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Stockton City Officials Skipping Water Meeting, Calling It A Political Event By Mayor

STOCKTON (CBS13) — Stockton city officials will be skipping out on a meeting over a chemical in the city's water supply, saying the mayor has turned it into a political event.

Two years ago, Stockton needed a solution to clean its Delta water into safe drinking water, and the City Council, mayor and city manager all agreed to use chloramines to disinfect the water.

The city's water department was prepared to put the plan in action this month when environmental activist Erin Brockovich called the city's solution "lazy" and "cheap" on social media. She says the chemicals could corrode water pipes and leach lead into the water supply, turning Stockton into the next Flint, Michigan.

Mayor Anthony Silva quickly planned a town hall meeting with Brockovich set for Feb. 1, but Stockton City Manager Kurt Wilson says he and the municipalities director won't be going.

"Quotes in a newspaper do not provide a sufficient basis to overturn a series of unanimous approvals by Mayors and Councils spanning nearly a decade," the manager wrote in a statement.

Silva took his frustrations about the city manager to the Facebook page

Allen Sawyer, the man organizing the town hall, is Silva's political adviser.

"This is not a political event," Sawyer said. "There are a lot of experts not claiming to support Anthony one way or another. And Anthony is going to be more of a moderator."

Wilson says city officials already heard from experts two years ago when the city decided chloramines was the best choice for the city.

"Ms. Brockovich's accusations represent a lack of understanding of how municipal finance differs from the private sector. While there is an alternative form of treatment, it does not necessarily produce better results," Wilson said in a statement.

The town hall meeting on Stockton's drinking water is set for 6 p.m. on Feb. 1 at San Joaquin Delta College.

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