San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti is running for Congress in California Congressional District 9. His opponent is Congressman Josh Harder. When Patti refused to answer questions from the San Jose Mercury News, it piqued our interest. What was it a candidate for Congress didn’t want to talk about? Turns out, there’s an awful lot.
Tom Patti has a long history of financial improprieties, voting to raise taxes, crashing cars, and double standards, and that’s just for openers.
Financial Improprieties
In a letter to the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, dated July 13, 2022, Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United, has asked the Department of Justice, “to investigate Mr. Patti for his ongoing violation of federal law by failing to file a timely, complete, and accurate Financial Disclosure Statement, as required by the amended Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (the “Act”).”
In her letter, Muller claims that Patti has violated several federal requirements, most especially by failing to report sources of income from his business, Delta Cranes, from San Joaquin County, and from his profession as a boxing trainer. Patti’s income statements were due shortly after he became a candidate for Congress.
Among the more startling figures in the documents Patti did file is a disclosure that Patti has $25 to $50 million in liabilities “as a result of a car loan.” No surprise Muller writes that, “the amount of the liability suggests that his liabilities may stretch beyond a single car loan.”
Patti Voted to Raise Taxes and Costs for Health Care and Camping
In 2017, Tom Patti voted to raise the California State Gas Tax by 12 cents per gallon, from $0.278 Per Gallon To $0.398, a 43 percent increase. In 2019, he voted to increase the costs of tent and RV camping in San Joaquin County; the increases ranged from 25% to 45% over previous levels.
In June of 2020, Patti voted to increase health care costs at San Joaquin General Hospital. The cost of mental health care went up by 20%. Room rates increased by 4.2% in 2020. He voted to raise the cost of prescription drugs by 3%.
Patti Took Paycheck Protection but Voted Against Help for Small Businesses
In August of 2021, Tom Patti was the only San Joaquin County Supervisor to vote against the allocation of $33.7 million from the American Rescue Plan for relief to small businesses and families. However, he took a $31,722 loan from the Paycheck Protection Program in April of 2020, and another $5,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans that same month and year. Both were for his Delta Cranes business.
Tom Patti’s Ethics and Behavior
In 2018, Patti was arrested for a DUI after a multiple car accident. He pleaded no contest to a charge of reckless driving. Later, he claimed tests showed no alcohol in his system and attributed his erratic driving to side effects from prescription drugs.
In 2009, Patti sued Target for almost $5,000 for “Irresponsible Placement of Parking Lot Obstruction” after a collision in the Target parking lot. A judge later ruled Target did not owe Patti any money.
In 2019, Patti tried to rescind San Joaquin County’s Code of Ethics after he avoided censure for possible ethics violations. At the same time, he tried to add a monthly stipend to the County Supervisors’ six figure salaries while arguing for an additional one-time “discretionary fund.”
Fellow Supervisor Kathy Miller said that Patti wants, “a budget to pay for Supervisors to attend community events; to create a slush fund for each Supervisor; and to rescind the Code of Ethics, adopted in 2015!” She added that Patti’s ideas, “should be of great concern to everyone who values open and transparent government.”
Patti’s refusal to interview with the Mercury News may also be related to Miller’s concerns about his views on “open and transparent government.” As Board Chairman in 2021, Patti made the unilateral decision to lower word counts for public comments to 100 words. The previous limit was 250 words.
Supervisor Chuck Winn disagreed with Patti’s decision, arguing that, “Anytime that we restrict input from the public is not a good sign,” Winn said, noting that current issues on the board’s radar are big-ticket items like the COVID-19 pandemic and contract negotiations. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate at this time to make any modifications to the amount of time that our residents can speak their mind and certainly share their concerns.”
Supervisor Kathy Miller agreed with Winn. “Hearing from our residents IS our job,” she said. “Sometimes it’s uncomfortable and sometimes it takes guts. I sincerely hope Chair reverses this decision.”
Probably the most bizarre example of Patti’s tendency to restrict public comment is the case involving an alleged threat to, “knock your teeth so far down your throat you’ll be chewing bubblegum out of your asshole.” According to Wayne Adler, Patti made the threat during a 10-minute telephone tirade after Adler asked Patti to rescind his endorsement of Ted Howze in June of 2020.
