Item 3 Public Comment Provided by
Dismal Freedom Press
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CORRECTED — Formal Written Submission for the Record — Dismal Freedom Press — June 8, 2026 City Council Meeting — Five Documented Governance Failures - May 11, 2026 From DFP Staff <[email protected]>
Date Mon 6/8/2026 3:19 PM
To website_cco <[email protected]>
Cc website_cao < [email protected]>; City Manager Website Directed E-Mail <[email protected]>; Paul Akinjo < [email protected]>; Jennifer Torres - O'Callaghan <[email protected]>
U 1 attachment (183 KB)
DFP_AccountabilityRecord_June8_2026_FINAL.pdf;
City Clerk Vargas,
Thank you for your office's professionalism in processing submissions for the record.
Dismal Freedom Press submits the attached accountability record for entry into the official record of the June 8, 2026 Lathrop City Council Regular Meeting.
An earlier transmission of this document was attempted today under the subject line "Formal Written Submission for the Record — Dismal Freedom Press — June 8, 2026 City Council Meeting — Five Documented Governance Failures — May 11, 2026." Dismal Freedom Press has not confirmed whether that transmission was successfully received by the City Clerk's office. If it was received, the version attached to this email supersedes it and should replace the prior version in the official record. If it was not received, this email constitutes the sole submission.
The attached document covers the following:
Five documented governance failures from the May 11, 2026 regular meeting, sourced to the official meeting transcript, CPRA responses PRA26-147 and PRA26-149, and six months of official City Council minutes and agendas. The document includes formal requests directed to this Council and a current CPRA status table.
Relevant agenda items for tonight's meeting: Item 3 (Citizen's Forum), Item 4.2 (Approval of May 11 Minutes), Item 4.3 (Ordinance 26-482), and Item 6.1 (Planning Commission Appointments).
Dismal Freedom Press respectfully requests that this document be distributed to all City Council members, the City Manager, and the City Attorney prior to or at the commencement of tonight's session.
Dismal Freedom Press
Investigations Desk
[email protected]
(209) 425-2677
dismalfreedom.press
249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336
DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026
DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS
ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD
City of Lathrop • City Council • May 11, 2026 Regular Meeting Prepared: May 22, 2026 • Updated: June 8, 2026 • Next Meeting: June 8, 2026 • 7:00 PM • 390 Towne Centre Drive Document Purpose: Public Comment Preparation • CPRA Companion Record • Formal Record of Accountability Failures
SECTION 1 • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This document records documented misconduct, misrepresentations, and governance failures that occurred at the Lathrop City Council regular meeting of May 11, 2026. It is compiled by Dismal Freedom Press as the basis for public comment, formal demands, and ongoing investigative reporting. All findings are grounded in the official meeting transcript, the CPRA response received from the City of Lathrop (PRA26-147, 132 files), direct written correspondence, public grant calendar records, six months of official City Council minutes and agendas, and resident experience documented by a credentialed journalist present at the meeting.
This record is updated as of June 8, 2026 to incorporate new information surfaced by the June 8 agenda, including items directly relevant to the five accountability failures documented below.
BOTTOM LINE: FIVE ACCOUNTABILITY FAILURES IN ONE MEETING
1. A police chief stated on the public record that his program was "exactly what she was asking us to do"- when the written request explicitly stated it was "not simply an event about wearing helmets" and asked specifically for driver education on California yield laws. The Mayor's own question to the Chief proves he understood the two were not the same. The Chief's answer is the misrepresentation.
2. An appointed council member claimed unawareness of professional development resources that appear in his own prior voting record - then used that claimed unawareness to object exclusively to conferences serving women and minority communities in a majority-minority city whose voters declined to elect him in November 2024.
3. A waste contractor's General Manager gave the Council service standards that contradict what residents are told when they call — two years in a row — while officials who had received a formal franchise compliance complaint three months earlier said nothing.
4. A rate increase for that contractor was approved in the same meeting where service failures were raised on the public record.
5. The City Manager and the City Attorney's office gave contradictory accounts of whether a Language Access Policy exists — in a city where 51.4% of residents speak a non-English language at home and the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act mandates compliance.
