Anthony Silva (born 1974) is an American politician who served as the 78th mayor of

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

from 2013 until 2017. He is also a member of the San Joaquin County Central Committee of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

Mayor of Stockton

Silva was elected mayor in the Stockton's 2012 mayoral election, unseating incumbent mayor Ann Johnston. On May 15, 2014 Silva slept in a cardboard box outside to draw attention to the problem of

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

. On November 16, 2015, Silva gave God the key to the city of Stockton. In December 2015 Silva announced a development plan for Stockton. The plan would build on the city's waterfront and create an airport. The plan also included the establishment of an

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prohibiting sagging, a fashion trend. LGBT groups protested Silva's appointment of someone to a city planning commission. The person was said to be intolerant of diverse communities, including discriminating based on race and sexuality. LGBT organizations and atheist groups protested Silva hosting civic meetings in a church that opposed LGBT rights. While Mayor, Silva presented the idea of importing endangered Manatees to the Stockton Delta to help control the hyacinth problem. Biologists and specialists in the field roundly rejected his idea, stating many reasons for the plan not being a viable one, most notably that they are an endangered species that lives in tropical waters, unlike Stockton's frigid winter waters, and that even if all 5,000 manatees alive today were relocated to Stockton, they wouldn't even begin make a dent in the hyacinth problem. Silva ran for re-election in 2016 but lost to Michael Tubbs, who received 70.4 percent of the vote.

Legal issues

On February 23, 2015 a 13-year-old boy was killed with a gun that was later found to have been registered to Silva. Silva said that the gun was stolen but that he had not yet reported the theft. On August 4, 2016 Silva was arrested for providing alcohol to underage boys and recording them playing strip poker. Silva used to be President and Chief Executive Officer for the Stockton Kids Club, formerly known as the Boys & Girls Club of Stockton, a position he held for six years. The Club lost its official charter, which resulted in the name change, due to Silva's financial negligence. His official biography on the city's website states that "Mayor Silva has a passion for helping youth and, as a result, he sits on many local non-profit Board of Directors..." On March 5, 2017 Silva was arrested at

San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is an international airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, south of Downtown San Francisco. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe, the Middle E ...

. He was charged with grand theft, embezzlement, profiteering, misappropriation of public funds and money laundering related to his running of a local non-profit kids' club. In 2019 he pled guilty to one felony charge as part of a plea deal.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Anthony Mayors of Stockton, California 1974 births Living people California Republicans 21st-century American politicians