Jason Lee’s transition from Hollywood actor to local politician draws celebrities and detractors alike

It’s long From the glitz of Hollywood to the streets of South Stockton. But for self-proclaimed billionaire Jason Lee Johnson, who grew up here, his return was anything but quiet.

Johnson, 46, better known as Jason Lee to his millions of followers on celebrity news and gossip site Hollywood Unlocked, is running for the Stockton City Council District 6 seat. . He seems willing to trade the high life of Hollywood, where he rubs shoulders with the likes of rapper Kanye West, singer Cardi B and comedian Kevin Hart, for the less glamorous world of public service.

Lee’s career has been a road strewn with obstacles, from a broken family, being the victim of wanton violence and minor violations of the law, to eventual success in Tinseltown.

But he also faces questions over a series of lawsuits over his company’s business practices, residency issues and allegations that he is trying to use his massive war chest to influence elections.

Mr. Lee did not respond to several interviews or requests for comment.

Lee’s first foray into local politics is evidenced by lawn signs sprouting in the district where he is one of six candidates running for City Council in the March 5 primary. . He also hopes to get his message across through his billboards and direct mail ads.

Mr. Lee is backing up his campaign rhetoric with celebrity appearances (actress Tiffany Haddish was in town) and a bankroll that has three times more cash than his closest competitor. According to campaign reports filed by February 23, Lee’s campaign committee has received $116,980 in donations since announcing his candidacy last November, including 70,000. $4,000 came from his own pocket, and most of the rest came from Southern California and out-of-state donors. Stockton residents raised just her $5,200, and one of her local donors, Donte Westmoreland, an advocate for the Denver-based nonprofit The Last Prisoner Project, raised her $5,000. donated.

Rapidly increasing campaign funds

The contributions to his opponent pale in comparison to what has been poured into Lee’s campaign thus far. Incumbent City Councilwoman Kimberly Walmsley is running for second place by a wide margin, raising just $35,100, according to the latest campaign reports. Since last July. Satnam Singh has received less than $10,000 in donations, while Zoila Moreno, Ronnie Murray and Ralph Lee White have reported receiving no donations.

White, 81, said he had no doubt Lee was trying to buy himself a victory.

“Of course he does. He’s spending $100,000 on a job that pays $25,000,” White said. “If this was a citywide (race), I think it would work. But it’s not citywide, so I don’t think it would work. In a district like No. 6, you have to know the people and they know you, too. We need to know what’s going on. There are limits to what billboards and advertisements can do.”

Walmsley wouldn’t say Lee was trying to buy a victory. But she pointed out that the amount he has raised so far is equal to the amount she raised in the 2020 primary and general election.

“I am concerned that a large portion of the funds he has raised come from outside the Stockton community, particularly the Los Angeles area,” Walmsley said. “That’s not typical of a candidate running for Stockton City Council.”

This conflict was sometimes violent, especially between White and Lee. White was initially removed from the official ballot due to issues with the city clerk’s office and filed a lawsuit to remain in the election. He claimed this was done deliberately to keep him out of the race.

Mr Lee attacked Mr White’s real estate holdings, releasing a video showing some of his rental properties in a state of severe disrepair. Mr White, 81, served on the City Council for 16 years (1971-1987). His last election was disqualified in 1987 for electoral law violations. He has run for office several times since leaving his City Council seat, most recently for Stockton mayor in 2020.

“He’s spending $100,000 on a job that pays $25,000. If this was a citywide (race), I think it would work. But it’s not citywide, so I don’t think it would work.”

Ralph Lee White, Stockton City Council candidate

White countered that Lee had lived in the Los Angeles area for several years and had just moved back to Stockton to run for office. He also questioned Lee’s lack of local financial support and business practices that led to extensive litigation. White also claimed in an interview with Stocktonia that he received calls from people telling him not to attend certain campaign events, but he did not come forward.

“This campaign and this political cycle are just terrible,” Walmsley said. “Rhetoric, lies, rumors, gossip. It’s a shame that candidates are bending so low.”

SoCal connection

Lee’s campaign spending suggests his candidacy is being orchestrated from Los Angeles and Orange County. Of the $57,000 paid by the end of last month, 61% went to a marketing and polling firm in Newport Beach, a political direct mail company in Chatsworth, which created political yard signs and provided design and branding services. The payment was made to an out-of-state company. We partner with multinational billboard and outdoor advertising companies. His campaign paid Expedia hundreds of dollars for airfare and room reservations between Stockton and Burbank for four staff members.

