Shortly after leaving office as mayor of Stockton, California, former Mayor Kevin Lincoln and his wife, Bonnie Lincoln, formed Goldberg-Stern Associates, LLC. The couple serves as the firm’s sole directors and 100% owners.
Public records show the limited liability company was incorporated in California in March 2025. The Lincolns are listed as managers, with the entity using a registered agent address in Sacramento rather than a physical business location.
The choice of the name “Goldberg-Stern” stands out. Kevin Lincoln has publicly described his heritage as including Mexican immigrant roots on his mother’s side and African American heritage on his father’s side. Available biographical information and public records reveal no documented family, business, or professional connections to anyone named Goldberg or Stern on the part of either Kevin or Bonnie Lincoln.
The unrelated, Jewish-sounding name creates the appearance of an established professional services firm rather than a newly formed, family-controlled entity launched almost immediately after Lincoln departed public office. Such naming practices can make it more difficult for voters and journalists to quickly connect the business back to the former elected official and his spouse.
Further scrutiny arises from the LLC’s operational profile. The company lists only the address of a professional registered agent service, Northwest Registered Agent, which functions as a virtual mail drop and compliance address rather than a physical office where clients could visit or operations could be conducted. It maintains no visible internet presence: no company website, no description of services offered, no client list, no testimonials, no LinkedIn company page, and no discernible marketing or business footprint.
In standard business practice, a legitimate consulting, advisory, or professional services firm generating significant revenue would typically maintain at least a basic online presence to attract clients and establish credibility. The complete absence of these indicators has prompted questions about whether the LLC functions primarily as a vehicle for private income rather than a genuine operating business.
Lincoln’s candidate financial disclosure forms for his U.S. House bid in California’s 13th Congressional District report that Goldberg-Stern Associates paid him $25,961.55 in salary, along with distributions valued between $15,001 and $50,000. These payments began flowing shortly after he left the mayor’s office.
Lincoln, a Republican, is seeking the GOP nomination in the newly redrawn CA-13, a competitive Central Valley district that includes parts of Stockton. To have any chance of unseating Democrat incumbent Rep. Adam Gray in the general election, he must first place in the top two in the upcoming California Jungle Primary on June 2nd.
Post-office arrangements warrant close examination, particularly when they involve self-directed payments through an entity with limited public visibility. The combination of an apparently unrelated business name, the use of a virtual address, and the lack of any operational online footprint fuels concerns about potential influence peddling, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or the use of a shell-like structure to route income while attempting to minimize scrutiny.
California voters and members of the Republican Party in the district have a right to full transparency regarding such arrangements. While privacy in personal business matters is common, the layers of separation here, especially for a recent former mayor now seeking higher office, go beyond typical practices and risk eroding public trust.