All of this happened in one meeting. A contextual review of prior session public records is documented in Section 10. A June 8, 2026 agenda analysis connecting new consent calendar items to the documented failures is documented in Section 11.
[email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press - 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 2 • CHIEF STEPHEN SEALY - ON-RECORD MISREPRESENTATION
2.1 - THE MISREPRESENTATION
On May 11, 2026, Lathrop Police Chief Stephen Sealy stated publicly that his "Know the Rules, Ride Safe" program was responsive to a formal written request submitted on March 23, 2026 for a driver and traffic safety education event. In the same meeting, Mayor Paul Akinjo publicly acknowledged that the program was not what was requested. The Chief of Police and the Mayor gave contradictory accounts of the same program on the public record in the same meeting.
THE DIRECT CONTRADICTION - IN THE OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT
Chief Sealy, May 11, 2026: "This is exactly what she was asking us to do." Mayor Akinjo, same meeting: asked Sealy directly what the difference was between his program and what the constituent had requested - confirming he understood the two were not the same.
Written request, March 23, 2026: "This is not simply an event about wearing helmets," Explicitly requested driver education on CVC §§ 21804 and 21950 — yield laws at driveways and crosswalks - distracted driving, and pedestrian right-of-way.
2.2 • WHY THIS IS MISREPRESENTATION, NOT MISREADING
Misreading is a processing error - forgivable and not available as a defense here because the record proves the request was correctly understood. Mayor Akinjo's March 30, 2026 internal email - produced in the CPRA response (PRA26-147) — shows him forwarding the request to the Vice Mayor and city staff, writing: "is this an Idea to be considered? ... an educational component may not be a bad Idea." He engaged the request on its actual terms. His own question to Sealy at May 11 further confirms he understood the two programs were not the same. The request was comprehensible. The misrepresentation was not the result of confusion.
MAYOR AKINJO - INTERNAL EMAIL, MARCH 30, 2026 (PRA26-147) "Good afternoon Madam V/M is this an Idea to be considered? Perhaps we can combine or engage them with LPD to include bikes and scooters. We are already spending a lot of money on Traffic and safety, an educational component may not be a bad Idea. What do you think Ma'am.!!!" The Vice Mayor's staffer replied: "The Vice Mayor already asked Sealy to get some community awareness scheduled. Not sure where he is at with it."
The Mayor called it a good idea. He forwarded it internally. He did not reply to the constituent who sent it.
2.3 - WHAT WAS ACTUALLY REQUESTED
The March 23, 2026 request — and follow-ups on March 30 and April 1 - explicitly requested driver education, crosswalk accountability, and vehicle code compliance programming for motorists. The initial outreach was prompted by a near-miss vehicle incident involving a seven-year-old child at Mossale Landing Elementary School, timed to National Bicycle Safety Month in May. Additional incidents occurred during the period of non-response:
• Near-miss at Mossdale Landing Elementary School — the incident that prompted the March 23 outreach. Documented and reported.
Crosswalk violation at Autumn Rain Drive and McKee Road - occurred during the non-response period. A Tesla driver went around a child actively crossing in a marked crosswalk. The non- emergency line was called. Officer Siler responded and took a statement. A police report exists. [email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 • Incident at Golden Spike Trail and Towne Centre Drive — occurred during the non-response period.
Documented in CPRA request PRA26-147, Section III, on file with Dismal Freedom Press.
The request was for the people behind the wheel. Not for children on bicycles.
2.4 • WHAT THE PROGRAM ACTUALLY IS
"Know the Rules, Ride Safe" is a bicycle safety program targeted at child cyclists. It teaches helmet use and cone navigation. It is not a driver education program. It is not a crosswalk awareness program. It does not address the Vehicle Code compliance failures that prompted the original request.
2.5 • THE GRANT TIMELINE PROVES PRIOR PLANNING
OTS Grant Milestone Date
Grant applications due January 31, 2025
Grant awards announced June 2025
Program operational start October 1, 2025
Constituent's first written request March 23, 2026
The OTS grant cycle confirms the underlying training program existed before the March 23 request. The specific May 16 event Sealy presented was described on the record as created in response to a community request forwarded by the Vice Mayor - not the OTS grant. When Mayor Akinjo asked directly what the difference was between that event and what the constituent had asked for, Sealy replied: "This is exactly what she was asking us to do." That statement is in the official transcript. It is contradicted by the written text of the request. Mayor Akinjo's own question proves he knew the difference.
2.6 • THE 5:43 PM NOTIFICATION
Chief Sealy sent the program flyer to the constituent at 5:43 PM on May 11, 2026 — 77 minutes before the 7:00 PM meeting — after months of silence following an April 28 follow-up inquiry sent the same day he declined a community partner table request. Sealy had no reason to know the constituent was appearing that evening unless someone informed him. That is either surveillance of a constituent or coordination between city staff and the police chief to manage a public speaker. Either way, it belongs in this record.
2.7 • THE 40-DAY SILENCE
Date Action Response
March 23 Formal written request submitted to Mayor Akinjo, CC'd t None all council member
March 30 Follow-up None
April 1 • Final follow-up. Stated: if no response, matter brought to None public comment
April 2 Chief Sealy responded - cordially, with his own - programming
[email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismaifreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 April 28 Chief Sealy declined partner table in two lines. No None to follow-up explanation. No location.
' May 11, 5:43 PM ! Program flyer sent. 77 minutes before public comment. - The first documented near-miss vehicle incident - at Mossale Landing Elementary School - prompted the March 23 written request. Additional documented near-miss incidents, including the crosswalk violation at Autumn Rain Drive and McKee Road and the incident at Golden Spike Trail and Towne Centre Drive, occurred during the 40-day period between the original request and the May 11 meeting. During those 40 days, four of five council members produced zero direct responses to the constituent who reported them.
2.8 • JUNE 8 AGENDA CONNECTION
NEW: JUNE 8 AGENDA ITEMS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THIS FAILURE Item 4.3 — Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 26-482: codifies enforcement against cyclists and e-bike riders. The city is adopting enforcement-against-cyclists law while the driver education request remains unanswered.
Item 4.7 — STEP Grant, $60,000 from OTS: a traffic enforcement grant. Not driver education.
Item 4.15 — TJKM Transportation Consultants, Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, CIP PS 24-30: the City is funding a safety plan. No driver education component is documented in the scope.
Items 4.25 and 4.26 — Riverfront Drive raised crosswalks (CIP PS 24-07) and Lathrop High School pedestrian signal (CIP PS 25-05) accepted: crosswalk infrastructure being completed in the same meeting where driver education on crosswalk yield laws remains unfunded. [email protected] (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS - ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD - LATHROP CITY COUNCIL - MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 3 • MAYOR AKINJO - KNEW, AGREED, AND DID NOT REPLY The CPRA response (PRA26-147) produced Mayor Akinjo's March 30, 2026 internal email forwarding the original request to the Vice Mayor, Deputy City Manager Hedegard, and Parks and Recreation Director Todd Sebastian. His words are in Section 2.2 above. He called the educational component a good idea. He forwarded it internally. He did not reply to the constituent.
At the May 11 meeting, Mayor Akinjo publicly acknowledged that what Sealy presented was not what was requested - his own question to Sealy is the proof that he understood the difference. The Mayor's internal email ends any claim of ignorance. His question at May 11 ends any claim that Chief Sealy's answer was not a misrepresentation.
Four of five council members — Mayor Akinjo, Councilmembers Lazard, Diallo, and Dresser — received the formal written requests on March 23, March 30, and April 1. Not one replied directly. The Mayor internally agreed it was a good idea and did not reply. The Vice Mayor's office forwarded it to the Chief of Police without notifying the constituent.
[email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS - ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL - MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 4 • COUNCIL MEMBER STEPHEN DRESSER - DOCUMENTED PATTERN AND
APPOINTMENT SUITABILITY
4.1 - WHAT DRESSER DID AT MAY 11
On May 11, 2026, Council Member Stephen Dresser pulled three items from the consent calendar and objected to all three. Per the meeting transcript:
Consent Item Conference / Event
Item 4.9 National League of Cities Summer Board - Charleston, SC Item 4.10 2026 Women in Municipal Government Conference — Broken Arrow, OK Item 4.11 2026 National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials Conterence — Birmingham, AL
Dresser also stated on the record that he was unaware of professional development conferences available to council members. His objection was framed around cost and a stated preference for responding to constituent calls over professional development.
