About Clem Lee

Clem and his wife, Tina, were married in 1990. They and their son, Peter, reside in central Stockton near the Miracle Mile. Tina is a certified financial planner with Wachovia in Stockton, and Peter is a freshman at Franklin High School in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. He also plays water polo and baseball there.

Clem is a proud, lifelong Stocktonian. He graduated from Stagg High School and attended Delta College and UOP before completing a BA degree at CSU Stanislaus. He was a middle school teacher and coach in Manteca Unified School District for twenty years before moving to Stockton Unified School District in 2005 where he taught middle school history. He is currently a teacher on assignment as a specialist in the Elementary Education Department where he works with magnet programs, student assignment, student housing and transportation, and other issues.

Clem was elected to the Stockton Unified School District Board of Education in 1990. He was re-elected three times, serving fourteen years before his election to the city council. During Clem's tenure, the district reversed decades of decline and regained public confidence. Clem left the board with SUSD financially strong and well managed, building new schools, and refurbishing old ones. His tenure was a productive, exciting time for SUSD, and Clem is proud of his service there.

In 2004, Clem was elected to the Stockton City Council to represent Area 4. He immediately established himself as a strong, independent voice on the council and as a decisive leader.

Clem has earned the respect of his colleagues for his hard work, team play, and willingness to take on the tough issues. Having earned Mayor Edward Chavez's trust, Clem was regularly called upon to find solutions to extraordinary problems that have faced the city.

In his 2008 State of the City speech, Mayor Chavez declared a war on graffiti and assigned Councilmember Lee to head the anti-graffiti initiative. Fines for vandals were increased and provisions for seeking civil damages of parents who children who did graffiti were enacted. But Clem also set about to reduce the anti-graffiti bureaucracy by combining all efforts under the police department. The city was able to double its anti-graffiti efforts without increasing operating expenses, and the initiative has produced tangible results.

As chairman of a special ad hoc committee, Clem led the way to keep open a treatment facility with a heated, therapeutic pool that served citizens needing physical rehabilitation including seniors with limited incomes and mobility. Clem pushed all of the parties hard to get an outcome that has the center working better than ever.

Clem has championed the movement towards transparency and open government. Even his critics will admit that he does his work in public view and you always know where he stands on an issue. Clem Lee is proud of his service on the City Council and all that has been accomplished. He is uniquely qualified to lead Stockton to the next level.

For Clem’s vision and plan for Stockton, click here.