By Akintunde Ahmad, Columbia Journalism Review, February 26, 2021
In 2017, Michael Tubbs made history as the youngest and first Black mayor of Stockton, California, home to some three hundred thousand people and considered the most diverse city in America. A graduate of Stanford University, Tubbs began his political career on the city council of Stockton, his hometown; during his mayoral campaign, he received an endorsement from Barack Obama—and more than 70 percent of the vote. During his time in office, Tubbs set out to confront Stockton’s poverty rate—23 percent—and alarmingly low levels of literacy, implementing progressive policies such as a universal basic income. By 2020, he was the focus of an HBO documentary, Stockton on My Mind, that highlighted his status as a rising star in the Democratic Party.
When it came time for reelection, many assumed that Tubbs, now thirty, would win in a landslide. So it came as a shock when, in November of last year, he lost by more than ten points. It was not simply a campaign failure, however: Tubbs was subjected to a targeted disinformation assault by a fake-news website known as the 209 Times. Named for the area code for Stockton, the 209 Times claims to be “an independent community driven grassroots news source.” In reality, it functions as a misinformation machine, trading on the relatively high levels of trust in local press outlets to spread lies and prey on voters’ racial biases.
The 209 Times may have succeeded in removing Tubbs from office, but his political career is not over. Recently, CJR caught up with him on The Kicker to discuss Stockton, disinformation, racism, and news deserts. This excerpt from the interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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