Stockton City Council/Successor Agency Concurrent Meeting Summary - September 17, 2024

The Stockton City Council met in concurrent session on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, beginning with a closed session at 4:00 p.m. and convening the regular open session at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 425 N. El Dorado St. All seven councilmembers were present. The council approved consent items, adopted a councilmember and commissioner conduct policy, initiated formation of Community Facilities District No. 2024-1, and approved entitlements for four parcels to be added to the Mariposa Industrial Park. The meeting adjourned at 6:32 p.m.

Closed Session

• Closed session items were conference with labor negotiator and public employee performance evaluation; no additions were made.
• The council recessed to closed session at 4:01 p.m. and returned at 4:39 p.m. City Attorney Lori Asuncion reported no reportable action.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Thomas Wilson thanked the mayor, council, and city manager and presented Mayor Lincoln with a handmade redwood shoe box, noting the mayor's properly shined shoes and Wilson's Marine Corps service from 1954 to 1956.
• Kuanghuei Liang described a long-running dispute involving the San Joaquin County justice system, said he feared for his safety, and filed a document. His stepdaughter Wen Hun and wife Lijun Zhang also spoke in Chinese. No interpreter had been requested; the city said their comments would be translated and posted to the record.
• Patricia Robinson, an employee at the new courthouse at 180 W. Weber, said she had received parking tickets since 2022 in front of the courthouse despite the absence of posted restrictions, causing financial hardship and an expired car registration; she asked the council for help.

Consent Calendar

The consent calendar was approved 7-0 with items 12.5 and 12.6 pulled for separate discussion. The following consent items were approved:

• Approved minutes of Aug. 20 and Aug. 27, 2024 (Item 12.1).
• Designated the order of succession for the Director of Emergency Services (Item 12.2).
• Awarded TV Pro Gear $387,724 for the Stockton GovTV live and post-production system at New City Hall (Item 12.3).
• Adopted the revised Multi Hazard Functional Emergency Operations Plan (Item 12.4).
• Approved the Animal Shelter Renovation: transferred a total of $3,745,638 from five sources, awarded $10,473,000 to F&H Construction and $708,411.20 to UNICO Engineering, and approved a CEQA exemption (Item 12.7).
• Authorized a cooperative purchase with e-Builder, Inc. not to exceed $539,112.19 for project management software (Item 12.8).
• Appropriated $256,500 and awarded W-Trans $198,637.48 for Hammer Lane Traffic Safety Improvements design services (Item 12.9).
• Awarded $2,349,908 to Pacific Excavation for Fiber Segment Construction and approved a CEQA exemption (Item 12.10).
• Appropriated $389,000, authorized a $58,450 county agreement, and awarded HDR $337,935.51 for Alpine Pershing Mendocino Bicycle-Pedestrian Connectivity (Item 12.11).
• Authorized county-city agreements for traffic signal operation and maintenance at Arch Airport Road/Giannecchini Lane and Arch Airport Road/Pock Lane (Item 12.12).
• Awarded Pavement Coatings Co. $748,121 for the FY 2023-24 SB1 Slurry Seal local street resurfacing project and approved a CEQA exemption (Item 12.13).
• Rejected all bids for the Channel Street Corridor Improvements project (Item 12.14).

Discussion Items

DUI Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Grant (Item 12.5)

Councilmember Wright expressed strong support for removing drunk drivers from the road but raised concern that checkpoints sometimes lead to impoundments for expired registration or lack of insurance, which he called a 'crime of poverty,' and said he preferred saturation enforcement. Police staff replied that checkpoints are focused on impaired drivers, are legally regulated, and involve officer discretion; education is the first tool, though vehicles may be towed after repeated registration violations. Vice Mayor Warmsley asked that enforcement be distributed across the city; staff noted roadway design and legal requirements constrain checkpoint placement. Resolution 2024-09-17-1205 accepting the $518,000 grant passed 7-0.

Victory Park Pool Renovation (Item 12.6)

Councilmembers celebrated the long-awaited pool renovation. Staff said the contract would be executed in about 45 days and the goal was delivery in summer 2025. Councilmember Villapudua asked about contractor qualifications; staff said CWS Construction Group had been on the approved pre-qualified bidder list. Resolution 2024-09-17-1206 relieving Tricon Construction of its bid, approving plans, and awarding $7,355,000 to CWS Construction Group passed 7-0.

Council Policy Manual Chapter 3.13 (Item 15.1)

Staff said the councilmember creed was redrafted to include commissioners at the direction of the Legislation and Environmental Committee, with research including a robust Sacramento policy. Councilmembers praised the work; Vice Mayor Warmsley said it raised ethical standards and responded to the grand jury's report. Resolution 2024-09-17-1501 adopting the conduct policy and creed passed 7-0.

