By Edward Henderson
California Black Media  

On Jan. 7, businessman, actor and popular media personality. Jason Lee – who is the CEO, host and owner of the popular media platform Hollywood Unlocked — was sworn into office as a Stockton City Councilmember, representing the city’s Sixth District.

He will also serve as vice mayor.

Lee, a Stockton native, rose to prominence in the entertainment industry after overcoming numerous disadvantages in his childhood, including abuse, poverty, homelessness, foster care and violence. Lee details some of these experiences in his memoir titled “God Must Have Forgotten About Me.”

Now, Lee says he dedicates his life to serving others. He began his career in education and probation before transitioning to labor relations. In 2009, he became a labor representative for the California Nurses Association in Los Angeles.

In L.A., Lee connected with various influential figures in the entertainment industry and began documenting his experiences on a website he created. In 2015, he founded Hollywood Unlocked, which currently has 3.5 million followers on Instagram and 1.9 million on Facebook.

Lee recently spoke with California Black Media and shared what drove his decision, the strategy behind his successful campaign, and his plans as he takes office.

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Lee says his motivation to run for office was first sparked by a tragedy at Stagg High School in Stockton.

Last year, a 15-year-old student, Alicia Reynaga, was stabbed and killed by an intruder on the high school’s campus. After the tragedy, Lee returned home to offer emotional support to the students along with actress Tiffany Haddish but grew frustrated by the red tape he encountered from city authorities.

“Once I saw the politicking around that tragedy, I tried to find people to run. Nobody wanted to run; nobody believed anything could change,” Lee said. “So, I called my executive team and made the decision to run.”

“I’m the face of everything they talk about. People politicize topics like homelessness, but you can’t talk to me about homelessness because I was homeless; you can’t talk to me about foster care or young people transitioning out of foster care because that was me; you can’t talk to me about gun violence and crime because not only was I a survivor of that but I watched my brother get murdered. I know what it takes to be able to navigate all of those experiences,” says Lee.

Lee wants to focus on issues like rent stabilization, police accountability, and food deserts. He also plans to launch a voter registration education campaign.

“I ain’t in it to be a politician. I’m in it to be a public servant. On my day job, I may spill the tea, which, in my opinion, stands for the truth, trust, and transparency of my entertainment business. We’re going to spill the tea in Stockton, too.”

While Lee still plans to continue running his entertainment business, he understands his approach to his new position will need to be different.

“I can’t be as reckless in my delivery as I am sometimes over there, because real lives are impacted by the words that I choose over here, and the decisions that I make over here have a very significant impact to people who have entrusted me to and given me to help change what they’re experiencing,” Lee says.

“I take the obligation very seriously,” he added.

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