SJ County top administrator's firing still largely a mystery. Here's what we know

Two months after San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors abruptly fired County Administrator Jerome Wilverding, the reasons for his removal remain unclear.

But a long ago clash between Wilverding and District 3 Supervisor Tom Patti early in the county administrator's tenure — triggered by an expensive homeless funding package Patti proposed in 2021 — hints at a tense dynamic that may have factored into the termination.

"That was one of the first issues, I'd say, as the new (county administrator) we clashed," Patti said in an interview Friday.

Attempts to reach Wilverding for comment weren’t returned by deadline.

On Friday, Patti made no direct comment about the reason for Wilverding's firing. The board voted 4-1 to dismiss the county administrator without cause on March 26.

However, the clash may represent a valuable data point about Patti, who is running to represent Stockton as mayor in November. If elected, Patti alongside the rest of the city council would have hiring and firing power over Stockton’s chief administrator, the city manager.

The role — currently occupied by City Manager Harry Black — is already under fire from the 209 Times, a website founded by a political consultant which flatters certain officials while railing against others.

'That's a lot of money'

What may be the fateful rift between then Chairman of the Board Patti and Wilverding erupted at a board meeting in June 2021, when the county administrator was just three months on the job.

It started when Patti pushed to set aside $25 million from the county’s public improvement budget, which the board could then award to projects aiming to fight homelessness, meeting records show.

The proposal was one of numerous times Patti has advocated about homelessness — and specifically his view that the housing first model doesn’t work — from the dais in his more than seven years on the board.

“Together we either commit, or we show that we are all talk with little action when it comes down to really investing in the solutions,” he said.

It was an expensive proposal.

“Now I'm like, ‘holy smokes, that’s a lot of money,” Patti acknowledged in the Friday interview. “It was a bold commitment.”

During a presentation to the board that day, City Manager Harry Black hinted possible support for the package. “Whatever we don’t invest today will cost us a lot more tomorrow,” he said.

Former San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar and then-city councilmember Christina Fugazi — now running against Patti for the mayor’s seat — advocated for the proposal during the public comment period.

'Mark my words'

Wilverding was skeptical about the package.

The proposal was light on details about what types of projects could get a piece of the funds, Wilverding argued.

What’s more, there was already money available the board could use for homelessness-related projects, Wilverding argued. That money couldn’t be spent on any specific project until county experts vetted the project’s specifications, he said.

“I’m objecting to the recommended action here because I think it circumvents our full budget process,” Wilverding said. “We definitely would be pushing the envelope if we were to do this.”

This appeared to upset Patti.

“Whose son and daughter, brother or sister is going to die with a drug overdose that we could’ve interacted, made a difference today by taking measurable actions and setting dollars aside?” he said.

“Mark my words, and this is on your shoulders,” Patti told Wilverding.

“When we finally have partners ... you single handedly have thwarted that, and you’ve come with your recommendation not to do that. Congratulations. As CAO, you’ve accomplished that.”

The board defeated Patti's proposal in a 3 to 2 vote.

Three years later, in the wake of Wilverding’s firing, Patti claims he now understands the administrator’s skepticism.

“I was proposing a very large, a very bold venture," he said. “Jay had to question and even guard the county’s finances ... I also look back in hindsight and realize that was his responsibility.”

The city manager

Looking to the November election, Patti re-iterated optimism he voiced previously on the campaign trail about working alongside Stockton City Manager Harry Black if elected.

“We have a city manager, and I know it's not a strong mayor (system),” he said. “The city manager is the ... top administrator of the city.”

Patti gave no specifics when asked at what point, short of serious misconduct, he’d again support firing his government’s top administrator.

“I personally don’t have a line,” he said. “You can have different personalities, but there’s also different roles.”

Patti also said, "I'm enjoying the level of engagement I'm experiencing with our current CAO."

The board replaced Wilverding with former assistant county administrator Sandra Regalo in April.

This article originally appeared on The Record: What we know about San Joaquin administrator Wilverding's firing