City Council and Authorities - Regular Meeting

Breathe.

Like one.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Test one, two, three.

Test one, two, three.

Okay, thanks.

Amen.

Okay, we are ready to go back into open session. It is 1.27, and we are at public comment.

The City of Stockton invites the public to participate in various ways. If you have any questions regarding forms of participation, please contact the Office of the City Clerk. This is the time for public comments for items not on the agenda, announcements, or invitations. You may comment on any subject that is not on the agenda within the jurisdiction of the City Council. If you wish to speak on a specific agenda item, comments will be heard during the item. To ensure sufficient public participation and conduct the agendized city business, the public is limited to one two-minute comment opportunity. Citizens' public comments are not a time for discussions with the council regarding subjects not on the agenda for this meeting, as the Brown Act limits such discussions. Comments made by members of the public or council may not reflect the viewpoint of the council. We ask that you maintain the rules of decorum as outlined in city council meeting decorum policy. The mayor shall preserve strict order and decorum at all meetings. Persons addressing the council shall not make personal, impertinent, unduly repetitive, slanderous, or profane remarks to the council, any member of the council, city staff, or the general public, nor utter loud, threatening, personal, or abusive language, nor engage in any other conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise unreasonably impedes orderly conduct of the council meeting. The city council members will practice civility and decorum in their discussions and debate. A member shall not delay or interrupt the proceedings of the council or use personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks. Council members will not speak twice on any given subject unless all other council members have been given the opportunity to speak.

Sorry.

Every member, once recognized, shall be limited in their debate to five minutes. Any council member who violates the rules repeatedly shall be sanctioned and be barred from further participation other than voting on the subject. Members shall not disturb any council members while speaking nor disobey the orders of the presiding officer. If a point of order is requested, the presiding officer will ask the interrupter to state their point and the presiding officer shall make a ruling. The rules of decorum set forth above shall be enforced in the following manner.

Warning. Warning.

the presiding officer shall request that a person who is breaching the rules of decorum be orderly and silent. If, after receiving a warning from the presiding officer, a person persists in disturbing the meeting, the presiding officer shall order him or her to leave the council meeting. If such person does not remove himself or herself, the presiding officer may order any law enforcement officer who is on duty at the meeting to remove that person from the council chambers. Our inaugural public speaker will be Richard Sepulveda. followed by Armando Rodriguez.

Members of the council, ladies and gentlemen. People in the council room here. Can you hear me? Okay. Yes, no? Hello, hello? Not on.

One moment, they're adjusting the level.

Alright, everybody take a break. Test, test, test, test. Are we good? OK. Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I'm going to educate you today on what is called gang stalking. Now I need you to understand that this has been happening to me and my fiance for two years. Two years we have endured this torture, this torment, loss of property, physically hurt, friends leaving you behind, your whole personal life ruined, your whole life that you built for yourself completely taken away from you. Okay. I have, this is just within two weeks of police reports. Okay. Two weeks for our two rentals. Our two rentals, mind you, that are vacant because we cannot fill them. We cannot work on them. Everything we do gets vandalized. I have called PD several times on several occasions. There's no running from this anymore. I've done the crisis vans. I've done the therapy. I've done everything that you guys have asked of me. I can't even get to you. I've been trying to get to you, Ms. Fugazi, for months. And I keep getting run around. Michelle, you too. I tried to get to you. I've been getting a run around. Ms. Esperanza, if she's in here, and I'm not trying to slander anybody, but I met her. She was quick to give me her accolades. When I approached her in City Hall, desperate, crying, telling her we need help, she looked at me like she was annoyed and walked away from me. We have not been able to reach anybody, so I'm going to be here every single two weeks, and I'm going to give you the weekly two-week breakdown of what is happening to us, because what is happening is criminal, okay? So let me give you a little... Oh, this is today, by the way. This happened to me today. This is what I woke up to. I've got, we've got people in our house every single day, we cannot stop them. OK, everything that you're thinking about, you're going to start thinking about mental health stuff. Been there, done that. It's going to coincide with schizophrenia. That's what this is about. That's what these people do. It's an organization that I have no idea who they are. And it's been two years. I'm not going to catch them. You guys need the smoking gun. So I got to do your job. Apparently, you guys couldn't tell me anything that was happening here. I found out through my therapist, to be honest. When I went to my therapist, he told me, I need you to look something up. That's it. Okay, these are my children's arts and crafts that were destroyed this morning. Okay, thank you very much, because I will be here next, in two weeks. Oh, no, I have to show you this, I'm sorry. Okay, I got 12 devices here, last three months.

you have documents. I will be happy to see those documents.

Understanding and having to live in it, it's two different things. Me and my fiance are terrified every single day. Well, I'm not terrified. I'm pissed.

Thank you, Mr. Sepulveda.

Yes, ma'am.

Armando Rodriguez, followed by Barbara King.

Good afternoon. I'm Armando Rodriguez. First, I'd like to congratulate everybody for City Hall and for the project. It's lovely. I came here to present myself as a community organizer because, well, as you all may know, I was incarcerated, but I'm moving on to a different chapter in my life, and now I'm an advocate for the mental health department and the prison industry. We have a big mental health facility here in Stockton, and there's always lots of work. But yeah, other than that, I wish you guys the best. I'm also – I became a grandfather. I'm not , so I'm an elder now. I plan to do lots of work for the Hispanic community, as in all, but we always need organizers. And I just came to say hopefully we can turn a new page, and if we see each other, say hello, and if not, let bygones be bygones. All right? God bless, and you guys have a wonderful afternoon.

Barbara King, followed by Holanda.

I respectfully pass. Thank you.

YOLANDA GONZALEZ- Holanda, followed by Linda Baser.

LINDA BASER Good afternoon. Starting with a quote. Be Americans. Let there be no sectionalism, no north, no south, no east or west. You are all dependent on one another. and should be one in union. In one word, be a nation, be Americans, and be true to yourselves. George Washington. With that, I ask all of you, our council, to please unite and bring the city together, united again. My own District 6 is not only marginalized by the city, but it is also being divided by three. Why do I say that, you may ask? As a city, we are the last ones on the list for priorities. District six and five are the worst in infrastructure. We know that because it's everywhere. They are in red as far as infrastructure, yet we keep building new things and upgrading out north all the time. Most of our elders and their children that tend the fields and the warehouses for all of us in the city live there, yet they are forgotten. Our demographic in the South is very different, and that there are in different sections in our city. Sorry. That tree that you guys are so fast in cutting down to save money, our elders walk, and that's their shade to get from one place to another. And those sidewalks that are ignored, That's where their kids and their grandkids are walking to and from to an overpriced liquor store because they don't have any other option. My district, District 5, our older district, needs your love and attention. And I really want to call on all of you guys to please unite and let's get past all that personal and everything that's been going on. and throwing stuff and investigations. Yes, they need to be done, but let them be investigated. Can I ask you guys to please just come and unite and bring us and be the mirror of yourself for each district. If one district is doing awesome, let the other district be awesome.

Linda Bezer, followed by Lanfong Nguyen.

Hello, my name is Linda Bowsett. Cecilia Rangel and I represent the board of the Sister Cities Association of Stockton, and this is our fact. It shows all the seven cities that we share this relationship with. We are here primarily to tell you that on July 15th, this next Wednesday, the city of Foshan, China, will be sending a delegation of five government members, not necessarily sister city, but government members, to meet with the mayor, the vice mayor, and the city council members. I understand that everyone has their own schedule, and this is fairly last minute, but we are going to meet with them, and we'd like as many members as possible to meet with us at 10 o'clock next Wednesday with the Foshan delegates. That's all we want to say. Thank you very much.

Lan Fong Nguyen, followed by Cynthia Gale Boyd.

