County Civil Grand Jury Lambastes City/Council Again

The County’s latest Civil Grand Jury report (access here) released this week lambastes the City of Tracy, the Tracy City Council, and Tracy City Attorney Bijal Patel. The reason for the Civil Grand Jury investigation is self-evident:

Things at City Hall started to get ugly following the attempt by Councilmembers Davis, Bedolla, and Evans to change the city’s ordinance for removing the City Manager from a super majority to a simple majority, contrary to instructions issued by an earlier and critical Grand Jury report.

In 2023, the three council members wanted to remove Michael Rogers because they viewed him as an ally to Mayor Nancy Young.

Dan Evans, for instance, in specifying why Rogers should be removed, whined in frustration that Rogers didn’t return emails in a timely manner.

The focus on Rogers was a strange 180 degree turn for council who in December 2022 gave him a very positive employee review and a 6% pay raise, with Eleassia Davis noting it was “appropriate.” (see article here).

You can read more about his forced resignation here and here.

The reality is that Rogers was used as political payback by Davis and Bedolla, who both lost their mayoral bids to Nancy Young.

The thinly skinned Davis in particular was furious over several “hit” pieces during the campaign that she attributed to Young.

Evans too cried injustice over the mischaracterization of him during the campaign, with he too blaming Young, so the three joined forces to oppose anything and everything Nancy Young.

In doing so, as the Grand Jury report highlights, the three threw the city’s Code of Conduct into the trash, and ugly council battles commenced.

The cornered Young chose fight instead of flight and thus the resulting chaos left taxpayers to watch the sad circus show happening over the last 18 months.

THE MAJORITY CONTROLLED COUNCIL OF ELEASSIA DAVIS, MATEO BEDOLLA, AND DAN EVANS IS AT THE HEART OF THE CITY’S PROBLEMS.

Young is far from innocent in this debacle, particularly highlighted by her inability to let something go after she has already made her point, causing council meetings to go ad nauseum.

But the fact of the matter is that under Tracy’s form of government, she does not control council, nor does she have the authority to veto decisions made by the majority.

The implication being that, if Tracy is in a state of chaos and turmoil, the blame falls on the three councilmembers in control—merchants of mischief – Davis, Bedolla, and Evans.

The constant theme of issues identified in the report focuses on controversial actions of the combative Tracy City Attorney Bijal Patel.

Everything from Patel’s taking control over every department’s actions, to her berating city staff, to her allowing her license to practice law to lapse (read here), to her stonewalling business (read here), to her cause of getting the city sued (read here) is broadly covered in the report.

COUNCILMEMBERS DAVIS, BEDOLLA, AND EVANS CHOSE TO GIVE PATEL A RETROACTIVE 9% PAY RAISE DESPITE ALL OF THE ISSUES AND LAWSUITS SHE HAS CAUSED. THIS IS THE GUT PUNCH TO TAXPAYERS!