Former Stockton City Councilmember Ralph Lee White said he has been told by city and county officials that they will “sign off” on his law suit to be added to the ballot in Stockton’s 6th City Council District.
White, who claimed he was disqualified from the ballot unfairly, officially filed at San Joaquin County Superior Court on Friday and expects the case to be heard on Tuesday. If he is added to the ballot, he will run against incumbent Kimberly Warmsley, businessman Jason Lee and Zoyla Moreno, Satnam Singh and Ronnie Murray in the March 5th primary. The 6th District is the southern most district in Stockton.
“I expect to be on the ballot,” said White. “I should never have been disqualified, and they know it. The city and the county have signed off on (his being reinstated).”
Attempts to contact Stockton City Clerk Eliza Garza and San Joaquin County Attorney Edward J. Kiernan were unsuccessful. San Joaquin County Registrar Olivia Hale referred questions to Kiernan and stated her office “didn’t contest” White’s assertions.
White filed his suit against the city and county, claiming his candidate paperwork was not handled properly and he did not have adequate time to respond to issues with that paperwork.
To qualify to run for the city council or Mayor, the Stockton City Charter states “nominating papers for candidates for the City Council and Mayor shall be signed by not less than ten (10) nor more than twenty-five (25) persons. White said he filed his paperwork, along with the 10 signatures, in late November, several days ahead of the December 8 deadline. According to White, he was informed 25 minutes before the deadline on Dec. 8 that three of his signatures were not valid. He was disqualified at the deadline.
“How does that happen? How is that fair?” asked the 80-year-old White. “I was the first one to file, and my paperwork was the last sent over by the city. In the past, they would tell you that you should file early so that if there’s a problem, you have time to correct it. That’s the fair way to do it.”
White, 80, a successful businessman and civil rights activist, served on the council for 16 years (1971-87). His last election was decertified in 1987 over election code violations. He has run for office several times since leaving the council, most recently for Stockton Mayor in 2020.
White sued the City of Stockton earlier this year over a 2008 land deal, with the city council settling his claim for $750,000.