Hi, good evening council member. First I want to congratulate to our city that we have new city hall here. The people have been looking forward to this. We can accommodate more people in our chamber here. I want to speak today on behalf of the people on the block of Enchantment and Almore Drive, because during the election, I had the opportunity to walk and talk with many people. And the people on the block, they face this situation. There is a house there on the address. And that's how it had been burned down. And it had been sitting there for three years. And the people there, they really agitated because children walk by there. And they say that at night, there are homeless people coming in and out of that house. So please take a look. And I don't know what is the problem there, but it had been there for three years. Thank you.

Cynthia Gail Boyd, followed by Zoila.

Clock check. Thank God I'm still alive in this dangerous sad city. Ah. A stronger, safer Stockton coalition is what you all ran on. Prior to occupying this new dig over here, I told you at the old city hall, I said, if you're gonna keep on making bad decisions, just stay over there on the Eldorado to keep on fighting and carrying on like you've been doing. Now, would you now begin to show respect for the public and for each of them? Would the circus-type atmosphere cease now that we're in the new digs? For example, your meeting, November 12, 2025, will you follow Rosenberg's rules of order? Quoting the vice mayor that day, he said, I don't have any intention, Miss Mayhem, of going back and forth with you to make this a zoo. The public is watching. This is not a kangaroo court to talk to me. My point of order is a collusion and cover up. in this discussion regarding potential charter violations abuse of power and authority possible misuse of public funds mr bella naputa said instead of doing the work of the people fixing the streets improving neighborhoods supporting real community projects we end up spending time with these progressional style hearings when council member lee is the main attraction and star of the show he's turning city hall into a reality show i'll tell you straight up I don't support that. And then Ms. Mayor says, I'm bound by purpose, not politics, no matter how heavy it gets. Because the people deserve better. You're right about that, sister. And they deserve action. We need to focus on cleaning up the city. We need to get homeless people off the streets, reduce crime and gun violence, unquote. Now, as for me and my family, we're going to honor God before this circus rips around.

Zoyla, followed by Denise Friday-Hall.

Good afternoon, good morning, whatever. But thank you, because this is a very special day. And happy birthday to you, Madam Mayor. I wanted to... that I'm Soyla Moreno from Western Ranch, and it's very well known that I'm the voice, the face of the voiceless people of Western Ranch, especially the Zumbera. I want to give thanks to Los Comerciantes Unidos because while we are not heard or seen by the representative, the Comerciantes Unidos chose to give the opportunity to four students from Western Ranch, kids from the Zumberas. And also, I want to thank the veterans, the Carlos veterans, that also They see us, and they invited the Zumberas to be in the parade. However, I just received, because you know, since they have not been heard, and I know that Councilmember Villapudua and Mario Enriquez, they know Ernestina Barrios very well. thank you guys because you know what ernestina ernestina barrios she's tired of telling you know that there are no lights on the on the green belt by the carly and also i receive a uh When someone in the team, and that's what he calls teamwork, when a team member is not doing their job and delivering to the Constitution,

Thank you, Ms. Zoyla. Unfortunately, the timer did not go off.

But I did ask someone that is going to be taking care of that. Yes, your time. Thank you. Thank you.

One moment, and I will switch to the other timer. Denise Friday-Hall, followed by Pandora Crowder.

Good afternoon, Mayor. Happy birthday, Vice Mayor and City Council and City Manager. I just come today to invite you guys out to our event on August the 1st. Anybody here is welcome to come. You can volunteer, you can support, you can give money, amen? That's what we need, finances to help the children, okay? So it's going to be Loyalty and Family, CTF Incorporated, Backpack Giveaway, August 1, 2026, 4700 Kenfield Road, Stockton, California, from 11 to 2 p.m. And I do have a flyer, and I will share with anybody that wants to have this flyer. But I wanted to say that I come here in support of City Hall. This is a great event that we do every year. Not only that, we also pass out turkey baskets and give the children toys at Christmas time. These are the few things that we do in the community, and we are looking for the support of the city hall and our district council member. Amen? We're looking for you guys to help us in this endeavor because this is our 10th year anniversary as we speak. And we've been doing this for 10 years. We started out grassroots, no help, no nothing, just going at it. just continually giving out the backpacks to the children. And then the schools that the children go to, the teachers notice, because I know a friend named Ryan that's a teacher here in Stockton. And she says, you know what? I know where you guys got those backpacks from, because they were full of supplies.

Amen.

So I just want to say thank you for this time. And God bless.

Pandora Crowder followed by Leslie Herron.

Okay. All right. This is beautiful, y'all. Happy birthday. So my life got to lifing. You guys usually see me doing this at the beginning of the year, and I'm going to make a last-minute push. Last year, Conway Resident Council handed out 800 backpacks. This year my goal, in a short turnaround, is I want to be able to give every child within the Housing Authority a backpack with school supplies. This is going to take all of us. It's not going to be efforts by just one individual, one entity. It will take all of us, and we all will have to forget that we follow district lines. So I want to make sure that we always give our children the best first day possible. So I have provided you all with a request for backpacks or monetary donations. How you can make those are nonprofit ideas on it. I have also already sent the request to Flo for each and every council member. And for the council members that have already donated, I truly appreciate it, and thank you so much. And I just ask that, you know, rich friends, businesses, anybody you know, we don't have a date as of yet when we're doing this. My hope is to do it before school starts, but it might be at National Night Out, and we might just turn Van Buskirk into a crazy night. and uh so uh but that is my hope and then if you guys are also interested i do have an amazon wish list that you can order from that goes directly to that will be mailed directly to the housing authority i do not touch money so i will pick up a check and take it to the housing authority but please don't give me any money i'm not i'm not No, don't do that. But yeah, just please share and please help us be able to help as many kids as possible.

Leslie Herron, followed by Lars Knudsen.

Hi, Mayor Fugazi, Vice Mayor Jason and City Council. I just want to say thank you for the fine job that all of you guys are doing. I mean, so many good things are happening, and I want to say thank you to Michelle. She's my... council member, and she's right there at a phone call. I just want to congratulate Christina, too, that she's going to go to the Harvard convention, hopefully bringing back more innovative ideas and strategies for our city. And just being here and the beautiful ribbon cutting, the Lord gave me this, Romans 12, 18. Do your best to live in peace with everyone. And Ephesians 4, 31, 32. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger. harsh words and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. And this just isn't in person. This is when you're somewhere else. You know, you shouldn't slander either. So thank you, and thank you for the good job that you guys are doing. Amen.

Lars Knudsen, followed by Donald Tafoya.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Council. I was here two weeks ago, and I was honored to be able to pray. And we've had some great speakers. Wow, what a blessing to come up and see you guys dedicate this place. And we have a sin issue in America. And the only solution is the Son of God. United States of America, mend your crooked ways. Repent, return to the Lord Jesus Christ before it's too late. People are dropping dead left and right, man. I'm telling you, get right with God, every one of us. Son of man, I've appointed you as a watchman to the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, warn them from me. I'm just a goofy guy for the Lord, but I have a great message. It's going to get stronger. I am the door. Anyone enters through me will be saved and will live forever and will go in and out freely and find pastor spiritually being secure. The thief, the devil comes to still kill and destroy. I have come that you may have life and have it more abundant and have it more abundant to full till it overflows. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life. For the sheep, but the hired man who merely serves for wages, who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep. When he he sees the wolf coming, desserts the flock and runs away and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. Not on my watch. Nineteen seconds. Wow. The highway of the upright avoids evil. The one who guards his way protects his life. Pride comes before destruction and an arrogant spirit before a fall. Better to a lowly spirit with a humbled than to divide plunder with the proud. The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy.

Donald Tafoya, followed by Yolanda Amen.