4.2 • WHY THE CLAIMED UNAWARENESS DOES NOT HOLD
The December 8, 2025 minutes confirm that Dresser received a committee report under Agenda Item 6.4 on NLC conference attendance by Vice Mayor Torres-O'Callaghan and Mayor Akinjo. He raised no objection. He voted YES on the full consent calendar that same night, which included city programming expenditures. There are only two ways to read that record:
He voted in December without understanding what he was voting on - a competency problem. • He understood in December and claimed ignorance in May to justify his objections — a credibility problem.
The record does not reconcile. Neither reading is consistent with the standard of conduct this community is entitled to expect.
4.3 • THE SELECTIVE OBJECTION PATTERN - SIX MEETINGS OF OFFICIAL RECORD Based on publicly available agendas and approved minutes from six consecutive regular meetings - December 2025 through May 2026 — Councilmember Dresser pulled items from the consent calendar in every session. In five of those sessions, the items he targeted were routine fiscal and administrative matters:
cybersecurity software, a treasurer's report, labor negotiators, a park acceptance, and an LED conversion project. In each case he voted yes after a question and answer period.
In May 2026 — the same meeting at which a Lathrop resident appeared during Citizen's Forum to document a traffic safety failure directly implicating the City's responsiveness - the three items Dresser chose to pull and oppose were the only three conferences specifically designed to serve women and minority communities in public service. He did not pull the NLC general conference travel he had seen reported without objection in December. He pulled only the Women in Municipal Government Conference and the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.
[email protected] : 209) 425-2677 dismaifreedom.press : 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026
SIX-MEETING PATTERN - DOCUMENTED ACROSS OFFICIAL MINUTES December 2025: LC conference attendance by Torres-O'Callaghan and Akinjo reported. Dresser silent.
December 2025: Dresser pulled LED Streetlight Conversion (CIP GG 26-27) for Q&A, voted YES on fiscal grounds.
January-April 2026: Pulled routine fiscal/administrative items across four sessions. Voted YES each time after Q&A.
May 2026: Pulled only the three conferences serving women and minority communities. Voted NO on all three.
May 2026: Silent on Republic Services rate increase despite holding Integrated Waste Management Task Force assignment.
June 8, 2026: Item 4.11 - NLC City Summit travel authorization for three council members, Nashville, Tennessee. The Council's vote on this item will either extend or break the documented pattern.
4.4 - APPOINTMENT STATUS AND VOTER RECORD
Council Member Dresser holds his seat by appointment, not by the vote of Lathrop residents. He ran for one of the two available council seats in the November 5, 2024 general election and finished third:
Candidate Votes Result
Jennifer Torres-O'Callaghan 7,059 Elected
Minnie Diallo 6,274 Elected
Stephen Dresser 3,424 (20%) Not elected - subsequently
appointed
Dresser was subsequently appointed by the Council to fill a vacancy created when Akinjo became Mayor. His provisional term expires at the November 3, 2026 general election. That election is formalized by three resolutions on tonight's consent calendar (Item 4.10). The city that declined to elect him will have the opportunity to weigh in again.
