IT’S A LONG way from the glitter of Hollywood to the streets of south Stockton. But for self- professed millionaire Jason Lee Johnson, who grew up here, his return has been anything but quiet.
Johnson, 46, better known as Jason Lee to millions of followers visiting his celebrity news and gossip website, Hollywood Unlocked, is running for the District 6 seat on the Stockton City Council. He seemingly wants to trade Hollywood high life where he’s rubbed 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 followed a path strewn with obstacles, from being the product of a broken home, the victim of senseless violence and minor scrapes with the law to ultimate success in Tinseltown.
But he also faces questions about a series of lawsuits involving his company’s business practices, questions of residency and charges he’s trying to use his large war chest to influence the election.
Lee has not responded to several requests for an interview or comments.
Lee’s first venture into elective local politics is evidenced by lawn signs sprouting up in a district where he is one of six candidates running for City Council in the March 5 primary election. He’s also hoping to get his message across with billboards and direct mail advertising.
Lee is backing his campaign rhetoric with celebrity appearances — actress Tiffany Haddish has been to town — and with money, as he has three times as much cash as his closest competitor. Since announcing his candidacy last November, Lee’s campaign committee has received $116,980 in contributions, according to campaign reports filed through Feb. 23, with $74,000 of that from his own pocket and most of the remainder from Southern California and out-of-state contributors. Just $5,200 has come from Stockton residents, with one local contributor, Donte Westmoreland, an Advocacy Associate with the Last Prisoner Project, a Denver-based non-profit, contributing $5,000.
Burgeoning campaign coffers
Contributions to his opponents pale in comparison to what has been pumped into Lee’s campaign so far. The most recent campaign reports show incumbent councilmember Kimberly Warmsley running a distant second, having raised just $35,100 since last July. Satnam Singh has received less than $10,000 in contributions while Zoyla Moreno, Ronnie Murray and Ralph Lee White have reported no contributions.
White, 81, said he is certain that Lee is trying to buy victory.
“Of course he is. He’s spending $100,000 for a job that pays $25,000,” White said. “If this was a citywide (race), I think that would work. But it’s not citywide and I think it won’t work. In a District like number 6, you have to know people, and they need to know you. Signs and ads only go so far.”
Warmsley would not say that Lee is trying to purchase a win. But she points out that the amount that he has raised so far is equal to what she raised for the primary and general election in 2020.
“I do have concerns that the majority of the money he has raised is outside the Stockton community and more so from the Los Angeles region,” Warmsley said. “That’s not typical of a candidate who is running for a Stockton City Council seat.”
The contest has been nasty at times, especially between White and Lee. White was originally left off the official ballot because of issues in the city clerk’s office and filed a lawsuit to get into the election. He has claimed this was on purpose in order to keep him out of the race.
Lee has attacked White for his real estate holdings and put out a video displaying how some of his rentals are in a state of gross disrepair. White, 81, served on the council for 16 years (1971-87). His last election was decertified in 1987 over election code violations. He has run for office several times since leaving the council, most recently for Stockton mayor in 2020.
“He’s spending $100,000 for a job that pays $25,000. If this was a citywide (race), I think that would work. But it’s not citywide and I think it won’t work.”
Ralph Lee White, Stockton City Council candidate
White has countered that Lee just moved back to Stockton to run for office, having spent several years living in the L.A. area. He also questioned Lee’s lack of local financial support and business practices that have resulted in substantial litigation. White also claimed in an interview with Stocktonia that he received calls from people telling him not to show up for certain campaign events, although they did not identify themselves.
“This race and this political cycle is flat out nasty,” Warmsley said. “The rhetoric, the lies, the rumors, the gossiping. It is disappointing to me that candidates have stooped to this level.”
SoCal connections
Lee’s campaign expenditures suggest his run for office is being orchestrated from Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Of the $57,000 spent through the end of last month, 61 percent has been paid to a Newport Beach marketing and opinion research firm, a Chatsworth political direct mail company and out-of-state firms producing political yard signs, providing design and branding services along with a multinational billboard and outdoor advertising company. His campaign has also paid the cost of airfare between Stockton and Burbank for four staff members and several hundred dollars to Expedia for lodging reservations.