It's on? Good afternoon and happy birthday from myself and a couple of friends I might know that you know. Oh, god. This is a little bit about myself. I'm not going to talk about any council member today, any. Hint, hint. Okay, thank you. So, oh, what did I do? I got my notes mixed up as usual. Okay, I'm partly about myself regarding to recent appointments with the city and RTD, but I want to say it's an honor to speak here today at the first meeting in this building. Life has a tendency of going full circle. For myself, it has. At age 5 to 12, Right across the street, there used to be a small building there as a restaurant, cafe, for truck drivers. My father had a building down the street, a loading dock on the water. a quarter mile from here. We had an office at Madison and Weber. In the 50s, 55 to 65, we ran the Bursaro program. In those years, we also were at Market and Commerce at 5 in the morning, because at 6, the police officer would throw a flare on the street in the intersection, and all the buses could go and load up the workers. We had three farm labor camps. We did agriculture on this area. I say that because we had a dozen farm labor buses. I worked on them. I maybe drove them at times. And going full circle, I've worked and grown in this community. I was fortunate enough to make it on the police department for three years as a police officer, one year DBI correctional officer, and many, many years, over 40 years in real estate. I've taken allegiance to the Constitution of the United States several times. I go by all ethics and code of conducts, and everything else has been thrown at me, and I live by those standards. I don't just eat and sleep. I live them constantly. So I hope that it applies to the rest of you equally.

Thank you, Mr. Tafoya.

Yolanda Amen, followed by Nate Knopf.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council. Congratulations on opening new city council chambers. I hope this new space represents a fresh start and a new chapter for our city, one where this dais can come together and work collectively for the good of Stockton. Mayor Fugazi, I want to speak to you directly. I encourage you to use this moment as a true new beginning, an opportunity to bring this council, your administration, and our community together. There is strength when we work as one, and there is no limit to what we can accomplish when we put our differences aside and focus on the people we serve. But when we remain divided, our city suffers. As I've said before to you, it starts with you. You ran for this mayoral seat, and now it is the time to use your leadership, influence, and position to help bring this dais and our city back together and moving in the right direction. My hope and my prayer are that our city departments, community organizations, nonprofits, churches, and all those who serve Stockton will also embrace this opportunity for change. May we find ways to bridge the gaps that divide us and build stronger partnerships throughout our community. Remember, together we stand, but divided we will fall. Congratulations again on this beautiful new chapter for Stockton. And Mayor Fugazi, I wish you a very happy birthday.

Nate Knott, followed by LaTanya Watkins.

Good afternoon, Mayor. Happy birthday, Mayor. Nice to have sufficient seating for the people here today in the council chambers for the first time in probably decades. So this is Nate Knott of 1021 West Acacia Street, lifelong transit rider in many cities, regular rider of RTD routes 578, 45, 44, 520, and 5. I will continue to be a lifelong tireless transit advocate for community and county. I'm going to advocate and continue to advocate for fully, properly allocated funding for transit. That's for all systems, by the way. I will advocate for a full measure of transit services for morning, evening and weekend service. I'm also going to advocate for effective transit management by using good and established transit practices by qualified experienced personnel and I'm going to advocate for the regular and continuous reporting of transit data and logistics that are used to make decisions for our future service. Thank you.

Latonia Watkins followed by Heather Freely.

Before I start talking, I want to ask every one of you guys to please give me your undivided attention because I only get two minutes. My family has been, me and my three children, I had four, have been victims of three different crimes, violent crimes here in Stockton. And we have been unable to thrive because of those violent crimes. One crime in particular, I was taking my 14-year-old son to school and a road rage incident happened where a guy pointed a gun in my face and told me he was going to kill me and my 14-year-old son. Then my other son, who is 28 now, was unprovoked, went to 7-Eleven just to buy something and was surrounded by three gang members and beat half to death. His jaw was wired shut for eight months. Then my daughter was killed by someone she met online and her body was thrown out on the side of the road like she was trash. And when that happened, I contacted Jason Lee, Mr. Lee. But I was a private citizen with no viral, nothing viral, nothing you could put on the news. So he didn't care. He actually told me, he actually told me, why am I calling you? And I told you, because I'm dealing with the violence that you claim to come to Stockton to care about. And you told me during this, this was about two and a half years ago, you might remember, you told me that you were going through something yourself. One of your family members or friends had just passed away. You did not give a damn what happened to me and my kids. And then after talking to you, after I reminded you that you come into Stockton claiming to care about what I was going through, then your heart softened and you promised me that you would help me and my family, but you ghosted me and my family. So I am here today to ask you and anybody on this stage to help me and my family thrive again. We are dying under depression, grief. I have never been able to grieve my daughter's death. We need help with housing. I have a three-day notice. In three days, I'm going to be put out of my house, and I need my PG&E bill help with. There is no help for the middle class. I am the poor middle class. So I challenge each one of you guys to wait for me outside and help me with what I need. I don't qualify for welfare. I am the middle class that have been forgotten.

I'm trying to get you help right now. Mr. Teramoto will take you outside. Please. Right here. He's right behind you.

every two weeks.

And I need help. Me and my kids need to be able to thrive in this violent city.

And y'all run this city. Y'all control this. Y'all can't help me. So I expect one of y'all. I'm awake. I don't want no numbers to no welfare office that I don't qualify for. I don't want a person, I want one of y'all to come talk to me. I deserve that. Three violent crimes, I deserve for you to come talk to me. You to come talk to me and you the man to come talk to me. I deserve it. I deserve it.

Heather Freely, followed by Pat Barrett.

Good afternoon, mayor and council members. My name is Heather Freely, your Miss San Joaquin County's team. I attend St. Mary's High School here in Stockton, and I'm here to address a concern regarding CPR training for coaches, high school students, and placing outside AEDs in parks, sports field, and in neighborhoods. I'm asking the city council to consider placing this matter on a future agenda for discussion slash action. Specifically, my concern is adding outdoor AED stations that are accessible to athletes, coaches, and the public. The reason this matters is because sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer in youth. I had a sudden cardiac arrest three years ago in Tracy, and I wouldn't be here today without CPR from my principal and an AED from first responders. This is my mission with my nonprofit foundation. I started with my dad called the Heather Philly Heart Foundation. I championed a California law, the Heather Frehley Act with the American Heart Association, authored by Assemblymember Mayon Shine. The law recommends emergency response plans in schools for students or adult medical emergencies, CPR and AED placements in schools. I have had meetings with Assemblymember Rodacia Ransom, District Supervisor Robert Rickman, and informal talks with City of Tracy Mayor and City Council. I would appreciate direction on how this can be brought back as a future agenda item and gain support to help me save lives like mine was saved. Thank you for your time.

Pat Barrett, followed by Mary Elizabeth.

Well, she had some good eyesight.

The man prayed today asking for respect. I had flashbacks to when the mega man that you appointed to the RTD board made a horrible remark about our vice mayor, and yet he was not stopped. Then when I heard the reviews about the first meeting on Robert's Rules, that you, the mayor, cannot stop us from speaking since it is our First Amendment, the right to speech. I want to say this and not break into quorum, for I won't be angry or aggressive, but you are a tyrant, controlling, evil person, and you act like a little Trump. You're conniving, vengeful, privileged person breaking our processes for the good of your friends. you look out for only your people and not the people of Stockton as a whole. I wish we had the superpower to recall you from this position, but I won't say this because two minutes isn't enough.

Mary Elizabeth, followed by Lauren Cardinelli.

Good afternoon and congratulations. And I hope in another 100 years this is all here and in good shape and that we take care of the things that we have. We have a beautiful downtown city hall that could be a jewel in our downtown to help with our tourists. And I didn't come here to say that, but I just said it. A general plan map of alcohol land uses, tobacco retailers, check cashing, and fast food establishments was pledged in 2018 to be available when making land use decisions. These maps have never been produced and regularly updated as the adopted general plan pledged. This is a failure to value quality of life for residents that live in areas that are over concentrated with these problem uses and are vulnerable to other challenges. Over the 4th of July holiday, I saw many instances of open container and drunken behavior that increases risky behaviors. So it's not just drinking alcohol is what can be led. Please consider requesting that the City of Stockton Police Department amendments to the Municipal Code be included on the next City Council agenda. The Legislation and Environment Committee approved the amendments and ask that they be forwarded in January 28 of 2026. So six months. I provided excellent information here that was prepared and updated by the California Public Health regarding what you all can do. And just in closing, city planning commissions that make personal necessity and convenience are harming our community. Thank you. Lauren Cardinelli.

Does this adjust?

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Psalm 19, God's glory in the law. Section B. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing of the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just. They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold, sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb. Today I share with you my faith as a Catholic that was born and raised here in this community. I am here today as a public outcry needs to be done on my behalf. I am the victim of political violence and domestic stalking. Two Mondays ago, a six-foot man lied in wait, trespassed my property, rolling a black and mild, which I know because I grew up in North Stockton, so I know what he was rolling in it. He stayed in the shadows. He came toward the car where my four children were staying on Pacific Avenue right across from Lincoln Center. I immediately dialed 911. The gentleman stood up and came towards my car. I took a defensive driving move and protected my children and my mother. My younger brother exited our business, and I hung up 911. Four days later, the feckless post-it paperclip liability insurance office of Stockton PD's sergeant told me that because it was an unenclosed property, it was not a violation of the penal code. That is a false report. I have had four shots fired at my home, two attempted kidnappings on my child at Creekside, an attempted disturbance at a Catholic mass. These are acts of domestic terror that should never, ever occur to a woman, let alone a political person who is doing better for her community. These are tied directly to the defendant, Victor M. Casterhon of Lodi, who I never met before February, who sexually harassed me, though I threw him off the case. I ask for your help in my matter.

That concludes general public comment.

Okay, we are moving on then to the consent agenda. Are there any items that council would like to call? Okay, so we'll move to public. Were there any items the public chose?

For item 6.1, I have Zoyla, followed by Taki Ayesh.

Well, I'm going to be brief. As a law-abiding citizen and honoring the back in the blue, I request the city council to give a serious consideration approving the contract, not only for the police administration, but also for our police force, because they deserve, they deserve, and remember, they put their life in the line every day to serve us. What item was that?

Catherine, what were the, because she spoke about a different item than 6.1.

Next for consent, we have Taki Ayesh, followed by Yolanda Amen.

Good afternoon, Ms. Mayor and council members. I'm here to object the proposed solid waste assessment to my properties located at 2415 East 63 and 1806 London Drive. That is actually an agenda item outside of consent.

So we can have you speak when that one comes up. That is agenda item 9.3. That's agenda item 9.3. So we'll call you back up for that item.

Okay. Thank you, Ms. Mayer.

Yolanda Amen, followed by Mary Elizabeth. For item 6.2, Mary Elizabeth. 6.2.

All right, 6.2. Adopt a resolution appointing a member of the Measure A Citizens Advisory Committee. So I'm here because that is a role that requires to submit a Form 700. And also I'd like to make a... make a comment in regard to the advisory committees. So we have some committees that have regular attendance and never have somebody not there. Those with the Civil Service Commission, and they're able to meet on the fly, we heard. Also, we have the Planning Commission. And what I'd like to call to your attention that both of those meeting bodies that are city sponsored are receive a stipend and so I'd like you know to think think about you know like some small stipend to help help people be able to move from work, to get to the meetings on time, and that's a form of outreach that many organizations are going towards. Thank you.

For 6.4, Mary Elizabeth.

adopt a resolution declaring and certifying the results of the June 2nd, 2026 City of Stockton primary municipal election. I just would like to thank the city clerk for all the education that she did to try to inform The candidates on what the rules of a fair election is another thing that I'd like to bring up is that the topic of signs came up in a legislation and Environmental committee and I I just would like to say that I that people were disrespecting the rules with regard to signs. And there's no consequence. And even when the signs are picked up and placed in an illegal location, they give the opportunity for the candidate to come and pick them up and put them again in someplace else. And I think that this is something that should be addressed, and I ask that the Legislation and Environment Committee take this up because we need to have fair and free elections. No kings. Independence.

For item 6.5, Yolanda Amen.

Good afternoon. I hope this is the right item. I'm a little flustered. I fully support this memorandum. This is the firefighters, correct? OK, sorry. Our firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect our residents, businesses, and neighborhoods, whether responding to structure fires, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, or natural disasters. Sorry. They provide an essential service that our community depends on. Competitive salaries and benefits are critical if Stockton is going to recruit and retain the highly trained firefighters and paramedics we need. Many surrounding agencies compete for the same workforce and we must remain competitive if we want to maintain staffing levels and continue providing timely emergency response. These agreements are an investment in public safety. They recognize the dedication and professionalism of our firefighters while helping ensure the department remains strong for years to come. I also hope we can continue focusing on recruiting efforts that build a department that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. A workforce made up of individuals from different backgrounds and experiences strengthens trust improves community connections, and helps ensure that all residents see themselves represented in the people who protect and serve them. As our city continues to grow, so does the need for thoughtful workforce planning, succession planning, and investment in our emergency services. I hope we continue to create opportunities to attract retain talented individuals from all parts of our community. Thank you to everyone who worked on these negotiations. Thank you for the men and women of our fire department for the continued service of our communities, and I ask that we support this. Thank you.

For item 6.6, Zoila, followed by Yolanda Amen. Seeing no Zoila, Yolanda Amen.

Good evening, afternoon, sorry. Once again, I support the approval of this agreement. Strong leadership within our police department is essential to recruiting, retaining, and supporting officers who serve our community every day. Competitive compensation for police management helps Stockton remain competitive and neighboring agencies reduce turnover and provide stability within the department. Strong supervisors are critical to mentoring officers, improving accountability and ensuring quality public safety services. As we continue to address gun violence and gang violence, Public safety challenges, investing in experienced leadership is an investment in a safer neighborhood for everyone. I appreciate the work that went into this and getting them hopefully these contracts, and I encourage the council to continue making public safety and employee retention a priority. Thank you.

For item 6.7, Yolanda Amen followed by Denise Friday.

Sorry.

I am pleased to support the approval of this memorandum. For too long, Stockton has struggled to recruit and retain enough police officers to meet the needs of our growing community. Competitive salaries and benefits are essential if we want to attract qualified officers and keep the experienced ones we already have. Every officer we lose means more strain on those who remain and fewer resources available to respond to the emergencies and engage with our neighbourhoods. This statement represents an important investment, sorry, this agreement represents an important investment in public safety. Stable staffing leads to faster response times, stronger community, policing, and a safer city for all of our residents and businesses. I hope that this agreement is just the beginning. I would like to see Stockton continue to rebuild its police department by increasing staff levels and expanding our gang and gun violence divisions. I also encourage continued investment in community engagement and prevention efforts that work alongside law enforcement to reduce crime before it happens. Thank you again for everyone who worked on this, and I hope this marks the beginning of a stronger, better staffed police department and can continue making Stockton a safer place to live, work, and raise a family. Thank you.

For item 6.8, Yolanda Amen, followed by Mary Elizabeth. Oh, I'm so sorry, Denise Friday, yes, I'm sorry.