Additionally: Dresser is assigned to the Integrated Waste Management Task Force. At May 11, when Republic Services GM Brett Borba presented service standards that contradicted what residents are told when they call, Dresser - the council member responsible for waste policy oversight - asked nothing. He was silent during a presentation a resident in the room could have rebutted on the spot. [email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press : 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD - LATHROP CITY COUNCIL MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 5 • REPUBLIC SERVICES - FRANCHISE COMPLIANCE FAILURE AND RATE
INCREASE
5.0 • WHAT THE CITY ALREADY KNEW BEFORE MAY 11
On February 4, 2026, a formal franchise compliance complaint was filed against Republic Services with the City of Lathrop. The complaint was addressed to the City's Public Works contact and CC'd directly to:
• City Manager Stephen Salvatore ([email protected]) • Mayor Paul Akinjo ([email protected])
• Vice Mayor Jennifer Torres-O'Callaghan ([email protected]) • City Clerk Teresa Vargas ([email protected]) The complaint documented that Republic Services interrupted essential waste service at a Lathrop address during an active billing dispute on a payment that had already cleared the complainant's bank. Service was restored the same day after direct escalation to city leadership. The details of the individual billing dispute are not the point of this section. The point is: the City Manager, the Mayor, and the Vice Mayor had direct, documented knowledge of a franchise compliance failure involving Republic Services — three months before they voted to approve a rate increase for that contractor. None disclosed that knowledge during the rate
5.1 • WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MAY 11 MEETING
Item 4.16 on the May 11 consent calendar authorized an adjustment to Republic Services' solid waste collection rates for FY 2026-2027. The rate increase was approved. In the same meeting, a council member raised the following documented resident complaints:
• Bulk pickup scheduling running two weeks out, then sometimes rescheduled again. • When a pickup truck arrives and finds items not on the original list, the driver leaves a sticker and refuses the pickup - and that voided appointment counts against the resident's two annual allotments.
• Residents losing a pickup credit through no fault of their own. • Cancellations in River Islands with text-message reschedules. • No clear public-facing information on how to properly schedule.
5.2 • THE SERVICE STANDARD CONTRADICTION
DIRECT CONTRADICTION ON THE PUBLIC RECORD
Republic Services GM Brett Borba to Council, May 11: turnaround "typically the very next week or two weeks." Pickups run "typically on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays." Council members raised from the dais, same meeting: bulk pickup wait times running two weeks out with further reschedules, voided pickups counting against annual allotments through no fault of the resident, text-message reschedules in River Islands, and no clear public-facing scheduling information.
Documented Lathrop resident experience, FY 2024-25: 4 to 6 weeks. Mondays only for Lathrop.
Documented Lathrop resident experience, FY 2025-26: 4 to 6 weeks. Mondays only for Lathrop.
The service standard Borba described to the Council does not match what council members heard from their own constituents or what residents are told when they call. Two consecutive fiscal years. Same city. A franchise compliance complaint on file with the City for three months corroborates the gap. [email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS - ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 This Council approved a rate increase for a contractor whose representative gave the Council a service standard that does not match what Lathrop residents are told when they actually call.
5.3 • JUNE 8 AGENDA CONNECTION
NEW: JUNE 8 AGENDA - REPUBLIC SERVICES LICENSE RENEWAL
Item 4.13 - Annual Industrial Solid Waste Removal License Renewals for FY 2026-27: includes Republic Services. This is an affirmative vote of operating approval for Republic Services in the same meeting where a franchise compliance audit request is formally placed on the record.
The Council is being asked to renew Republic Services' license while the February 2026 franchise compliance complaint remains publicly unaddressed and no audit of actual versus stated service timelines has been produced.
[email protected] : (209) 425-2677 • dismaifreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD - LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 6 • LANGUAGE ACCESS - CONTRADICTORY OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS ON A CIVIL
RIGHTS OBLIGATION
6.1 - WHO LATHROP ACTUALLY IS
Language Group % of Residents (Age 5+)
51.4%
Not English language at home
Spanish 27.8%,
Indo-European (incl. Punjabi) 10.5%
Asian languages 11.5%
English only 48.6%
More than half of the city the Council is governing does not primarily speak English at home. The Dymally- Alatorre Bilingual Services Act (Gov. Code § 7290 et seq.) requires every local public agency serving a substantial number of non-English-speaking people to employ sufficient bilingual persons in public contact positions to ensure provision of information and services in those languages. 51.4% is not a borderline case.
It is a clear statutory trigger.
6.2 • THE CONTRADICTION BETWEEN TWO CITY OFFICIALS
CONTRADICTORY OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS - BOTH CANNOT BE COMPLETE City Attorney's Office (Monica Sandoval, Legal Secretary), CPRA response PRA26-147, transmitted May 22, 2026: "At this time, the City is not aware of any 'Language Access Policy." The same response lists informal departmental practices — bilingual staff, ASL interpreters, a UbiDuo device — as substitutes for a formal policy.