A former boxer and longtime friend of Mike Tyson, threats from Tom Patti carry more weight than they might from the typical public official. Adler was shaken enough that he requested a restraining order. The court case was “disposed” when Adler’s pro bono attorneys dropped out due to Covid issues and a cancer diagnosis.
Hopeless on Homelessness
In a state where almost every leader fails on homelessness, Patti stands out as even worse than most. Though traditional congregate shelter options have been shown to fail again and again in keeping homeless people off the streets, shelters are still Patti’s first choice for dealing with homelessness. In January, 2021, homeless advocates united against Patti’s plan to use Covid Cares Act funds for a mega-shelter in downtown Stockton; they were especially concerned that the shelter option would increase risk factors for Covid contagion.
There’s a Lot More, Too Much
We haven’t mentioned incidents like authorizing payments of $150,000 to Wohlford Consulting for advice on how to raise fees on everything from business licenses to property improvements like patio covers and new roofs. Patti also voted to raise fees on restaurants and other food establishments.
If there’s any consistency at all in Tom Patti’s actions as a San Joaquin County Supervisor, it’s a willingness to stick it to the little guy with support for increased fees, higher taxes on gas, costlier health care and double standards that favor wealth and power over small business and labor. Speaking of labor, did we mention Patti called International Workers’ Day a, “Communist and Socialist celebration”?
When we started out wondering why Tom Patti didn’t want to talk to the San Jose Mercury News, we had no idea how much there was in his past that he’d rather not talk about. When we began digging, the sheer volume of things was overwhelming. It still is.
No wonder Tom Patti doesn’t want to talk.
I sure hope all of this bad press is true. If it turns out to be accurate…..then, clearly Mr. Patti should not expect to be elected to a higher office.
It’s all accurate. Ask the City of Lathrop.
Its not true.
The gas tax was used to fix the very crappy freeway 99 that blew out two of my tires due to
huge potholes.
Patti sees the communist/socialism creeping into America
He gets my VOTE!
.
This Patti clown sounds like a Trump wannabe given the refusal to disclose his financial interests, the high dollar loans, his self-enrichment schemes (PPP and wanting Supervisor slush funds); then there’s his belief that he’s above the law when getting a DUI, (while ironically hiring lawyers to sue Target!)
Add that to this boxer’s bullying threats and penchant for screwing the least among us simply makes my skin crawl, but the thing that really resonated with me was his earlier support of Howze….that says a lot about his bigotry level (though I’ve a hunch he never managed to wade through the abysmal writings of Ayn Rand as Howze has been rumored to have done.)
Why, pray tell, is this apparent misanthrope even bothering to run for office given he doesn’t seem to have much regard for humanity whatsoever?
Greed and power are the only reasons that sadly come to mind.
What you hsve said is funny. Not one word of truth.
Obviously by the events we see today America’s a much better hands with the Trump administration then the fifth president we have today we’re obviously doesn’t know what he’s doing.
What you wrote sounds like a scripted piece
Same accusations that we’ve heard from numerous other people exactly the same.
Suspicious
Why, on EARTH, when you had a pretty good argument, would you ruin all credibility by bringing up President Trump? Patti is a self serving political climber and should NOT be rewarded with a fail-upward promotion (like kamala and gavin have)
Tom Patti is not a friend of the City of Lathrop. He worked in an unethical conjunction with the San Joaquin Sheriff Department and the County Commissioner to continue to over charge the City of Lathrop millions of dollars for Sheriff Services not substantiated and settled in Court in favor of Lathrop. The actions he took with the Sheriff in the County Supervisors Meeting is well documented as the others Supervisors thru it out. No he doesn’t want to debate Harden bc there is more documented skeletons in the closet that he doesn’t want u to know about
As far as Tom Pattis Supporting The raising of gas taxes, I think it’s a good idea because the roads from Sacramento to Fresno suck. They’re rough and bumpy and in very bad shape and they need to be fixed. I had two tires bubble up on me because of the massive potholes in the roads.
So that’s one issue I did check out so far.
I find it amazing how venomous the Revived Bolsheviks communist party That is privileged enough to control all the media in America,Left wingers are.
They vote for a Democrat today as a vote for Stalinism. Don’t let these slick media people twist the truth in order to get you to vote out your own freedom.
It’s socialist spending and socialist leaning COVID-19 people who caused the homeless.