Oh, thank you. Okay, yeah. So I wanted to speak on this here issue about the police department and when they recruit the new hiring and everything like that. So my thought is that they should hire police officers that are within the community. And they should also, when I was a kid coming up, the police officer was our friend. And he was our protector. The children in the community now don't feel like the police officers are their friend or their protector. They feel like they're always coming at them for some particular reason or another. But my thought also is that When they hire them, they should be able to know that they're for the community, they're for the city and everything like that. And they should go through, I know they go through basic training and serious training and everything like that. But I think they should also go have a mental health challenge thing with that also, because they should be sane when they're out there carrying a weapon and protecting the community. Because my son, he was executed August 16, 2026 by Pena Market, just going to the store, corner store, and he was mistaken in identity. And because he was mistaken in identity, I think the police department should also have more ways to identify an individual when they're pursuing a suspect, and know that if it's not the right person, I feel like they should have digital You know face recognition some other type of Ways that they can make sure that they have the right person that they're pursuing Thank you continue with item 6.7 Greg Rosada How are you happy birthday America Gazi I

Pleasure meeting all you people. My name is Gregory John Rosado. I own Calico Concrete Company, and on June 25th, I was out fishing right next to the Ron Gun Club with my dogs, Jack and Jelly Bean. They're beautiful dogs. I wish I had the time to show you pictures and stuff like that. I wish you could have brought them with me. Anyway, I'm not a homeless transient, like I've been stated in the police report. I got the disc for you. You want to slip that disc in there, and I'll show you the damage that Officer... It was Jason Rosal and Officer Alonzo. I can't remember his name. But anyway, on June 6th, I mean June 11th of 2023, Officer Alonzo, Marco Solanzo killed a black man, a young man, that had a plastic squirt gun in his pocket. And it was right underneath the bridge over there off Fremont where there were no witnesses. And I can see if you want to read the report, it was on that date that Marco Solanzo murdered that fellow. Anyway, I was just down the street on Monte. Abloh Fishing right next to our gun club on the river and Marcos and Angela and Jones Jason Rose will come flying at 70 miles an hour pushing these kids that were 13 years old in a car Right into me breaking my neck if you want to put that disc in you can show everybody okay, I've gone through three years of almost being quadriplegic and You see San Francisco didn't even want to do my surgery and I I went into Stockton. They denied my surgery three times. I went into Stockton. I also got my knees ripped out. I've had surgery on those, too. It's taken me three years to walk like I'm walking now, and I'm doing pretty good. But anyway, to make a long story short, I don't think these people should be in law enforcement.

And, you know, if I don't have much time to think, I'd like to see the pictures and stuff like that.

Thank you very much, guys. I think you need to get rid of a few people that are in law enforcement. I got it all written down right there. I've been ignored for three years.

Thank you. For item 6.8, Yolanda Amen, followed by Mary Elizabeth. Thank you. For item 6.8, Mary Elizabeth? No? Item 6.9, Yolanda Amen, followed by Mary Elizabeth.

6.9, adopt a resolution for on-call contract with Condor Earth Technology. So, you know, I'm very much concerned with our sewer system and... surfacing sewage. And so we have a fats, oils, and grease program as part of our wastewater treatment plant permit. And so in that permit, we're required to have this program. Well, I appreciate that Condor is going to continue doing work on this. And I provided an opportunity here that public information that could have been regularly presented to the Water Advisory Group might have garnered more support of the modest increase in stormwater fees, which was recently rejected by the voters. So this is an ongoing problem with providing information that we need to be able to make good decisions. And I provided, I turned it in yesterday, so you should all have received it. And I pound on this quarterly operations report that some of you know like a broken record. But you'll see here that grease contributes quite a bit to overflow. And when I looked at what they're going to be doing in the contract, the municipal code needs to be changed because food waste should not be put in a plastic bag in the dumpster. Food waste needs to be recycled. And so I ask that the legislation committee look at those regulations specifically so that we're in line, our municipal code is in line with the requirements of Senate Bill 1383, which is designed to reduce greenhouse gases. Climate change is now. We need to be doing everything that we can. Thank you.

For 6.11, I have Taki Ayesh, followed by Mary Elizabeth.

Good afternoon, Ms. Mayor and council members. Again, I'm going to repeat what I said earlier. I respectfully object to the proposed solid waste assessments affecting my property. at 2415 East 6th Street and 1806 London Drive. I request that the council not approve any assessment affecting these properties until procedural and factual issues have been addressed. My family appeared on May 13 administrative hearing. The matter was continued while the records relevant to the proposed assessment were obtained. I submitted California Public Records Act request, and the city later advised that additional responsive records were still being gathered. after the continued hearing. Despite this, a final administrative order was issued by Officer Deeney. And before I had the opportunity to review all the documents from the records. And both properties have been vacant for a very long time. We don't have any running water in them. And in 6th Street, the water meter was removed. So there was not any solid waste produced, and the hearing officer mainly relied on the billing by the haulers, waste management, and Republic Service to make her decision without looking at any INFORMATION, OTHER EVIDENCE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE ROUTE LOG, DRIVER OBSERVATION, CAR DELIVERY OR REMOVER RECORDS, OCCUPANCY INVESTIGATION, PHOTOGRAPHS OR OTHER RECORDS DEMONSTRATING ACTUAL WASTE COLLECTION ACTIVITY IN MY PROPERTIES. I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO BASICALLY NOT TO APPROVE THAT ASSESSMENT. THANK YOU.

MARY ELIZABETH?

I submitted this to the clerk the letter with all the information.

Thank you So every year these come up these code enforcement assessments and This year I just kind of took a quick look through and I see some in my neighborhood, you know, that I was kind of surprised at how much it was when I look at what was done and not done. And the other thing that I noticed was 90 of the 638 or so were all LLCs. And I have come and spoken with you about, you know, the code enforcement of the rental program. And, you know, we hear a property owner here that at one time may have been in the renter program. But the notion that all of these renters are going to self-certify, and I just would ask you to, you know, look at this and ask, you know, code enforcement to come back with these, find out where they're located. Because the city has some housing money that can help with code enforcement violations that are related, you know, to the age of the building. And I don't know that that's even being done. And in the last five-year report, it wasn't much done. And something that could be done that could improve our community and make housing more available. And then, again, 90, I interrupted my own thought there, excuse me. 90 of the 638 are LLCs. So these limited liability corporations, you know, are not showing themselves to be good neighbors for our residents. And I'd like to find out where these are located and what's being done to help the property owners. Thank you.

For item 6.12, Mary Elizabeth.

Oh, when this came, this is regarding the International Property Maintenance Code. And so, again, you know, it ties into, you know, the notion that our renters are deserving of safe housing is in that there were a number of provisions, you know, that would be as simple as screens. You know, how important it is, you know, we have West Nile in our community. And, you know, it is something that, you know, is devastating. And, you know, having screens on windows, you know, where people can open their windows to get cooled down in the summer is very important. But when I went to look for this last year, I couldn't find the red line. So I sent an email to the city clerk. I can't find the red line because it's listed there that it's a red line. And I received no response as of this morning. So I just ask that when we have these ordinances that affect housing, that maybe they should be preparing some material to go to the Community Development Committee. The Community Development Committee that is involved with housing, that when those programs that housing does, that's the committee that gets to hear it. And when we have to bring something, it's like cleaning up for... for the family to come and visit. So we want to make sure that everything is all in place, not going fast through and making mistakes. Thank you.

That concludes public comment for consent.

Okay, bringing it back to council, you've got to press your little button up here if you want to speak. I see people in there. Councilwoman Padilla.

Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to make a comment with regards to 6.5 and 6.6. I just wanted to take a moment to thank our firefighters and our fire management team for the work that they do every day. You know, this isn't an easy profession and they respond to people's worst days in their lives. and they put themselves in harm's way and i know most recently we've had some really bad fires here in our city and thankfully no one was you know injured or affected by those fires so i really thank them for serving our community and the professionalism and the compassion that they give to our residents of stockton And I also appreciate the work that went into these negotiations to our Chief Carr, to the negotiation team, reaching an agreement that supports the firemen and the firewoman as they proceed with these contracts, and also just maintaining fiscal responsibility at the same time. This agreement for our city is intended to help the city remain competitive as we recruit other individuals to come here to Stockton, qualified firefighters, while also providing labor stability over the next two years. To all of our firefighters, I just want to thank you for your time and dedication and your sacrifice, and to your families as well. I also wanted to comment on 6.6 and 7 combined together. I just wanted to speak from the heart for a moment. I truly value our police officers, our Stockton Police Department for working so hard for our city. everything from our community, online, in our chambers, and I just want you to know, none of it has fallen on deaf ears. We know the police department has gone for over a year without a contract, and I can't imagine how frustrating, how discouraging that has been for the staff, as well as their families. And just living with uncertainty is difficult for everyone. And I just want them to know that we all recognize that during that time. And I could attest that this council, all of our colleagues, we value every single one person, not only for the police department, but the staff of the city of Stockton. And I just wish this process hadn't taken that long as it did. There really isn't an excuse for that because I know it created so much anxiety within the department. It made it harder for our recruitment department to allow people to come to Stockton as well as retaining good people here. But I also want to say that I truly have faith in our city as well as this council. We put the right people in place. And I had faith in the people that we put in who stayed at the table, who worked over those difficult negotiations and conversations. And I'm so grateful that we were able to reach an agreement without putting everyone through arbitration. And that just speaks to the commitment that both sides have common ground. Um, so my hope, this is a new chapter and that we build trust within our department. We communicate better and never allow our employees to wait this long again. So at the end of this day, this council wants to take care of its staff. We want people to feel valued, respected, and proud to work for the city of Stockton. Thank you for your patience, your professionalism, and continuing to serve this community, even during a difficult process. So thank you.

