Stockton Assistant City Attorney Taryn Jones is leaving the city for Lodi, where she is set to become the city’s next city attorney, adding to a year of turnover in Stockton’s city attorney's office.
The Lodi City Council is scheduled to vote on Jones’ appointment at its regular meeting on Aug. 19. The city of Stockton has not disclosed when Jones’ last day will be.
The announcement of her departure comes less than two weeks after former City Attorney Marci Arredondo left her position, prompting the council to appoint outside attorney Donald Larkin, a partner in Burke, Williams & Sorensen LLP’s labor and employment and public law practice groups, as interim city attorney on Aug. 3 while the city searches for a permanent replacement. Larkin began
work on Aug. 6, the day after Arredondo left the position.
Jones served as Stockton’s acting city attorney after former City Attorney Lori Asuncion resigned on Jan. 13 following more than 18 years with the city. The council later appointed Arredondo to the permanent position in March, but she resigned less than five months later. Her last day was on Aug. 5.
Arredondo submitted her resignation on July 21, saying she had recently been offered an opportunity to work alongside her children, whom she described as future lawyers. Her departure marked the second time in less than seven months that Stockton had lost its permanent city attorney.
The turnover in Stockton’s city attorney’s office comes amid broader changes in the city’s executive leadership that have drawn scrutiny from the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury.
In its 2025-26 report, “Governance in Turmoil,” the grand jury said the circumvention of City Charter Section 408, which generally requires council members to direct city business through the city manager, weakened staff confidence in city leadership and contributed to low morale and turnover in key administrative positions. The grand jury said difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified employees contributed to what it described as a toxic work environment and unreliable governance.
The grand jury said those conditions also increased the city’s exposure to legal and financial risks. Those risks included potential Brown Act violations, budget challenges and additional costs to taxpayers from internal investigations and consulting services.
Jones began her municipal career in Stockton with the city attorney’s office as a law school intern before becoming a deputy city attorney. She specialized in government transparency and public records laws, land use and public contracting.
In June 2024, Jones was appointed Stockton’s assistant city attorney, overseeing the office’s advisory team. She worked on several city projects, including the construction and opening of the Ursula Meyer Library and Community Center, as well as the drafting and implementation of municipal legislation, including Stockton’s Critical Infrastructure Ordinance.
"I am humbled to be joining the great team in Lodi," Jones said in an Aug. 13 city of Lodi news release. "Growing up in the Central Valley, I fell in love with this community, so it’s especially meaningful to have the opportunity to work for the place I have called home for the past seven years. I am honored to serve and look forward to proudly representing the city and its residents."
Lodi Mayor Ramón Yepez said Jones’ municipal experience and ties to the city, where she and her husband have lived for seven years, make her well-suited for the position.
"Taryn brings extensive experience in municipal law, strong leadership and a genuine commitment to serving local organizations," Yepez said in the news release. "As a resident of Lodi, she knows our community not only as a professional who will serve the city, but as a neighbor who has chosen to make Lodi home. That personal connection, combined with her knowledge and experience, makes her an excellent fit."
Jones was born and raised in Tracy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a law degree from UC Hastings, now the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Taryn Jones to leave Stockton city attorney’s office for Lodi