These reports and other public records also raise questions about Lee’s actual residence. As a contributor to his own campaign, he lists his address as the Encino area of ​​Los Angeles. Other public records and court documents list several more Los Angeles and Hollywood addresses. Only Lee’s original candidacy filing, submitted to Stockton city officials, appears to include a local address.

In 2022, Lee was the subject of an article in Ebony Online Magazine headlined “Beautiful Black Homes: Inside Jason Lee’s Sophisticated Los Angeles Hideout” featuring a spacious hill with stunning views of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. A photo of a mansion located halfway up the mountain was posted.

“When I think about my home,” he told the story’s author, Jen Verhall. “I think the most comforting thing is looking back at where I came from. I grew up in a foster home in a very unstable home. Now I’m stable enough to own a home on my own. That in itself is a huge accomplishment.”

Stockton city officials were contacted over the weekend and said a ruling had been made that Mr. Lee had established residency in the borough. Candidates must establish residency at least 30 days before the filing deadline.

After moving to Los Angeles in 2006, Lee worked for a medical union for several years before entering the world of show business. In 2010, he founded Hollywood Unlocked and has since founded about 18 companies, many of which are currently inactive. That includes Conglomerate Group LLC, which was founded as a consulting firm in 2011 and ceased operations in 2018.

The cornerstone of Lee’s current media business is Hollywood Unlocked, Inc., which operates a website that is estimated to attract more than 1 million visitors per month, and two affiliated media companies, Hollywood Unlocked Studios, Inc. and Hollywood Unlocked Agency, Ltd. and entertainment services. He said in a Facebook post last week that the company plans to hire a CEO for Hollywood Unlocked this year.

However, it was part of the content of his popular website, and Lee and his company were arrested in 2018 by professional photographers and photo agencies for using copyrighted photos without permission or payment. Since then, he has been sued in federal court 16 times. Eleven of those cases were settled before trial, but court records disclose the terms of only one settlement: an $8,500 payment to a New York photographer. Four cases were dismissed on procedural grounds and one case is pending.

get involved in a lawsuit

In 2020, Lee and Hollywood Unlocked, a Lifetime Entertainment, A&E Television Networks, California production, accused the Lifetime Television documentary of including an interview with singer K. Michelle without her permission. filed its own copyright infringement lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit was settled in 2021, but the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Mr. Lee and his company are also in state court seeking the return of a $200,000 advance payment from Chinese company Micro World Ltd. under a 2022 contract to promote Micro World on various social media websites. is being sued. Microworld claims that Mr. Lee did not perform the services required under the contract, but Mr. Lee denies this allegation, saying that he was fraudulently induced to sign the contract. The trial is tentatively scheduled for 2025.

Lee also plans to start in 2022 with a mission to “activate the power of pop culture to uplift underprivileged youth and help them create lasting change in themselves and others,” according to his website. It also operates the Hollywood Cares Foundation, a tax-exempt non-profit corporation established in . ” focuses on communities of color.

The charity appears to have had little success so far since receiving federal tax-exempt status from the IRS less than two months after being incorporated. It’s unclear how much the nonprofit has raised because it hasn’t yet filed its annual report, but initial federal reporting status shows the organization has received less than $50,000 in donations. It is shown.

Hollywood Cares suffered a major financial setback last year when it failed to secure a $500,000 youth services grant from the city of Stockton for its “I Am Ready” initiative. The initiative aims to “prepare young people to embrace life positively,” the statement said. “Hope and skills” to meet future opportunities and challenges.

“This race and this political cycle is just awful. The rhetoric, the lies, the rumors, the gossip. It’s a shame that the candidates are bending so low.”

Kimberly Walmsley, incumbent and candidate for Stockton City Council District 6

The foundation said Lee, who grew up in Stockton, “continues to be deeply invested in the community” as executive director. The organization said its experience “builds on the founder’s background in community organizing, having worked in both Stockton’s juvenile probation system and the school district.”

Hollywood Cares said grants are essential to raising enough funds to complete and maintain the program. “Currently, discussions are underway with prominent philanthropists, celebrities, and influential Fortune 100 companies to work with Mr. Lee. However, these “City involvement is a key element in securing funding,” the application states.

In the end, 14 local organizations were recommended to receive a share of the $2.1 million grant, with the maximum amount going to Stockton Children’s Home at $225,000, half the amount sought by Hollywood Cares. It was less than that.

Reporter Jay Michael Rivera contributed to this article.

This story was previously published in Stocktonia.