Was there a motion in there? Yes. Yes.

I'm just sitting here a little confused. Did we pull the items to discuss them? Are we just making general statements now?

I was looking for a motion to approve because no items were pulled by council, but there were items pulled by members of the public.

I do want to comment on these items if I can before we move on. I agree with everything my colleague just said. As a first-time council member, and I probably share the same sentiment as my colleague, Councilman Ricketts and Councilman Ponce, we don't have the most experience up here in city government, but having gone through this process, closed session discussions and work that we can't, share out to the public unless there's something to report. I will say and echo what my colleague said, the commitment with this council has always been to get to a resolution. So I'm glad that we were able to do that. I want to acknowledge our city manager for his leadership and being able to bring on the CFO, Gilbert Garcia, his team. giving very clear direction and guidance on getting there. And when I passed him in the hallway one day, he said, we're going to get an agreement. And now we're here. I want to acknowledge council members. Without disclosing closed session discussions, I mean, you would have thought some of my colleagues were CFOs, because they were figuring it out and finding it out. It was not easy. But I just want to speak to the heart of arbitration, because as somebody who led unions for 11 years, I believe in arbitration. I believe in having a process that's fair to everybody. I was a supporter of the arbitration measure when police and fire unions put it forth for the voters before I got elected, and I'm still a supporter of that. And I just want to thank SPOA and our Firefighters Union and all our other bargaining units on the other side who worked tirelessly to work with our team. Our negotiating team that we brought in was great. We made lots of changes behind the scenes to help us get here. And I thank my colleagues for the courage it took to have spirited conversations. That's the way I'll define it. To get there, but to the people who serve our city I want you to know that you know We do value all the work that you do and we know that we have a lot more work to do and later on when we talk about economic development what we need to do is the city to raise our tax base so we can afford to bring our officers and our firefighters to market rate or beyond and That is a priority of this council, and I just wanted to say to my colleagues, this has been a great experience. To our city manager, thank you for your leadership, and to the men and women that serve our community, thank you for your patience and for still being polite to us in the hallways, because I know that there were lots of days you probably wanted to say something to us, but thank you to everybody for that.

So I am looking for a motion.

Move to approve. Second.

We have a motion from Blower and a second from Vice Mayor. Council, we will do a roll call vote. So City Clerk.

Council Member Blower. Yes. Council Member Enriquez. Yes. Council Member Ponce.

Yes.

Council Member Padilla.

Yes. Council Member Villapadua.

Yes. Vice Mayor Lee. Yes. And Mayor Fugazi.

Yes. Consent is approved 7-0. Okay, moving on then to administrative matters, bringing that to council if there are items. Vice Mayor, your light's on. Okay, so seeing none, we'll move on to item 9.1. It's a public hearing to accept the Economic Development Subsidy 2025 Annual Report. I declare the public hearing open.

Before you is the 2025 annual subsidy report as required by AB 562. The first report on an eligible subsidy must be provided no later than five years after the action is ran. The city is compliant with these requirements and provides information to the public through reports to the city council on a per-project basis, as well as this annual report.

City programs are qualified for 8562 or The city provided approximately $12 million in economic subsidies for qualifying projects in 2025. These projects include subsidies such as free waivers and tax credits.

As you can see from the table, the CESS program provided about $9.6 million in PFF fee waivers to seven recipients. You can find that information on page 1,366 of the agenda packet. The PFF reduction for non-residential projects program totaled about $178,000 in fee reductions to one recipient, and that is shown on page 1367. Finishing up the table the office and industrial sales tax incentive program had two recipients Received 2.2 million in sales tax rebates as shown on page 1 3 6 9 the program sunset in 2019 but continues with previously approved 10 to 20 year agreements and staff will continue reporting so long as eligible subsidies are provided The CESS program includes a 50% local hire requirement for single-family residential development. In 2025, 836 unduplicated workers were employed by participating projects, of which 550 resided in Stockton, approximately 66%. Ninety-four jobs were created by the Office and Industrial Sales Tax Incentive Program. This concludes the presentation. Staff recommends that the City Council, by motion, accept the report and authorize the City Manager to take appropriate action.

Are there any questions for Ms. Ocasio? Any public comment?

We may have Lan Phong Nguyen to the podium, followed by Mary Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth?

This is $12 million that is not going to be used for the capital development that is required. So this is a subsidy of $12 million. So this $12 million are going to pay for these things. Where is that money going to come for? The next thing, it's going to come from the general fund, which straps everybody else. So we continue to give away this money. We continue to give away this money to above income houses. And so I put in some comments in the next agenda item that I'd just like to refer to is that we have plenty of planned projects for above moderate income levels. And that we continue to let above moderate income development to be subsidized by the disadvantaged and vulnerable people of Stockton that are doing without. And so I just think that I appreciate that you put a little time constraint on it, at least now, and a reduction. I just ask that you consider reducing quicker instead of just 25%. You can do that. you can make that change right now and phase it out faster. Because to go on, people don't come to Stockton because we have a lot of infrastructure problems. And we have a lot of infrastructure problems because we continue to give away to the developers in our community. Thank you.

So I have a couple comments on that But I don't have questions right now, so I'll wait till we close the public hearing But if there is somebody that has a question Thank you mayor so on slide 5 where it talks about cess recipients required to hire at least 50% stock to resident How are we tracking that and can council get a report?

I?

Sure. So there is documentation that we collect from the developers. They certify, I believe, on a quarterly basis or semi-annual basis where they give us the list of employees with their addresses, and we cross-reference them to remove duplications, and that is how we come up with a number.

And that report, does it ever come back to council, or is that just something staff manage?

That's part of the administration of the program is called out in the guidelines. It's not usually something provided, but...

I'd like to know. And the reason why I'd like to know is I know I've had meetings with the city manager where I've talked about part of that CESP agreement with the extension, at least my consideration of it, was that the AB617 or the disinvested communities have priority or that there be a program to target those folks to offer them jobs. And I know that there's going to be a presentation coming to council soon. I just want to make sure that they know and the public knows that there's something that we're tracking and something that council is paying attention to.

Staff will work with the city attorney's office regarding any privacy concerns, and we are happy to provide that information.

We don't really need to release names or addresses, but we should know the numbers. Thank you.

I declare the public hearing closed. And what I just wanted to comment is we talk a lot about PFFs, and PFFs are for the city as a whole. When these projects come in, though, developers have to pay their way. So there's something called the CFD. So that's a financing district that is used to pay for the sidewalks, pay for the infrastructure in that particular area. It might be a park, building of a park. It might be building of a fire station. City, of course, has to pay for the personnel of that fire station or the upkeep of that park, but it does go to that. And with our 60-40 split on new development, I can see us, as well as the sunset of Stockton Economic Stimulus Plan, I can see that we will have an influx of revenue that we did not have for the last 10 years. So it will be something that we will be able to turn around and use on other parts of the city, but particularly for these new homes that are being built, They're getting all, you guys were out at Inspiration Park. They're getting all the bells and whistles out there, and the developer is the one who's paying for those, and then the CFD takes care of the maintenance and the continued operation of that. So I just wanted to put that out there, but I will entertain a motion on this item. Motion to approve. So we have a motion by Councilwoman Padilla and second by Councilman Blower. Roll call. Council member flower. Yes council member Enriquez.