Community Facilities District No. 2024-1 - South Stockton Facilities and Services (Item 15.2)

Ken Deeker of Del Rio Advisors presented the first step of a two-step CFD formation. The initial boundary would be the Mariposa Industrial Park, which currently has a Walmart distribution center and is adding about 1.2 million square feet of facilities; future development in the annexation territory would be asked to join the CFD. Special taxes would fund fire-related facilities and services, including one or more fire stations. The maximum facility special tax was proposed at $650 per acre per year with 2% annual growth while bonds are outstanding, and the maximum services special tax was proposed at $1,637 per acre per year with up to 4% annual growth in perpetuity. Bonded indebtedness was capped at $50 million. A public hearing was set for Nov. 12, 2024. Fire Chief Rick Edwards said the first station would likely be between Highway 99 and Airport Way along the Arch Road corridor to support four-minute response times. Councilmembers spoke in support, citing public safety, reinvestment in South Stockton, jobs, and infrastructure. Resolutions 2024-09-17-1502-01 and 2024-09-17-1502-02 passed 7-0.

Hearing: Mariposa Industrial Park Additional Parcels (Item 16.1)

The public hearing was opened for a request concerning APNs 179-220-14, -15, -25, and -26 at 5252, 5262, and 5276 East Mariposa Road. Assistant Community Development Director Mike McDowell said the original industrial park was approved in 2022 and annexed; the four parcels include two rural residential parcels, an access road parcel, and a parcel in the city limits without zoning. The request was to approve an EIR addendum, prezone/rezone to Industrial Limited, amend the development agreement, and file an annexation application with LAFCO. The original approval allows up to 3.6 million square feet, and the four parcels would not add square footage. Rob Mitchell, the developer, spoke in support, explaining that he had originally faced holdout homeowners and needed speed to keep Walmart from going to Nevada; the new parcels would allow a more efficient building layout without increasing traffic or pollution. Vice Mayor Warmsley confirmed with staff that no new environmental impacts or mitigation were identified and that the parcels would be subject to the same EIR mitigation measures as the rest of the industrial park; staff noted those measures had been extensive because of the Sierra Club and the Attorney General's office. The hearing was closed, and Resolution 2024-09-17-1601-01, Resolution 2024-09-17-1601-02, Ordinance 2024-09-17-1601-01, and Ordinance 2024-09-17-1601-02 were approved 7-0. Next steps include LAFCO annexation and site plan/design review.

Council Comments, Reports, and Announcements

• Vice Mayor Warmsley and Councilmember Wright paid tribute to Lester Bond, a longtime Stockton Unified School District teacher and coach; Mayor Lincoln led a moment of silence.
• Councilmember Wright reported on a San Joaquin Valley advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., including efforts to complete Highway 99 (279 miles, with 35 miles still four-lane choke points), the Stockton Diamond Grade Separation project nearing full funding, and Stockton's receipt of an $8 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant for the Minor/Market streets project.
• Councilmember Padilla promoted Visit Stockton events, the Lantern Festival, and local liberal arts performances, thanked the police department, and announced an Ad Hoc Homelessness Committee meeting on Nov. 7 at 4 p.m.
• Councilmember Blower thanked Public Works Director Chad Reed and staff for completing the Five Mile Creek cleanup about six months ahead of schedule.
• Councilmember Villapudua recognized the 106th anniversary of Genova Bakery and the opening of KiKi's Chicken and raised a concern about over-concentration of cannabis licenses in South Stockton.
• Councilmember Lenz attended the Stockton Chamber's Industrial BBQ, a BIA reception, and a St. Mary's Community Services fundraiser with about 500 attendees.

Informational Items

• Council committee, board, and commission minutes from Ad Hoc Homelessness (July 3, 2024), Audit (Aug. 12, 2024), CSC (July 18, 2024), and Legislation/Environmental (May 15, 2024) were received as information only; no action was taken.

Key Outcomes

• Closed session produced no reportable action.
• The consent calendar and all separately considered items passed 7-0.
• Adopted Council Policy Manual Chapter 3.13 and the associated creed (Resolution 2024-09-17-1501).
• Initiated CFD No. 2024-1 formation with a public hearing on Nov. 12, 2024, and adopted a resolution of intention for up to $50 million in bonded indebtedness.
• Approved Mariposa Industrial Park parcel entitlements and referred the annexation application to LAFCO.
• Awarded Victory Park Pool construction to CWS Construction Group; target completion is summer 2025.
• Accepted the $518,000 DUI Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant.