An event meant to build community in Vallejo turned ugly Tuesday night when a former city council member allegedly struck a rival mayoral candidate’s spouse in the face, according to witnesses and video obtained by Open Vallejo.
The incident began when people gathered for a group photo during National Night Out in the Vallejo Heights neighborhood. The annual event, sponsored by the Vallejo Police Department at various locations across town, is billed as a way to promote neighborhood camaraderie, safety, and police-community relationships.
Among those posing for the photo was Andrea Sorce, a mayoral candidate who had stopped by to talk with residents, according to several people who attended the event and photographs obtained by Open Vallejo.
Katy Miessner, a former city council member and supporter of candidate Pippin Dew in this year’s mayoral contest, walked in front of Sorce and blocked her from view in the photo, according to pictures and witness accounts of the incident. When asked to move, Miessner pushed people and made several derogatory remarks directed at Sorce and others, said Diana Lang, a resident who was standing next to Sorce for the group photo.
Lang said she saw Miessner “lunge” at Sorce’s husband, Slater Matzke, as he recorded the escalating situation. “Her left arm went at his face,” she said.
“Fuck you,” Miessner said after striking Matzke, according to the video. “You’re not allowed to take pictures of me.”
“Did you just hit me? That’s an assault, you know, what you just did,” Matzke said. “You just hit me.”
“Call the police,” Miessner responded, according to the video.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Matzke said Miessner assaulted him. “She hit me in the face,” Matzke said.
Sgt. Rashad Hollis, spokesperson for the Vallejo Police Department, said he was not aware of the incident. The department has received no reports of a disturbance on Tuesday night at the location of the neighborhood event, he said.
Miessner and Sorce declined to comment when reached by phone Wednesday.
Matzke, a former senior Vallejo employee who several years ago raised concerns about alleged misconduct by former City Manager Greg Nyhoff, is currently suing the city for wrongful termination, harassment, and retaliation, according to the complaint.
Miessner served on the Vallejo City Council from 2014 to 2023, including a stint as Vice Mayor, records show. On Wednesday afternoon, Miessner issued a public apology on her Facebook page, writing: “During National Night Out, I responded to circumstances that in retrospect I wish I had handled differently.”
“I will continue to learn to have more grace in these situations, especially in light of the political climate that we find ourselves in, both locally and nationally,” she wrote.
Miessner has served a visible role in Dew’s campaign for mayor in recent months, according to a review of social media accounts. In a June Facebook post, Dew named Miessner as a member of her campaign team. Both Dew, also a former city council member, and Miessner have posted photos from campaign events, including a parade, multiple precinct walks, and an auction at which one of Miessner’s paintings was apparently sold.
Dew did not respond to questions about the incident or Miessner’s association with her campaign, but issued a statement on her campaign’s Facebook page on Wednesday noting that she was aware of the incident.
Lang, who noted that she supports Sorce in the mayor’s race, said the incident was embarrassing for Vallejo, her neighborhood, and politics in general. She said Miessner’s behavior was “unhinged” and “out of character.”
“It ruined a really beautiful event,” Lang said. “I think everybody was really uncomfortable.”
