stockton Mayor?