Patterson City Council member resigns, cites Brown Act concerns, possible leaks
Patterson’s City Council member for District B, Jessica Romero, announced her resignation Tuesday, alleging violation of state law and the breach of privileged information.
Romero said what ultimately led to her decision to step down was her realization that she no longer had the ability to effect change while the personal costs to her and her family kept rising.
“When you live in a small town, public attacks don’t stay at City Hall, they follow you home,” Romero said. “I wasn’t willing to keep putting my family and myself at that risk for a seat where my voice no longer carried weight.”
District B encompasses the west side of downtown Patterson and south to the city limit at the Patterson Sports Complex. She has held the position since 2022, when she won with 63% of the vote.
She posted her resignation letter to Facebook around 3 p.m. Tuesday and listed several reasons for stepping down.
She said when she started on the council, there was mutual respect even when members disagreed. “Major decisions weren’t made without the full council present, and commitments made in session were honored. That has changed,” she said.
Mayor Michael Clauzel said he was saddened by her resignation. “From the time we first ran for office together, and throughout our entire tenure on the council, Jessica and I have worked closely side by side in service to this community.”
Clauzel said Romero has his full and unequivocal support as she navigates her next steps. “Her integrity, work ethic and commitment to ethical governance have never wavered,” he said.
Her letter alleges that information from closed sessions possibly was leaked. “What stood out to me was the timing: public comments at meetings that tracked closely to what had been discussed in the prior closed session.”
She said she noticed this primarily around union negotiations and attorney discussions.“Whether the source was staff, attorneys, or council members, accountability on decisions this significant is essential,” she said.
Another topic of concern was the approval of an Alliance Building Solutions contract which she said did not follow the proper bidding process. The contract was for measuring energy efficiency at city facilities pre-and post retrofitting.
She said she and Councilmember Carlos Roque were approached by ABS in September. At the time, she personally did not want to move forward with the project but was pressured by ABS, whose representatives told her other council members were in favor of the contract.
“Then I stopped hearing about it, until it appeared on the March agenda for approval,” Romero said. “That surprised me, because staff had never briefed the full council on it together.”
Before the contract had been seen by the full council, she said, ABS had made public statements that it was expected the project to be approved.
“For a contract this size, that raised serious questions for me about whether proper public process, including the Brown Act, was actually followed, which is exactly why I’ve called for an independent investigation,” she said.
In her letter, she stated that some city leadership may be operating based on concerns around job security rather than in the best interest of the public.
“Lately, the council has taken on far more control over the hiring and removal of city staff than it should,” she said. “When a manager’s standing depends on keeping the majority happy, the risk is that decisions start bending toward what protects a position rather than what serves the public. That’s the dynamic that concerns me.”
Romero also claims that the council has not yet addressed some of the issues described in a report about the city’s Fire Department.
“After seeing the damage from the Tracy warehouse fire, I worry about our own warehouses here. These are real public safety stakes, not politics,” she said.
Romero wanted to be clear that what she is asking for is accountability. She called for an independent investigation into all five council members, including herself, into how certain projects were handled and the environment at City Hall.
“If that investigation clears the city, I hope it helps restore the community’s trust in its local government,” she said. “Right now I don’t have that trust, and I don’t think residents should have to take it on faith.”
