Stockton City Council and Concurrent Authorities Meeting – September 1, 2026

The Stockton City Council met on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, beginning at 1:02 PM. All seven council members were present: Mayor Christina Fugazi, Michael Blower, Brando Villapudua, Michele Padilla, Mariela Ponce, Mario Enríquez, and Vice Mayor Jason Lee. The meeting included a recognition, extensive public comment, a contested economic development plan, and a closed-session labor briefing, with recesses from 2:55 PM to 3:08 PM and 4:08 PM to 4:18 PM. The council recessed to closed session at 7:31 PM and adjourned at 8:04 PM.

Recognition

• Council presented a commendation to Michele J. Sherman, chair of the Civil Service Commission, for civic leadership and community service. She spoke about expediting hiring lists to keep the city competitive.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved in one roll-call vote, except items 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, and 6.10, which were pulled and considered separately. Item 6.11 was adopted within the consent calendar but with Councilmember Padilla recused because the project runs by her house; the draft minutes list a 7-0 vote, while the transcript specifies 6-0 for that item.
• Approved consent items included August 3, 2026 special meeting minutes; a legal services agreement with Zimmerman Law P.C.; a $317,000 sole-source purchase of 110 GE Orbit 900 MHz radios; the Tra Vigne West storm drainage annexation and Zone 16 formation with a public hearing set for October 27, 2026; a $180,000 three-year AVEVA software agreement; the Greater Downtown Bike and Pedestrian Connectivity contract of $1,705,804 plus a $51,020 Measure K appropriation; and the $229,238 Oak Park Senior Center restroom renovation contract.
• Pulled consent items:
  • 6.3 – Authorized a conditional $300,000 matching contribution to Service First of Northern California, Inc. for the SFNC Recovery Center at 807 North El Dorado Street, contingent on DHCS requirements. Approved 6-0 with Councilmember Padilla recused. Public testimony raised concerns about process, site feasibility, and developer track record; staff and council discussed escrow, deed-of-trust, and regulatory-agreement protections.
  • 6.4 – Accepted the Annual Health Benefits Report and adopted 2027 monthly premium rates. Approved 7-0. Union representatives Almarosa Vargas and Devin Robson urged a consistent 85/15 percentage-based cost-sharing model, citing unequal coverage and rising employee costs. Council directed staff to return September 29, 2026 with cost comparisons for 85/15 and 80/20 models.
  • 6.5 – Approved a three-year MOU with Global Retirement Partners, LLC d/b/a Shuster Advisory Group for deferred compensation plan administration, not to exceed $48,000 per year from plan assets. Approved 7-0.
  • 6.6 – Approved a three-year benefits consulting agreement with Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., not to exceed $750,000, with two one-year extension options. Approved 7-0.
  • 6.10 – Accepted a $435,000 DUI Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and amended the FY 2026-27 budget accordingly. Approved 6-0; Councilmember Enríquez was absent. Public comment asked for sustainable enforcement funding beyond grants and ABC-licensee DUI signage.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Non-agenda public comment included:
  • Residents raised traffic safety on Swain Road, Inglewood Avenue ADA sidewalk gaps, John Adams school traffic control, and Miracle Mile crosswalks.
  • Nate Knodt, with Stockton Downtown Combat Club and Citizens United Against Decay, proposed five medium-sized shelters with wraparound services and ongoing funding to address homelessness.
  • Victoria Hernandez and Holanda Preciado, both District 6 residents, asked for cleanup and safer conditions along South Center Street and more unified district meetings rather than segregated sessions for Weston Ranch and the corridor.
  • A Raya criticized early meeting times and historic disinvestment in South Stockton and opposed AI/data center development.
  • Yolanda Amen called the city's communications a crisis and asked the Mayor to replace the PIO and stop social media chaos.
  • Mary Elizabeth highlighted Vision Zero recommendations, an open container ordinance, and a leave-no-trace zero-waste effort.
  • Benito Adriano and Hilda C. linked water and energy use to climate concerns; Eliza Eberhardt urged empathy and resources for people experiencing homelessness and substance use; Mark Stebbins advocated an agricultural future; Pat Barrett called for youth-led Pledge of Allegiance and more attention to District 6 and unhoused residents.
• Agenda-specific public testimony is noted under the applicable items below.

Administrative Matters

• Councilmember Villapudua requested that Charter Section 407 be placed on a future agenda for discussion and a potential vote; the request was seconded.

Public Hearings

• 9.1 – Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant: Council held the required public hearing and approved Resolution 2026-09-01-0901 accepting the 2025 JAG allocation of $340,198, approving Amendment No. 14 to the interlocal MOU with San Joaquin County for a 51/49 funding split, and amending the FY 2026-27 budget. Approved 7-0.
• 9.2 – Holiday Park Maintenance District: Council approved the FY 2026-27 assessment of $46,598 for 304 parcels, unchanged since 1996, plus a $208,727 operating subsidy ($13,202 from the General Fund and $195,525 from the Strong Communities Fund). Speaker Joanna Ayala, attending her first council meeting, criticized what she called easy approval of large projects while community-serving facilities receive less consideration. The vote was 5-2, with Councilmembers Villapudua and Padilla dissenting.