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 Los Angeles neighborhood of Encino. On other public records and court documents he lists several additional Los Angeles and Hollywood addresses. Only Lee’s initial candidacy statements filed with the Stockton city clerk appear to contain a local address.
In 2022 Lee was the subject of an Ebony Online Magazine story headlined “Beautiful Black Homes: Inside Jason Lee’s Sleek Los Angeles Hideaway” featuring photographs of his spacious hillside residence with spectacular views of the downtown Los Angeles skyline.
“When I think about my house,” he told the story’s author, Jenn Barthole. “I think the most comforting part of it is reflecting on where I came from. I was raised in foster homes in a very unstable household. The ability to now own a house by myself with stability is an accomplishment in itself.”
Reached over the weekend, Stockton City Clerk said it had been ruled that Lee has established residency inside the district. A candidate must establish residency 30 days before the filing deadline.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2006 Lee spent several years working with a healthcare workers union before entering the world of show business. In 2010 he founded Hollywood Unlocked and since then has formed some 18 companies, many no longer active, including the Conglomerate Group LLC, formed in 2011 as a consulting company that ceased operations in 2018.
The cornerstone of Lee’s current media business is Hollywood Unlocked, Inc. which operates a website estimated to draw more than a million visitors each month, and two affiliated companies, Hollywood Unlocked Studios, Inc. and Hollywood Unlocked Agency, Ltd., which provide media and entertainment services. He stated in a Facebook post last week that he plans to hire a chief executive officer for Hollywood Unlocked this year.
But it’s some of the content on his popular website that’s landed Lee and his companies in federal court — on 16 separate occasions since 2018 — when they were sued by professional photographers or photo agencies for using copyrighted photos without permission or payment. Eleven of those cases were settled before trial, although court records disclose settlement terms in only one — an $8,500 payment to a New York photographer. Four cases were dismissed on procedural grounds and one case is pending.
Locked in litigation
In 2020 Lee and Hollywood Unlocked filed their own copyright infringement lawsuit against Lifetime Entertainment, A&E Television Networks and a California production company, alleging a Lifetime Television documentary contained portions of an interview with singer K. Michelle without permission. That case was settled in 2021 and terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Lee and his companies are also being sued in state court by a Chinese company, Micro World Limited, seeking return of a $200,000 advance payment on a 2022 contract calling for promotion of Micro World on various social media websites. Micro World alleges, among other things, Lee failed to perform services the contract required, an allegation he denies, claiming he was fraudulently induced to sign the contract. A trial is tentatively scheduled in 2025.
Lee also operates a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation, Hollywood Cares Foundation, Inc. formed in 2022 with the mission, according to its website, of “activating the power of pop culture to uplift underserved youth and help them drive lasting change for themselves and others” focusing on communities of color.
So far this philanthropic venture appears to have enjoyed little success since receiving its federal tax-exempt status from the IRS less than two months after it was incorporated. Since the organization has yet to file any annual reports, it is unknown how much the nonprofit has raised, but its initial federal reporting status indicates it has received less than $50,000 in donations.
Hollywood Cares suffered a major financial setback last year when it failed to obtain a $500,000 Youth Services Grant from the City of Stockton for its “I Am Ready” initiative, which it described as being designed to “prepare young people to embrace their lives with the hope and skills” to meet future opportunities and challenges.
“This race and this political cycle is flat out nasty. The rhetoric, the lies, the rumors, the gossiping. It is disappointing to me that candidates have stooped to this level.”
Kimberly Warmsley, incumbent and candidate for Stockton City Council, District 6
The Foundation said Lee, as its executive director who was raised in Stockton, “remains deeply invested in the community.” The organization said its experience was “based on the founder’s background of community organizing, working in both the juvenile probation system and school district in Stockton.”
Hollywood Cares’ said the grant was crucial if it were to raise enough money to complete and sustain its program. “Discussions are currently in process with high profile philanthropists, celebrities and influential Fortune 100 companies working with Mr. Lee. However, a commitment of the City is a critical component in securing these funds as they expect to see a concurrent investment from the community,” it said in the application.
Ultimately 14 local organizations were recommended to receive a share of $2.1 million in grants, with the largest being $225,000 to the Children’s Home of Stockton, less than half the amount Hollywood Cares sought.
Reporter Jay Michael Rivera contributed to this story.
This story previously appeared in Stocktonia.