The Stockton City Council unanimously approved former City Clerk Bonnie Paige as interim city clerk on Sept. 15, bringing back a longtime city employee to oversee the city clerk’s office less than two months before the Nov. 3 general election.
Paige’s appointment comes as City Clerk Katherine Roland prepares to leave the position on Sept. 26 after announcing her resignation. The city is conducting an open recruitment process for a permanent replacement.
Paige, who worked at Stockton City Hall for more than 28 years, served as assistant city clerk before the council unanimously selected her in 2011 to replace retiring City Clerk Katherine Gong Meissner. Paige served as city clerk from July 2011 to July 2017.
Before the vote, District 3 Councilmember
Michael Blower publicly thanked Paige for her willingness to return to city hall and called Roland’s departure “unfortunate.”
“She was an excellent city clerk,” Blower said. “She did a very good job for us, but that left us in a position where we needed to get somebody to get into that office and oversee it, particularly right now. It’s very important during an election season, where the city clerk is our main person that oversees that.”
Blower praised Paige’s experience and described her as a “good” and “wonderful” person, saying he was excited to have her return to city hall. He recalled that Paige swore him in after he was appointed to the council in 2016 during a lengthy meeting that lasted until 1 a.m. Blower also noted that Mayor Christina Fugazi had worked with Paige.
Fugazi spoke positively about Paige, adding that she recently had a conversation with her about what she envisioned for the role.
“She actually opined quite a bit about things that were done in the past and things that are done now and what she hopes to impart, some words of wisdom and some structure to the process that we have before us,” Fugazi said. “She doesn’t want us to lose any momentum going into the election.”
Paige’s employment agreement stated that she would begin work on Sept. 16, although Fugazi said Paige would be out of town for the first week and would not be paid for days she did not work.
Under the employment agreement approved by the council, Paige will be paid $93.11 per hour and will not receive city employee benefits, including health, dental or vision insurance, because she is a retired annuitant receiving benefits through California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). She will not receive or accrue personal time off, vacation, sick leave, administrative leave, paid holidays or similar paid leave benefits.
Her appointment will end at the earliest of four events: the agreement’s expiration on July 1, 2027; the start date of a new permanent city clerk; Paige reaching her 960th hour of work for the city, including hours worked for other CalPERS agencies during the 2026-27 fiscal year; or termination by either Paige or the city as provided in the agreement. Either Paige or the city could terminate the arrangement with 14 days' written notice.
City staff said there were sufficient funds in the city clerk’s budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year and that Paige’s appointment would have no impact on the city’s general fund.
In agenda documents, city staff described Paige as “uniquely suited” for the interim position because of her previous experience and said the appointment would “ensure the continuation of essential services.”
Vice Mayor Jason Lee said he had not previously met Paige but welcomed her to the city and thanked her for taking on the interim position.
Lee also commended Roland, saying her departure was disappointing after working with her for about a year and a half as a councilmember and vice mayor.
“I have found her to be very integral, somebody who’s been a very good leader to her staff and somebody who has been very responsive to not only the needs of councilmembers, but the ever-changing environment there,” Lee said.
Lee added that he wanted the legislative record to reflect that Roland resigned during a time when she made serious claims about election interference.
Lee was referring to allegations Roland previously raised against Fugazi’s public information officer, Jason Teramoto, whom she accused of attempting to interfere with the June 2 primary election.
As Lee made his remarks, which included a brief mention of the 2025-26 San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury report, “Governance in Turmoil,” District 1 Councilmember Michele Padilla interjected.
The report criticized leadership instability at city hall. It said council infighting, departures from established governance practices and interference with city staff hurt employee morale and contributed to the loss of experienced employees, increasing costs for severance, hiring and training.
When Lee asked what her interjection was regarding, Padilla said councilmembers needed to “stick to the agenda item.” Fugazi allowed Lee to continue wrapping up his comments.
“I’m hopeful that we as councilmembers and staff respect the responsibility that the city clerk has to do for the city, and with this election happening, that there not be any interference and that there be more accountability placed on us as a council to provide the support and protections that she and her department need,” Lee said.
The council approved the appointment 6-0. District 4 Councilmember Mario Enríquez was absent.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Bonnie Paige returns to Stockton City Hall to serve as interim city clerk
