Michele Padilla

Candidate for City Council Member, Stockton, District 1 · Stockton Councilmember/Educator

Michele Padilla teaches for the Stockton Unified School District. She has taught for about 17 years. She has lived in north Stockton for more than three decades. Padilla first won her city council seat in 2022. She defeated the sitting councilmember, Sol Jobrack, and took office in January 2023. Before entering local politics, Padilla was active as a community volunteer. She served as a baptismal coordinator at her parish from 2018 to 2020. She sat on her children's school PTA board from 2007 to 2017. She was secretary of a local Little League chapter from 2006 to 2010. Padilla holds a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Phoenix. She has also worked toward a master's degree in education administration. Her 2026 campaign has been endorsed by the North Valley Labor Federation.

Padilla says her top priorities are crime, homelessness, and fixing up the neighborhood. She says people should not live in outdoor camps that are not shelters. She wants people to get mental health care, a shelter bed, or a ride to family. She says people who refuse could get a ticket for trespassing. In her first term, she talked about a plan she called the 'Safe Grounds 1-2-3 Model.' The plan calls for stricter rules on camps. It also calls for clearing old camps in north Stockton. As of the 2026 election, the plan had not started citywide.

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