Yes council member Ponce. Yes council member Padilla. Yes council member via Padilla. Yes, vice mayor Lee.

Yes Yes Wonderful moving on to item 9.2 request for approval of ordinances for pre zoning and a development agreement for a proposed 2241 unit residential development At Northwest Lane as well as East Murata Lane Consideration of a request for an appeal of the Planning Commission decision and a resolution authorizing the filing of an annexation application with LAFCO I declare the public hearing open

Good afternoon again. For your consideration, today is the Bear Creek South project. As you are likely aware, a law firm representing the Laborers International Union of North America, local number 73, submitted a very late 188-page comment letter via email this morning at around 9.40 AM, criticizing the city's CEQA analysis and alleging that a new EIR is required to be prepared before the city can consider approving the project. Neither the law firm nor the union provided comments prior to today or spoke during the public hearing held by the Planning Commission on this project. Given the voluminous nature of the comment letter, staff has not had an opportunity to complete a full review or provide a written response. Ideally, we would like additional time to respond to better inform you and the public but that was not possible in this timeframe. However, the council can proceed with the public hearing today as planned, as it is staff's understanding that the applicant and CEQA consultant team are prepared to assist in responding to the claims in the late comment letter. If that is your preference and after public comment you still have unanswered questions and would like staff to prepare a detailed response, you could give that direction to staff and determine whether or not, whether to continue or to make a decision. With that being said, This project includes requests for pre-zoning, three separate but integrated tentative maps, a development agreement, and a request for filing an annexation application with the San Joaquin Local Agency Formation Commission, often referred to as LAFCO. The applicant consists of three developers, Bear Creek Family Limited Partnership, TriPoint Homes Holdings, and 8 Mile Road Investors. When referring to the applicant, I am referring to these three as a group. Together, they propose the Bear Creek South residential project on vacant parcels immediately northeast of the intersection of West Lane and Murata Lane, and the overall project site is adjacent to the city's northern city limits. It is within our sphere of influence and within our urban services boundary. The total project site consists of approximately 530 acres and encompasses a total of 16 parcels. Most of the site, approximately 503 acres, would be subdivided into 2,241 residential lots of varying sizes in conformance with residential low-density zoning requirements. The project also includes 54 acres of proposed parks and open space and approximately 6 acres dedicated to rights-of-way and easements. Project site parcels are highlighted here on the slide and are bounded on the north by Bear Creek and the approved Trevigny project, to the west by West Lane McNair High School and the Ursula Meyer Community Center and Library, and to the east by the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and existing residential development, and finally to the south by Murata Lane and existing residential and limited commercial uses, as well as Westwood Elementary School. The general plan land use designation for the project site is low density residential. This has been reflected not only in the current general plan, but the previous two general plans approved in both 2008 and 1990. Currently, there is no City of Stockton zoning designations for the overall project site as it's not currently in our city limits. However, as a part of this process, the project would be pre-zoned to take effect upon annexation into the city limits if approved by LAFCO. The proposed pre-zoning includes a combination of residential low density, open space, and public facilities that is consistent with the general plan and complements the surrounding zoning, which is a combination of low and medium density residential public facilities and commercial in the area. The Bear Creek South project proposes three tentative maps to subdivide all the project parcels into residential development. That's the 2,241 lots I mentioned earlier. Those will have various sizes and densities. There's also four full parks, a partial park detention basin, open space, and dedications for right-of-way and various easements. The proposed street network will connect to the greater Stockton community at five access points, including three along Murata Lane and two along West Lane. These connection points will be made up of collector roadways within the project. The project will include full street frontage improvements along West Lane and Marada Lane. Included in these improvements will be a fully signalized intersection at the northern entry point along West Lane and two fully signalized intersections at the south entry points along Marada Lane. While the primary intent of the project is to create residential units, there are several areas that will be utilized to contribute towards the park and open space requirement identified in the Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan. As previously mentioned, there's about 27 acres of open space, 27 acres of park space. There's four programmed park themes with differing types of uses and amenities with each park to encourage residents to use wellness walks identified in the blue lines on the slide. I can't see the pointer, but it's the blue lines. You should be able to see those before you.

Excuse me.

And there's going to be different activities within each park. There's also a fifth park that will function as a detention basin and have perimeter pathways and open space surrounding that as well. I'd also like to point out that attachment E of your staff report contains the appropriate CEQA 15183 checklist, which is dated March 20th, 26th. The proposed exhibit two to the approving resolutions have a cover sheet and a web link to a checklist that's dated to the February document, which is not correct. However, the document is complete if you refer to attachment E, which is the correct CEQA document. The Bear Creek South residential project is consistent with the Envision Stockton 2040 general plan and was fully contemplated within the scope of that general plan's EIR. Residential development of the Bear Creek South Area has been contemplated in multiple general plan iterations and associated environmental reviews, not just the most recent. Pursuant to Public Resources Code 21083.3 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, the project does not result in any new, peculiar, or more severe environmental impacts beyond those previously analyzed. All applicable uniformly development policy standards and mitigation measures will be implemented. Accordingly, no additional environmental document is required under CEQA. The project also incorporates robust measures to address tribal resources, ensuring compliance with applicable law and consistency with the intent of AB 52. AB 552 consultation was not required for this project. However, earlier in the project review process, the city did circulate AB 52 notification letters for the project because at that time it was evaluating whether an EIR might be required and wanted to invite tribal input at the earliest possible point in the process. The ListGen nation requested consultation and the city engaged in good faith consultation regarding tribal cultural resources. A cultural resources assessment was prepared for the project to evaluate the potential for historical resources pursuant to CEQA and tribal cultural resources pursuant to the public resources code. The report concluded that while the project site has been subject to extensive disturbance from over 175 years of agricultural activity, The potential for buried subsurface resources could not be entirely discounted. The CRA was prepared in coordination with a representative of the Northern Valley Yokuts, who are recognized as the tribe historically and culturally affiliated with the project area and appointed most likely descendant by the state Native American Heritage Commission. The Northern Valley Yokuts provided meaningful input during preparation of the report, and have reviewed the project requirements pertaining to cultural and tribal resources. Based on that coordination, the Northern Valley Yokuts have expressed support for the project requirements. The city's final cultural resources analysis and project requirements have been informed through coordination with the List Gen Nation, as well as the Northern Valley Yokuts, which is the tribe that is historically and culturally affiliated with this project area. As noted above, the Northern Valley Yokuts have expressed support for the project requirements. The requirements also incorporate robust measures to include tribal cultural resources, ensuring compliance with applicable law, and consistency with the intent of AB 52. As for zoning, the project site is currently within unincorporated San Joaquin County and will need to be annexed into the city. Project lands will be pre-zoned primarily as residential low density, as well as open space and open parks and open space areas. The zoning would not become effective until approved by LAFCO. As outlined in the staff report and resolution, all findings for the pre-zoning can be made in the affirmative. A development agreement is also being requested for this project. Known as a DA, it's an agreement between a city and a developer that provides certainty for the project development's rules, fees, and a timeline and provides public benefits for a city. Here are the proposed DA included as exhibit to the accompanying resolution. includes term limits to provide for an initial 10-year and an opportunity for the developer to request two additional five-year extensions based on achieving specific development milestones for a combined total of 20 years. If approved, the DA would lock in current public facility fee rates for 10 years from the date of the agreement becoming effective. In exchange, the city would receive land at no cost for the neighborhood parks, which have a present-day value of about $4.15 million. The DA also requires the parks to be constructed during the development of the site. Normally, housing developments leave park development to the end. The Planning Commission is a recommending body for the DA. The approval of the DA is adopted by ordinance based on and containing the findings of fact listed in the Municipal Code. The Project DA is included as Exhibit 1A to the resolution recommending approval of the DA to City Council. On April 9, 2026, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider the proposed project request for approval of the three tentative maps and recommendation that City Council approve pre-zoning the NDA based on recommended findings. There were three comment letters submitted regarding the project prior to the hearing. Those comments were received from the Circle Law Group, representing the Confederated Villages of List Gen Nation, regarding tribal cultural resources and alleging that consultation had been insufficient and should continue and Opining that the project should not move forward without further review and involvement to from the Sierra Club Delta Sierra group of the mother load chapter regarding providing housing dedicated to low-income individuals as well as the inclusion of Evie ready outlets and all homes for electric cars and and three, from Mary Elizabeth, raising concerns regarding the project's alleged inconsistency with multiple general plan policies, expansion into greenfield agricultural lands, parks and open space calculation standards, habitat, and agricultural conversion, and community planning concerns. During the hearing, comments from the public were received and generally related to tribal cultural resources. The Planning Commission voted 4-1, not the 5-0 indicated on the slide, with Commissioner Amon dissenting to approve the three tentative maps, which are attachment I in your staff report, and to recommend the City Council determine the project is consistent with the general plan and its prior certified EIR and approve a pre-zoning and development agreement for the project. On April 20, 2026, Ms. Elizabeth submitted an appeal to the Planning Commission's approval of the tentative maps, which is addressed in the staff report. Public comment for this project includes a few different meetings. There was a neighborhood meeting on September 10, 2025, in compliance with the municipal code. It was held at Westwood Elementary School, which is located at the intersection of Marada Lane and K. Wood Drive. There were nine members in attendance, as well as the applicant team and city staff. Many general questions were received about the overall project, including traffic and park concerns. All attendees were in support of the project. Notice for the City Council public hearing for this project was published in the record on June 18th, and a mailed notice was sent to all property owners within a 300-feet radius at least 20 days prior to tonight's hearing. In conclusion, it is recommended that the City Council find no further environmental review under CEQA, adopt an ordinance of the pre-zoning of the project site to include RL, PF, and OS zoning, adopt an ordinance approving the development agreement, approve a motion to deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Commission's approval of the three tentative maps, and adopt a resolution authorizing the filing of annexation to LAFCO for the annexation.