City Manager Stephen Salvatore, prior direct correspondence with Dismal Freedom Press: represented that the City has language access resources and practices in place for community communication.
These two statements cannot both be complete. Either the City Manager misrepresented the City's posture to a constituent, or the City Attorney's office filed an incomplete CPRA response. This Council must resolve that contradiction on the public record.
6.3 - THE PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCE
The "Know the Rules, Ride Safe" program flyer Chief Sealy sent at 5:43 PM on May 11 was English-only. The CPRA response to the grant records request (PRA26-149) contains no record of any multilingual outreach plan. Republic Services' scheduling information, pickup procedures, and complaint processes are not available in Spanish or Punjabi. The December 8, 2025 official minutes document a Zoom user who could not connect and was locked out of public comment - a technology access failure documented in the City's own records.
A city with no formal Language Access Policy, a majority non-English-speaking population, and two senior officials giving contradictory accounts of whether language access practices exist is not governing its whole community. It is governing the English-speaking part of it.
6.4 - JUNE 8 AGENDA CONNECTION
[email protected] • (209) 425-2677 dismalfreedom.press - 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 NEW: JUNE 8 AGENDA - SB 707 / BROWN ACT COMPLIANCE (ITEM 5.3) Item 5.3: The City is adopting compliance procedures under SB 707, amending the Brown Act to govern teleconferencing, remote public access, and public participation.
The City cannot adopt public participation infrastructure under the Brown Act while leaving a documented Dymally-Alatorre compliance gap unresolved. One law governs who can attend the meeting. The other governs whether they can understand it.
Both are civil rights obligations. Both are on the record tonight. [email protected] - (209) 425-2677 dismaifreedom.press - 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 7 - STRUCTURAL COMMUNICATION FAILURE
The City Clerk's office was non-operational during the critical response window between March 23 and May 11, 2026. The responsible clerk-of-record was unavailable prior to March 30 with no documented backup, no coverage protocol, and no notice to constituents directing them to an alternate contact. Formal written requests submitted to the City during this window had no functional point of receipt.
The January 12 and April 13, 2026 meeting minutes document residents raising traffic safety concerns at itizens Forum. In both instances, city staff or the City Manager offered verbal acknowledgment in the room. etween March 23 and May 11. three written requests were submitted to the Mavor and all four counci members. Zero direct replies were received. The Mayor forwarded internally and agreed it was a good idea.
The Vice Mayor's office forwarded to the Chief of Police without notifying the constituent.
SELECTIVE RESPONSIVENESS - DOCUMENTED ACROSS OFFICIAL MINUTES Adriana Lopez raised Lathrop Road traffic concerns at Citizens Forum, January 12. City staff acknowledged verbally in the room.
Dwayne Davis raised Spartan Way incidents at Citizens Forum, April 13. City Manager acknowledged verbally in the room.
Three written requests from a credentialed journalist, March 23-April 1: zero direct replies from four council members. Internally forwarded without reply to the constituent.
Oral complaints from residents in the room: acknowledged. Written requests from a journalist using institutional affiliation: internally forwarded without reply. [email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL - MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 8 • FORMAL ASKS - ON THE RECORD, JUNE 8, 2026
The following four asks are made on the record at the June 8, 2026 regular meeting. They are specific, legally grounded, and answerable.
1. Measure C Citizens' Oversight Committee (LMC § 3.13.180) — Direct it to place on its next agenda and include in its next annual report: (1) the May 11 conduct of public officials, including Chief Sealy's contradicted on-record statement; (2) Republic Services' franchise compliance record and the service standard contradiction documented at May 11; (3) the City's compliance with the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act; and (4) the pattern of non-responsiveness to written constituent Language Access — Direct the City Manager to produce a written report within 60 days addressing:
(1) whether the City is in compliance with the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act; (2) what specific bilingual staffing and materials exist; and (3) a timeline for adopting a formal Language Access Policy with written requirements for Spanish and Punjabi outreach in public safety programming, contractor communications, and council participation procedures. The City Attorney's office has confirmed under CPRA that no such policy exists.
