Stockton City Council/Successor Agency/PFA/Parking Authority Concurrent Meeting – February 4, 2025

The Stockton City Council met concurrently with the Successor Agency, Public Financing Authority, and Parking Authority on February 4, 2025. The closed session began at 4:00 PM and the regular session at 5:31 PM, with adjournment at 10:43 PM. The council approved an interim city manager, named a new library and parks, authorized infrastructure and technology spending, received community well-being and youth programming updates, established two ad hoc committees, and set a censure process in motion.

Closed Session

• The council recessed into closed session at 4:01 PM and returned at 4:45 PM. City Attorney Lori Asuncion reported that the council voted 6-0, with Councilmember Villapudua absent, to settle J.P. et al. v. City of Stockton for $460,000. No other reportable items were announced.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the consent calendar 7-0 after pulling items 12.1, 12.6, 12.9, 12.10, 12.13, and 12.15 for separate discussion.
• Routine consent approvals included meeting minutes, the revised 2025 meeting calendar, mayoral committee assignments, a Measure W Oversight Committee appointment, the D Street right-of-way vacation, participation in the CENCAL Fire EMS Authority with a $1,515,700 reserve transfer, ratification of $835,534.88 for temporary sewer pump expenses, a $195,000 amendment with Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a $500,000 Safe Routes to School grant, and a $200,673 engineering amendment for the Lincoln Road Sewer Trunk Rehabilitation.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dan Richardson requested a funding and status update on Pershing Avenue complete streets, a road diet, and traffic/speeding enforcement, saying police had clocked vehicles at over 80 mph in front of Victory Park.
• Pandora Crowder, Isabel Perez, Erica Burton, and Khadija Fox supported the REACH program and urged the city to help preserve its services after federal funding uncertainty. Fox cited San Joaquin County’s 2023 infant mortality rate of 12.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, the highest in the state, and described REACH’s lactation and doula partnerships.
• Armando Rodriguez, Henry Ortiz, Alicia Rico, and Matthew Lester urged the council to consider sanctuary city status and protect immigrant and farmworker communities. Rico asked the council to help revoke H.R. 29 and said families were afraid to send children to school or go to work.
• Bobby Bivens, president of the Stockton NAACP, criticized the two-minute public comment limit and said limiting speech may be legal but was not right.
• Manuel Martinez, father of Julian Martinez, described being handcuffed and prevented from reaching his son after the shooting and said he still had not been allowed to see his son’s body.
• Vernon Coleman proposed a tool lending library / library of things and said a $100,000 California State Library grant might be available.
• Francine Rueda supported Public Health Advocates, noting University of the Pacific’s College Corps program had placed 20 fellows with the organization in three years.
• Cynthia Boyd announced an HBCU event at Kingston Elementary and criticized the interim city manager appointment process.
• Jane Chamberlain supported downtown investment and housing, citing smaller California cities with thriving downtowns.
• Brendon Wiggins asked for the city process for installing EV charging stations on government property.

Appointment of Interim City Manager (Item 12.1)

• The council split 4-3 on Resolution 2025-02-04-1201, appointing Steve Colangelo as Interim City Manager and authorizing the mayor to execute his employment contract. Voting yes were Mayor Fugazi, Councilmember Padilla, Councilmember Ponce, and Vice Mayor Lee. Voting no were Councilmember Blower, Councilmember Villapudua, and Councilmember Enriquez.
• Councilmember Blower moved to send the appointment back to closed session for more vetting, citing the lack of a resume and concerns about city government experience. Councilmember Ponce then moved to approve Colangelo. A motion to call the question passed 4-3.
• Public comment was divided. Supporters described Colangelo as a Stockton businessman, community supporter, and straight shooter; opponents argued he lacked municipal management experience and that acting City Manager Will Crew had been passed over.
• The city attorney read the required oral compensation summary before the vote. The council recessed at 7:15 PM and reconvened at 7:27 PM.

Library and Park Naming (Item 12.6)

• Approved Resolution 2025-02-04-1206 7-0, naming the Northeast Library and Community Center as Ursula Meyer Library and Community Center; the Westlake/Scott Creek park as Inspiration Park in memory of Officer Jimmy Inn and Fire Captain Max Fortuna; the Valens/Orbison park as Hadley Park in memory of Carol Naomi Trujillo Hadley; and the Parliament/Skynyrd park as Harmony Park.
• Public speakers spoke in support of the names. The Stockton Firefighters Union president thanked the council for honoring Captain Fortuna and Officer Inn.

IT Cooperative Agreements and University of the Pacific Lease (Items 12.9 and 12.10)

• Approved Motion 2025-02-04-1209 7-0 to use a vendor pool of cooperative agreements for IT solutions and services, with a total estimated contract value of $25,030,000, after discussion about the RFP process and purchase approvals.
• Approved Motion 2025-02-04-1210 6-0 to lease radio communications space to University of the Pacific for a 20-year term plus a five-year renewal option, with a total contract cap of $1,093,777.93. Councilmember Enriquez recused himself due to his employment with UOP.