Perhaps they can use their own money to fix that. Oh here’s a good idea how about you stop screwing up the economy so that the businesses can actually survive.
What we are witnessing in America with a clown show at the helm is the destruction of this nation, being destroyed exactly how Germany was destroyed during the Weimar republic, as well as the bolshevik revolution of Russia were massive illegal immigration was used to build the bolshevik army.
Isn’t that what Biden is doing right now? So you wanna vote for someone is always going to vote for the communist left?
The media has become a weapon of war and propaganda. It’s being used against Tom Patty as a weapon and it’s vicious and disturbing. I can hardly even watch the horrible ads
Patties made it known that he’s against Socialism and communism so I’m voting for him.
Perhaps Patti is against SPENDING The taxpayers money on programs that should be funded in other ways.
Oh yeah, didn’t they just indict a whole bunch of people for looting funds for children during Covid?
It’s time to stop looting the treasury and stop line media who always accuse those who tell the truth of being conspiracy theorist because if any of you out there that believe all that garbage would do a little research and find that everything you’ve been told everything is a lie. Current events history all lies because those who control the media only propagandize and brainwash you.
For instance there attack on Putin in regards to Ukraine, Ukraine has been killing its own citizens since 2014 isn’t that what Israel did to the Palestinians and yet you say nothing.
The media always protects the communist.
So sad.
🐔 🐓
I see my post has disappeared.
Now you have become a suspect!
Thanks 🙏
Trump had the same problem people Who tried to impeach him on the first day of his presidency want him to show his personal private business records?
You Gotta be kidding. I wouldn’t do it either
By opening your books to the people who are trying to harm you, impeach you, it would not be a very smart thing to expose your personal private business to your enemies.
the media has never mentioned what I just said, but instead, they just keep lying and lying and slandering and slandering and
I’m gonna tell you the American people everyone I know is sick and tired of all the lies. We don’t even watch that crap anymore nobody I know watches the news anymore because there’s better news out there .
Why listen to fake news when we can listen to real honest news.
The truth is much better
Supervisors don’t set the gas tax, the Legislature does. Also, typical guilty until proven innocent muckraking.
If only the people understood how their government worked. Go Tom go.
Patti voted to support the gas tax, not pass it.
Save California from communism, VOTE For TOM PATTI!!
The CPUSA admitted on their website that they do work through the Democrat party.
The US Constitution and communist government cannot coexist
I vote for a Democrat is about against the constitution and the freedom of America and its people
The media is controlled by the communist today and slander to the good politicians and promotes the bad ones.
I hope the American people wake up to this, I do believe they pretty much are and the time of the communist in America is numbered. We’ve had enough of them.
It’s very important when listening to politicians to understand their perspective. The communist/Democrats always talk about progressing progress and moving forward.
Moving
Forward from what, the constitution?
That’s a death sentence. All genocides have been committed by governments such as the one in Russia when the bolsheviks murdered 66 million people and starve to definition of Ukraine an event called the HOLOMODORE.
America must move back. Go back to what Made America great In the first place.
Going BACK means we need to go back to A constitutional America, WHERE FREEDOM IS RESPECTED AND PROTECTED thru the US Constitution.
The Federal Reserve That holds us hostage is banned from America.
And most of all we need to RETURN TO CHRISTIAN BASED MORALITY.
The liberal immoral experiment is failed obviously.
We’ve had enough of this insanity. It’s time to move back to a conservative stable society as we used to be.
We’re all people lived stable prosperous lives raising their own children and teaching them to be decent responsible human beings when they grow up
Just a note, FEMINISM and ABORTION was created NOT FOR WOMEN, but to DOUBLE THE TAX ROLES, keep
Women in the work force paying taxes, leaving their children vulnerable, and to protect the pedophiles And allow men to be irresponsible for their own actions, thus harming the society which was the goal.
Moderator.
Please forgive my harsh comments against you. I was wrong and you did Publish my comments.
I’m just used to the many hard-core left wingers that have silenced most of America and refuse to publish anything we conservatives.
say when I didn’t see my posts showing up here, I just thought they were deleted.
But when I came back I see my comments were published here and I say I do appreciate it very much your honesty and decency.
Forgive me!
Tess, I applaud you! You are a rational, clear sighted individual. Run for office!!!