3. Council Member Dresser - Appointment Review: place on a future agenda a formal review of whether Council Member Dresser's appointment continues to serve the interests of this majority- minority community, in light of his documented conduct at May 11 and the six-meeting pattern documented in Section 4.
4. Republic Services - Franchise Compliance Audit: direct the City Manager to produce a public report on (1) an audit of Republic Services' actual versus stated service timelines for Lathrop customers over the prior 24 months; (2) the documented contradiction between GM Borba's May 11 service standard representations and what residents report when scheduling service; (3) Republic Services' billing dispute and service interruption practices under the franchise agreement; and (4) multilingual customer communication requirements. No future rate increase should be considered before this audit is completed and placed on the public record.
[email protected] (209) 425-2677 dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS - ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD - LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 9 • CPRA STATUS - ACTIVE AND PENDING REQUESTS
Request / Subject Status
PRA26-147 — Council 132-file response received • Under review correspondence, Sealy
communications, minor child
meeting recording, Dresserds,
conference objections, language
: PRA26-149 — OTS grant Response received May 22, 2026 — grant application and agreement application, multilingual outreach produced
records
PS1404 Harlan Road Draft prepared — not yet transmitted Realignment - appraisal,
negotiation, and project
authorization records
Dismal Freedom Press intends to publish all responsive records alongside any investigative reporting on these matters, consistent with its editorial policy of publishing source documents beside every story. /
[email protected] • (209) 425-2677 - dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 10 • CONTEXTUAL PATTERN REVIEW - DECEMBER 2025 THROUGH APRIL 2026 The misconduct documented in this report occurred at a single meeting - May 11, 2026 — attended and documented by a Dismal Freedom Press journalist. This section draws on publicly available agendas and approved minutes from the five regular meetings preceding May 11 to establish contextual patterns. A ful ranscript review of prior sessions has not yet been conducted. Source documents are on file with Disma Freedom Press.
10.1 • DRESSER - DECEMBER 8, 2025
NLC Conference: Vice Mayor Torres-O'Callaghan reported attendance at the National League of Cities Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, along with Mayor Akinjo (Item 6.4). Dresser raised no objection. He voted YES on the consent calendar that same night. Five months later he claimed unawareness of council professional development resources.
LED Streetlight Conversion: Dresser pulled Item 4.15 (CIP GG 26-27) for Q&A with City Engineer Brad Taylor, voted YES on fiscal cost-reduction grounds. At May 11, Vice Mayor Torres-O'Callaghan asked why a rate increase was being approved simultaneously with a cost-reducing LED conversion — staff could not provide a clean answer. Dresser said nothing.
Integrated Waste Management Task Force: December 8 agenda (Item 6.4) lists Dresser and Torres- O'Callaghan as joint committee assignments for the Integrated Waste Management Task Force. Dresser holds direct policy oversight over waste management for the city. At May 11 he asked no questions when Republic Services GM Borba contradicted resident experience on the public record.
Zoom Access Failure: December 8 official minutes record: "Caller identified as 'Zoom User' was not able to unmute/connect on zoom." This is a documented technology access failure in the City's own minutes, predating DFP's involvement by nearly five months. It is a pattern.
10.2 - JANUARY 12 AND APRIL 13, 2026 - SELECTIVE RESPONSIVENESS Residents raising traffic safety concerns orally at Citizens Forum in January and April received verbal acknowledgment from city staff or the City Manager in the room. Written requests from a credentialed journalist submitted on three separate dates between March 23 and April 1 received zero direct replies from four council members. The contrast is documented across official minutes. [email protected] (209) 425-2677 dismaifreedom.press - 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS - ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD - LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 SECTION 11 • JUNE 8, 2026 AGENDA ANALYSIS — NEW CONNECTIONS TO DOCUMENTED
FAILURES
The following connects items on the June 8, 2026 consent and scheduled calendars to the five accountability failures documented above.
