Former Modesto Mayor Carmen Sabatino dies at 82
Carmen Sabatino, a former Modesto mayor, restaurateur and longtime adversary of local government agencies and officials, died New Year’s Day.
Mr. Sabatino was 82, according to public records. Information about services was not available.
While family members could not be reached for comment, reports of his death circulated on social media and acquaintances reported to The Bee that Mr. Sabatino died Wednesday after entering hospice.
County spokeswoman Amy Vickery confirmed Friday that county vital records has an unofficial report that someone named Carmen Sabatino died Wednesday in Hughson. (That is where the Alexander Cohen Hospice House is located.)
“It’s an unofficial report and does not become official until it has been validated,” Vickery said, adding that can take as many as eight days. Additional information will not be available until the death is validated.
Community Hospice officials declined to comment, citing confidentiality laws that prevent them from talking about any patient or even confirming whether someone is a patient.
In addition to his public career, Mr. Sabatino was a retired teacher, having taught at Downey and then Beyer high schools.
He was a consistent candidate for office, campaigning more than a dozen times since 1974. The offices he sought included City Council, mayor and the Modesto Irrigation District board. He was among the seven candidates for mayor in the November 2020 election.
Mr. Sabatino said in later years he ran in order to raise the issues that other candidates would not. That included what he saw as corruption, backroom dealing and cronyism among local officials. He criticized City Hall, Stanislaus County government, the Modesto Chamber of Commerce and other local institutions.
Mr. Sabatino was elected to office once, an upset victory in 1999 for mayor.
“He made some good points from time to time, but he was a little bit on the hostile side to me,” said county Supervisor Jim DeMartini. “He was just confrontational for no reason. He was a colorful character. That is for sure.
“There was always some conspiracy, some impropriety that he had to expose. ... I don’t know what his legacy will be, but there was no one like him. I made an effort to get along with him, but he was hard to get along with.”
Mr. Sabatino had his die-hard supporters and could show great kindness.
He beat then Mayor Dick Lang in a December 1999 runoff election. Mr. Sabatino’s four years in office were marked by controversy — as mayor he could be vindictive and petty but also charming and funny as well as brave.
Under his tenure, City Council meetings turned into marathons. Mr. Sabatino made no apologies for how he conducted meetings.
“It was tumultuous; it was the greatest show in town,” Mr. Sabatino said in 2015 when he again ran for mayor. “I have to tell you leadership sometimes draws fire, and I drew my share of fire.”
And his tenure as mayor was marked by criminal charges. The district attorney’s office filed 11 felonies against Mr. Sabatino in August 2003. He lost his re-election as mayor three months later.
He went to trial in 2006 after rejecting a plea deal that would have led to a $4,773 fine and the dismissal of all charges. He was tried on 10 felonies that alleged he misused the mayor’s office and employees at his restaurant.
The accusations included failing to report personal loans on financial disclosure statements required of elected officials, asking city workers to do his personal business, such as picking up his dry cleaning, and deducting lunch breaks from his restaurant workers’ time cards whether they took lunch or not.
The trial ended in a mistrial, and the district attorney’s office did not retry the case. Mr. Sabatino referred to the corruption charges as little more than a political vendetta.
He also trained his criticism on local law enforcement and District Attorney Birgit Fladager. Mr. Sabatino was adamant that the prosecution of prominent Modesto defense attorney Frank Carson, which ended in an acquittal, was part of a larger web of corruption. Carson defended Mr. Sabatino during his own corruption trial.
His McHenry Avenue restaurant, Sabatino’s Ristorante, is closed and phone calls have not been returned. A sign at the restaurant says it is closed for the holidays.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 4:42 PM.
