Jay Leno ribs bankrupt Stockton on “Tonight Show” -- again

For the second time in less than a week, comedian Jay Leno turned to Stockton for material.

The California city again made headlines this month when it was deemed eligible for bankruptcy protection, allowing it to move forward in reorganizing its debt. In June, the 300,000-person city became the largest in the U.S. to fail financially.

On Monday, “The Tonight Show” star pounced.

“Stockton is so broke, the founding father is now demanding a paternity test,” Leno joked. “They are so broke, the 99 Cent Store has been accused of price gouging.”

“In fact,” he continued, “you know what they call ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ in Stockton? ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.’ ”

It wasn’t the only time Leno ribbed the city. Stockton was also mentioned in the opening monologue of Wednesday’s show -- with a very similar setup.

“Stockton is so broke, getting hit by a North Korean missile would actually increase property value,” Leno said. “Stockton is so broke, even Lindsay Lohan refuses to shoplift there.”

Not everyone appreciated Leno’s humor. After Wednesday’s show, Michael Tubbs, a 22-year-old member of the Stockton City Council, tweeted, “@jayleno didn’t appreciate the jobs on Stockton! Now you have to visit and I’ll give you the tour.”

“It’s a Catch-22,” Tubbs told KCRA. “One the one hand, I’m glad millions of people know about Stockton, but there is more to our city than bankruptcy.”

Stockton wasn’t the only California story to catch Leno’s attention. On Monday’s show, he also quipped about the two teenage hikers missing for days in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon, calling it “real good news” they were found.

“The guy said he was hallucinating so badly by the second or third day he saw tigers. He actually thought he was being stalked by tigers,” Leno said. “And the girl -- the girl was even worse. She said she hallucinated so badly she saw the Lakers in the playoffs.”

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kate.mather@latimes.com