11.1 - THE MAY 11 MINUTES ARE BEING APPROVED TONIGHT
Item 4.2: Approval of minutes for the May 11, 2026 regular meeting. Until this vote, those minutes remain a draft. When this Council votes to approve them tonight, the transcript of Chief Sealy's on-record contradiction, Dresser's selective objections, and Borba's service standard representations become the official record of the City of Lathrop. Dismal Freedom Press has submitted this accountability record to the City Clerk prior to that vote.
11.2 • ENFORCEMENT WITHOUT EDUCATION — THREE CONSECUTIVE ITEMS Items 4.3, 4.7, and 4.15 together reveal a pattern: the City is building an enforcement-only traffic safety framework with no driver education component documented anywhere in the scope. • Item 4.3 - Ordinance 26-482: second reading and adoption, codifying enforcement against cyclists, e-bike riders, motorized scooters, and similar devices. • Item 4.7 - STEP Grant, $60,000 from the California Office of Traffic Safety: enforcement-only funding. Not driver education.
• Item 4.15 — TJKM Transportation Consultants, Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, CIP PS 24-30:
the City is funding a safety plan without a documented driver education component on CVC §§ 21804 and 21950 — the yield laws at the center of the original March 23 request.
Simultaneously: Items 4.25 (Riverfront Drive raised crosswalks, CIP PS 24-07) and 4.26 (Lathrop High School pedestrian signal, CIP PS 25-05) are being formally accepted tonight. Crosswalk infrastructure being completed. Crosswalk driver education absent.
11.3 - REPUBLIC SERVICES LICENSE RENEWED WHILE AUDIT REQUEST IS PENDING Item 4.13: Annual Industrial Solid Waste Removal License Renewals for FY 2026-27, including Republic Services. This is an affirmative vote of operating approval. It is being taken in the same meeting where a formal franchise compliance audit request is placed on the record, and while the February 2026 franchise compliance complaint has not been publicly addressed.
11.4 • PLANNING COMMISSION - DARK FOR THREE MONTHS, APPOINTMENTS TONIGHT Item 6.1: Two Planning Commission appointments, terms through June 30, 2030. The Commission's posted schedule establishes regular monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of each month. Per the City's public meeting calendar, the April and May meetings were cancelled and no June meeting has been posted as of this writing. That is a three-month gap in public discretionary review during one of the most active development and infrastructure periods in the city's recent history:
• Item 4.19 — Louise Avenue / I-5 Interchange Project (CIP PS 06-06): Amendment No. 4. A fourth contract amendment on a major interchange project.
[email protected] • (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336 DISMAL FREEDOM PRESS • ACCOUNTABILITY RECORD • LATHROP CITY COUNCIL • MAY 11-JUNE 8, 2026 • Stanford Crossing South: a Sam's Club warehouse retail location projected to open in late 2026, adding significant traffic load to the I-5 interchange corridor. • CIP PS1404 — Harlan Road Realignment: resolutions of necessity passed 4-0 at May 11 against • Mossdale area: active development and infrastructure investment overlapping with the 1-5 corridor build-out.
The people appointed tonight will inherit a pending application queue from three months of cancelled meetings, an active eminent domain track, a major retail opening, and a fourth amendment to an I-5 interchange. The public deserves to know what is in that queue before those seats are filled.
11.5 • SB 707 / BROWN ACT COMPLIANCE VS. LANGUAGE ACCESS GAP Item 5.3: The City is adopting compliance procedures under SB 707, governing teleconferencing, remote public access, and public participation under the Brown Act. The same City has confirmed in writing under CPRA that it has no Language Access Policy - while more than half of its residents speak a non-Englist language at home. The Brown Act ensures who can participate. Dymally-Alatorre ensures they can understand what they are participating in. Tonight the City is acting on one and not the other. 11:6 - COUNCIL CHAMBERS SECURITY - ITEM 5.2
Item 5.2: The City is formalizing Council Chambers security improvements. This is noted for the record without editorial comment.
Submitted by:
Dismal Freedom Press
Investigations Desk
[email protected] : (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336
June 8, 2026
[email protected] (209) 425-2677 • dismalfreedom.press • 249 Commerce Ave #1042, Manteca, CA 95336