FORMER STOCKTON CITY Councilmember Ralph Lee White is suing the city and the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters for damages after he was declared ineligible and then reinstated from the March primary ballot in an unsuccessful bid for his old council seat.
White, a longtime fixture of Stockton politics, did not initially make the primary ballot due to insufficient signatures. To run for City Council in the March primary, candidates had to turn in paperwork with at least 10 signatures by 5 p.m. on Dec. 8 of last year.
In the lawsuit, White alleges that he turned in his nomination forms and required signatures in late November, but was informed that three of the signatures were invalid less than an hour before the filing deadline. When he brought back additional signatures before the 5 p.m. cutoff, White says he was told the city’s computers would not process them in time and would thus not qualify to be on the ballot.
“I’ve never had that done to me in my life, and I don’t think anybody else should ever have to go through that,” he said Friday. White, who served on the Stockton City Council from 1971 to 1984, also alleges that other candidates who filed after him had their paperwork processed days before his.
Along with the city and the county, White’s complaint names Registrar of Voters Olivia Hale and former Stockton City Clerk Eliza Garza as defendants. Garza was city clerk from 2019 until her contract expired in May. Garza could not be reached for comment.
“I’ve never had that done to me in my life, and I don’t think anybody else should ever have to go through that.” Ralph Lee White, former Stockton City Council member
After initially being denied, White sued the city and county for ballot access in December and eventually qualified for the primary, ultimately coming in fifth with a total of 353 votes. Now, he claims being disqualified cost him supporters and votes, saying it “broke the spirit” of his campaign.
“That’s embarrassing,” White added.
White did not specify how much restitution he was seeking, but said “I want a whole lot of damages.”
This is not White’s first lawsuit filed against the city of Stockton. Last year, he was awarded $750,000 from the city over a 2008 land deal.
Stockton spokesperson Connie Cochran confirmed that the city had been served notice of White’s election lawsuit. The county said in a statement that it does not comment on pending litigation.
A hearing for White’s lawsuit is scheduled for January, according to court documents.