STOCKTON, CA- While many California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), students are kept up to date with on- and off-campus news surrounding the main Turlock campus, not many students or residents are able to keep up with the news in Stockton, which affect the Stan State students that attend the Stockton Center Campus.
For example, Stan State students may not be aware of the scandals surrounding the Mayor of Stockton, Anthony Silva.
Silva, first elected to office in November 2012, was the center of an investigation involving the use of a stolen gun in a homicide in early 2016. The homicide took place in Feb., but the gun was not reported stolen by Silva until March. 
Nothing came of this investigation, but instead it served to create a rift between the people of Stockton and their Mayor.
According to Silva’s campaign website, http://mayorsilva.org, a major part of his 2012 campaign was to create a “safe Stockton” and build a better city for the citizens. Recent events however, have only served to build feelings of distrust toward Silva among upcoming voters.
On Aug. 4, Mayor Silva was arrested at the Silver Lake Family Camp he supervised in Amador County on charges including providing alcohol to minors at the camp.
The arrest was made after FBI investigators discovered pictures and audio recordings of Silva and several minors playing strip poker. The recordings and pictures were taken without the consent of the participants and revealed Silva distributing alcohol to camp-counselors as young as 16.
Mayor Silva has also faced past allegations involving illegal recordings in 2013. Silva was allegedly accused of possessing recordings of high school students undressing from Stockton Unified School District high schools, however no investigations were conducted.
Silva was released on the same day of his arrest at the youth camp after posting bail. The District Attorney’s investigations dropped the charges from felonies to misdemeanors and the hearing for Silva is set to be held later this year in December.
The changing of the charges however, did not change public response. The Stockton Police Department released a statement on their Facebook page shortly after Mayor Silva’s arrest asking for his resignation.
Despite the public’s opinion, Mayor Silva has not resigned and is running for reelection as the incumbent against Michael Tubbs. Tubbs won the June primary elections to be the challenger in the Mayoral election in Stockton.
Stan State students who reside in Stockton are faced with the decision to either reelect a Mayor who has broken their trust, or put their faith in a new candidate.
“I think it’s important that students at Stan know what is going on in Stockton,” Maikou Lee (sophomore, Mathematics) said. “I know people from Stockton and the fact that we have a campus there involves students.” 
This unpopular scandal demonstrates the importance of informing oneself on their local election and candidates so that casted votes are not wasted.