Stockton council candidate quits after felony arrest over false residency claim

Desiree Lynch, who was campaigning for the District 5 seat on the Stockton City Council, announced her immediate withdrawal following her arrest on five felony charges, including three counts of perjury, false voter registration and filing a false candidacy declaration. Investigators allege she listed Harry’s Cocktail Lounge on East Charter Way and the Doyle Garden Apartments on East Oak Street as her residence to meet the district-residency requirement, while she actually lived in Lodi and North Stockton, part of District 1.

Prior to the arrest, Mayor Christina Fugazi had asked Lynch to pause her campaign over the residency doubts, which Lynch initially rejected. After the arrest, her lawyer Allen Sawyer said she would focus on caring for her daughter. Lynch was booked on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on September 2, facing a potential sentence of up to six years and eight months.