New Business

• 10.1 – Cannery Park East Community Facilities District No. 2025-1 special tax bonds: Council authorized an initial bond issuance estimated at $7,650,000 and not-to-exceed $9,000,000 for 331 single-family residential units. The final maturity date is September 1, 2056; the bonds are not a debt of the city. Council heard that the special tax bond portion ends at maturity while an ongoing maintenance tax continues in perpetuity. Approved 7-0.
• 10.2 – 3-Year Economic Development Action Plan 2026-28: Economic Development Director Ricardo Nogueira presented a 10-part plan covering downtown, the industrial district, retail, image enhancement, revenue enhancement, and partnerships. Key proposals included a buy-and-dine-local campaign, attraction of retailers and industrial employers, downtown market-rate housing, and community listening sessions. The revenue-enhancement section listed data centers, which drew extensive opposition.
  • Dozens of residents and representatives spoke. Restore the Delta staff and representatives, including Spencer Fern, Cintia Cortez, and Davis Harper Sapatha, opposed data centers, citing water and energy use, heat-island effects, noise, grid strain, environmental justice, and inadequate public notice. Matthew Amen of Huddle AI urged investment in decentralized local AI infrastructure instead of large data centers. Steve Morales supported the plan. David Sengthay of Stockton Democrats Together said the organization would take a resolution opposing data centers and monitor council votes. Multiple speakers asked for data centers to be removed from the plan, for a moratorium, or for environmental review and community town halls before any future proposal.
  • Council and staff clarified that the plan was not an approval of specific data centers. Councilmember Enríquez moved to amend the plan to remove data centers while adding community listening sessions; the motion carried 7-0. The plan as amended was then approved 7-0. Staff committed to district listening sessions and stated that no data-center development would proceed without public discussion and council review.
• 10.3 – OPTIC 30-Day Organizational Assessment, Communications Inventory, and Improvement Plan: Public Information Officer Tony Manner presented the first of three reports. Key metrics included the city website accessibility score rising from 41 to 95 out of 100, 100% of media inquiries acknowledged within one business day, and social media gains year-over-year: 3.4 million impressions (up 44.1%), 163,777 engagements (up 36.2%), 536,492 video views (up 662.9%), 1,599 posts (up 183%), net audience growth of 3,493 (up 123.8%), and 1,624 link clicks (up 55.9%), all with no paid promotion. Recommendations include a public performance dashboard, media protocols, and a task-based website redesign. The item was informational only; Council received and filed the report, with the phase two report expected in about a month. Jasmine Peterson spoke in support of the OPTIC team's transparency work.

City Manager's Update

• The video update included library news: the Maya Angelou Library reopened August 10 after a refresh project, and the Cesar Chavez Library was being packed for a relocation project. Fire Department staff reported deploying a state OES fire engine to the GAN fire in Calaveras County, about 10,000 acres, and later to the ROE fire in Oregon, about 370,000 acres. Community Services launched Stockton Ignite, an effort to engage residents on Measure M and a coming community needs assessment.

Council Comments & Reports

• Councilmembers reported district events and priorities, including Anderson Park beautification, a Crime Stoppers bowling tournament, the Central Valley Division League of Cities meeting on September 10, District 1 developments such as Chick-fil-A and a future Hilton Hotel, an Eight Mile Road traffic town hall, Mornings with Mario, Miracle Mile events, Oak Park Senior Center security improvements, and pothole, sidewalk, and graffiti fixes.
• Vice Mayor Lee thanked staff and community members, discussed election-integrity work with Meta, raised concerns about staff treatment and the City Clerk resignation, requested disclosure or waiver of privilege on a closed-session document, asked to agendize a public safety discussion including Flock camera concerns, and requested a staff update on tent cities or encampment plans.
• Councilmember Villapudua promoted neighborhood watch meetings and a Van Buskirk Community Conway town hall. Mayor Fugazi announced the passing of Bruce Giudici, noted the September 23 grand jury response, celebrated a $2 million donation toward University of the Pacific's medical school, listed upcoming cultural events, noted that the point-in-time count showed homelessness reduced by 38.3%, and highlighted that 10 city pools were open this summer.

Closed Session and Adjournment

• The council recessed at 7:31 PM to a closed session under Government Code Section 54957.6(a) on labor negotiations with multiple employee organizations. No reportable action was announced. The meeting adjourned at 8:04 PM.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent calendar, with votes as noted: the main consent vote was 7-0, except item 6.11 was 6-0 per the transcript due to Councilmember Padilla's recusal; item 6.3 was approved 6-0; item 6.10 was approved 6-0; items 6.4, 6.5, and 6.6 were approved 7-0.
• Directed staff to return on September 29, 2026 with 85/15 and 80/20 health premium cost-sharing models.
• Directed staff to place Charter Section 407 on a future agenda.
• Approved the 2025 JAG allocation, 7-0, and the Holiday Park Maintenance District budget and assessment, 5-2.
• Authorized the Cannery Park East special tax bond issuance up to $9,000,000, 7-0.
• Approved the 2026-28 Economic Development Action Plan as amended to remove data centers and add community listening sessions, 7-0.
• Received and filed the OPTIC 30-day report; phase two report is expected in about a month.
• No reportable closed-session action; adjourned at 8:04 PM.