Ousted Vice Mayor claims colleagues used racial dog whistle in power play

Hollywood Unlocked founder turned politician Jason Lee is speaking out about being ousted as Vice Mayor of Stockton, CA. Lee became vice mayor of Stockton after he was elected to the Stockton City Council for District 6 in November 2024. He was appointed to the vice mayor role in January 2025 by Mayor Christina Fugazi, with his term scheduled to end this December. But things have changed as tensions between leadership mount.

Mayor Fugazi and others have accused Lee of turning City Hall into a "reality show,” sensationalizing issues and promoting his stance of such on social media for online engagement. Lee addressed the recent ousting in an exclusive interview with Don Lemon, where he responded to claims he used his position as Vice Mayor to heighten his existing platform.

“The terminology was really interesting because she said I’m ‘pimping out’ Stockton. And this has been something that me and my team, my attorneys, have been calling out from day one. That this racial tropian of putting out these messages of pimping or talking in way that they’re not used to - what they want me to do is to fall in line. And I’m not going to. I’ve been calling out hypocrisy; I’ve been calling out bad governance. I’ve been calling out fraud, waste, and abuse. I told them all at the last council meeting, ‘You all are going to go to jail.’ I continued to tell them, and to remind them, that we took an oath to be honest. And it’s been something that they have failed to accept because I’m not talking like a politician. Because I won’t fall in line and go along to get along. They have a problem with that. And I’m not going to. I get likes, clicks, views, money outside of Stockton politicians. This position is $33,000 a year. Don, it’s not a money-making job. I didn’t go back for the money. I went back to change my community,” he said.

Lee, founder of celebrity gossip site Hollywood Unlocked, famous for breaking the Khloe Kardasian-Jordyn Woods-Tristan Thompson cheating scandal, was stripped of his title this week after the Stockton City Council voted 4-2 to remove him from the leadership position. Lee, who boasts an impressive social media following on his personal account and blog site and has famous friends like Rihanna, was also ousted from the city’s powerful Audit Committee in a separate 6-1 vote. In the latter, Lee was the single “no” vote.

Lee later claimed on social media that he had resigned, though reports indicate otherwise. According to The New York Post, the decision unfolded during a tense City Council meeting where Lee offered to step down before colleagues could formally remove him. After a motion to accept his resignation failed in a 4-3 vote, Mayor Christina Fugazi introduced a separate motion to oust him.

Lee has faced resistance from established political figures in the area, with critics questioning his motives and characterizing his work as controversial. His clashes with colleagues have included disputes with law enforcement over records handling and scrutiny over city payments for a comedy show featuring the media personality. Critics have questioned the use of public funds for the event, with some dismissing it as a spectacle fueled by Lee’s celebrity connections.