Light Up Stockton (Item 12.13)

• Approved Resolution 2025-02-04-1213 7-0 transferring $2,000,000 from FY 2023-24 Year End Discretionary Funds to the Light Up Stockton project. Staff said the funding would repair known outages and wire-theft damage, with an estimated 60-day repair timeline after contract award, and the mayor directed the work to begin in District 6.

Airport Way Bridge over Mormon Slough Fire Repair (Item 12.15)

• Approved Resolution 2025-02-04-1215 7-0, appropriating $20,000 and transferring $300,000 and $483,000 from other bridge projects, and awarding a $908,369 construction contract to Valentine Corporation. Discussion included using grouted riprap to deter repeated fires under the bridge and a future April presentation on the approach.

Community Well-Being Project Updates (Item 15.1)

• Informational item; no action taken.
• The Mobile Community Response Team has completed 11,713 calls since May 2023. In September-November 2024, it received 613 new calls and 1,353 follow-up calls; 68% were wellness/welfare checks, 17% were emotional disturbances, 9% were mild-to-moderate issues, and 3% involved suicidal/homicidal ideation.
• CMC’s respite center has 13 beds, a 14-day transitional stay, and provides monitored detox, MAT, case management, and aftercare. From September to November 2024 it received 102 referrals; 38% were admitted. Discharge placements included 18% to sober living, 18% to long-term care, 45% to a private home, and 19% declining placement.
• The city has received about $2.7 million of an estimated potential $10.7 million in opioid settlement funds. Care Solace, the new behavioral health coordination hub, reported 845 residents contacted it in its first 10 weeks, with about 54% using public insurance and 16% uninsured.

Youth Programming for Summer 2025 (Item 15.3)

• Informational item; no action taken.
• The first California For All grant round provided $4.3 million and served 440 youth, including 188 through the city’s internal summer program. The second round is $1.7 million and is projected to serve about 275 youth across city and partner programs.
• The city’s 2025 summer youth employment applications open February 24 and close March 7, with an informational session February 20. Community Services reported summer reading participation grew from 1,700 participants reading 38,000 books in 2023 to 6,600 participants reading over 60,000 books in 2024.
• Council members asked staff to explore expanding jobs, nonprofit partnerships, business incentives, and using Measure M funds to reduce or eliminate program fees. The department requested marketing capacity, more scholarships, and a compensation study.

Groundwater Sustainability Plan Amendment (Item 15.2)

• This item was pulled and deferred. A February 4 memo from the Municipal Utilities Director said it would be brought back at a later date as a public hearing after the required noticing period.

Censure Complaint (Item 15.4)

• The council considered a complaint filed January 21 by Councilmember Padilla and Vice Mayor Lee alleging Councilmember Villapudua violated Council Policies 3.13 and 4.07. The City Clerk explained the censure procedure and said the four non-involved members could stop the process by unanimous vote.
• No councilmember moved to stop the proceeding, so it moved forward. During discussion, the mayor characterized the allegation as involving a middle-finger gesture. Public comment included opposition to the censure based on First Amendment grounds, a statement that no policy violation existed, and commentary about political consultant conduct.
• Mayor Fugazi appointed an Ad Hoc Committee consisting of herself, Councilmember Ponce, and Councilmember Enriquez to review the complaint and report back.

City Manager Selection Ad Hoc (Item 15.5)

• Approved Resolution 2025-02-04-1505; the minutes record the vote as 7-0, while the live transcript appears to state 6-1 with Councilmember Villapudua voting no. The resolution created a City Manager Selection Ad Hoc Committee of Mayor Fugazi, Councilmember Enriquez, and Vice Mayor Lee to select a recruiter and recommend candidates to the full council.
• One public commenter, Ralph White, argued that the full council should handle the hiring rather than an ad hoc committee.

Civil Service/Equal Employment Commission Appointments (Item 15.6)

• Approved Resolution 2025-02-04-1506 7-0, appointing Ada Pizzano and Raymond Zululeta to the Stockton Civil Service/Equal Employment Commission for terms ending December 31, 2027, after ranked-choice ballots and a tie-breaking round.

Key Outcomes

• Closed session lawsuit settlement approved in the amount of $460,000 by a 6-0 vote.
• Steve Colangelo appointed Interim City Manager by a 4-3 vote.
• Library and park naming resolution, IT vendor pool, UOP lease, $2 million Light Up Stockton appropriation, Airport Way Bridge repair, and other consent items approved.
• Ad Hoc Committee established for the censure review, and Ad Hoc Committee established for City Manager selection.
• Ada Pizzano and Raymond Zululeta appointed to the Civil Service/Equal Employment Commission.
• Groundwater Sustainability Plan amendment deferred; community well-being and youth programming items were informational only.

Council Comments and Adjournment

• Councilmembers commented on the killing of 17-year-old Julian Martinez, Black History Month, REACH support, downtown development, the North Stockton police substation, traffic enforcement, a March Brown Act study session, and upcoming community events. Councilmember Padilla also announced the Ad Hoc Homelessness Committee meeting for February 6 at 4:00 PM.
• The meeting adjourned at 10:43 PM.