Source: stocktonia.org 10/14/26
A controversial contract with a cleanup company in Manteca has residents incensed that the city would do business with a registered sex offender.
Manteca Property Services began working for the city in 2023, and the Manteca City Council approved its most recent agreement in March. The junk removal and trash hauling company has cleared illegal homeless encampments and provided citywide cleanup services. The business is co-owned by Robert Wolfe, a registered sex offender in California.
Screenshots of Wolfe’s profile on California’s Megan’s Law database and text messages appearing to show a December 2023 exchange with Mayor Gary Singh circulated on social media ahead of the City Council’s Oct. 6 meeting.
In a Facebook post a day before the meeting, a resident alleged that Singh had been informed about Wolfe’s criminal history in 2023 but continued to allow his company to work for the city and participate in children’s events. The screenshots appeared to show Singh responding that people make mistakes and deserve second chances.
The post renewed questions about what city leaders knew about Wolfe and when.
Wolfe, 53, was convicted in 2009 of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and released from prison in 2016, according to the state’s Megan’s Law database, which makes information on the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders public.
Manteca issued a statement acknowledging concerns over the city’s employment of Manteca Property Services and saying on Oct. 5 that it was reviewing the company’s assignments and applicable contract terms.
“The city takes community concerns seriously and will continue to evaluate this matter within the scope of its contractual authority,” the statement, which was posted on social media, said.
During the City Council meeting, several residents criticized city leaders for continuing to work with Wolfe’s company for the past three years, saying they had previously raised concerns about his background. They expressed outrage over the contract and questioned what steps the city had taken to evaluate Wolfe’s background before awarding the contract.
The most recent contract with the company came after the city solicited proposals from “qualified contractors to provide citywide clean-up services and homeless encampment support.”
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He said the city would review its contracting procedures and consider additional safeguards.
“We should have done better. And we will,” Singh said. …
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