staff and the applicants team are available to answer any questions thank you with that in terms of disclosures I do want to let it be known that I met with my cake Trevor Smith and Matt Arnaz a week ago or so and any other council members council member Enrique

Disclose that I met with Matt Arnaz and Trevor Smith Well, I'll disclose that I think I got an email but I didn't respond to it Go ahead.

Okay.

Thank you. Thank you, Mary. So really quick Can you just go back over back it up to the beginning the letter that you received from sequel? You said today at what time and it was 188 pages. Who was it from?

That was from Let's see here Lots of notes. It was a law firm representing the Laborers International Union of North America, local number 73. It's 188 pages, and we got it about 9.40 AM this morning. There had been no previous comments received from this group.

What was the group again? I'm sorry, the name. I'm sorry.

Laborers International Union of North America, local number 73. OK.

Thank you. I'll wait for the council discussion.

Any public comment?

We do. Mike Hacom, followed by Trevor Smith.

Good afternoon, Madam Mayor and council members. Mike Hacom, 3414 Brookside Road in Stockton. appearing for Bear Creek South and the 8 Mile Road Investors LLC. Appearing with me this afternoon is Matt Arnaz and the other members of the other three entity groups. As you know from the staff report, 8 Mile Road Investors is one of the three applicants, and all three are represented this afternoon in front of you. We're asking for a CEQA exemption under 15183, pre-zoning for annexation, adoption of a resolution for a development agreement, an adoption of a resolution for approval of three tentative maps, four new neighborhood parks, and to uphold the Planning Commission's approval of the project and deny the appeal, and to move forward with an application annexation approval from the council to go to LAFCO for the annexation. I think it's important to start out by indicating that the project is fully compliant with your general plan, It also supports your general plan policies for orderly development and access to well-maintained public facilities. Your staff has reviewed this project in detail and is recommending approval of this project. The applicant conducted a neighborhood meeting and all of the neighborhood attendees were in support of the project. We also have the approval of your design review committee. As staff has indicated, the Planning Commission heard this matter on April 9th and voted unanimously 5 to 0 to recommend approval of the CEQA exemption, the pre-zoning, the annexation, the development agreement, and the three tentative maps. So we stand before you this afternoon with staff approval, Planning Commission approval, and we respectfully request your support. And we're available to answer any questions. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Trevor Smith followed by Alicia Guerrero.

Thank you. We got some housing coming to Stockton. Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Members. I'm Trevor Smith with TS Planning and Development based here in the great city of Stockton. On July 4th, 2002, I moved my family to Stockton from Southern California to work for a small local home builder. I've been fortunate to be able to be involved in housing projects every corner of the city over the last two and a half decades. In these twilight years of my career, I'm also fortunate to be able to pick the projects I want to be part of and this is a project I wanted to be part of I've always called this the notch in North Stockton that it needs Housing it needs to be filled in the right way with your help LeBaron Ranch got kicked off and we're working on the improvement plans for the first phase and This is a large multi-owner project, 200 projects, 2,000. It's all this hard lifting and headaches to get here. It was nice to have all three. So TriPoint Homes is my client. Matt Arnaz and Jeff Klein asked me to help them. So I've been managing the group since 2022. It's been a great collaboration. They're working together. There's private agreements. So when development starts and builders come in, there's an understanding how it will be built out. From a planning perspective, the project is consistent with the general plan, as you heard. It represents orderly, well-planned development. We are surrounded by the city limits. This is infill. We support the staff report, conditions of approval on all three tentative maps. Beyond the new housing that it will bring, the thing I liked about it, and I made them listen to me, was let's get a nice park program in there. So we got together, we came up with the, oh, I was on the clock. Okay. We look forward to your support.

Alicia Guerrero, followed by Michelle Lee.

Good afternoon, Mayor Fugazi, members of the City Council. My name is Alicia Guerra. I'm a partner with Buckhalter, serving as land use and CEQA Council for the Bear Creek South project. My client specifically is TriPoint Homes, but we're all working together to make sure that the city's process and the review of this project complies with the city's requirements, CEQA, and all of the applicable laws. This afternoon, we're prepared to address the comments that you received from the Lizzo Drury firm who commented on the various aspects of the CEQA document that the city prepared. And the city's CEQA consultant is also present to address any technical issues for which you'd like some answers. But in all regards, all of the matters have been thoroughly studied and comply with the city's requirements set forth under the general plan and also as a matter of state and federal laws. The other thing I'll note is that you've heard that there were comments from the Lizgen Nation concerning tribal cultural resources. In this regard, this project has complied not only with the city's general plan requirements, but conducted extensive review and consultation with the Northern Yokuts and participated through the tribal consultation process, even though it wasn't required at this stage for this project. We're prepared and we have consultants available to answer any questions that you have. Thank you very much. I'd just like to reserve any time during rebuttal in case there are any technical or legal questions concerning those items. Thank you.

Michelle Lee, followed by Alicia Crutcher.

Hi, good afternoon, everybody. My name's Michelle Lee, and I'm an attorney for the Confederated Villages of LeSean Nation. I really appreciate an opportunity to speak on this, because the tribe's name has been raised several times in terms of this idea that consultation has been adequate, The tribe and then there's another tribe the Northern Valley Yoka that is in full agreement and and I just want to say that we don't have any Proof that the Northern Valley Yoka is in support of this project. We haven't we just found out about it Right at the City Planning Commission meeting. We haven't been able to confer with that tribe we're not in any kind of competition with the tribe, but I Um, that really this issue is about timing and, uh, the Confederated villages of Lejeune nation was not on the native American contact list at the time when the general plan was enacted and, and entered into. And so our Confederated villages has not been consulted under SB 18. And I they've, uh, proponents have, have said that under AB 52 consultation wasn't required. And, uh, we are not asserting that it was. Um, but since this environmental process is being tiered off of an old general plan. Uh, SB 18 is the appropriate consultation mechanism and the SB 18 tribal consultation is a process which is continuous. It's not something that really ends. Um, we did request a site visit. Um, we did re we're, we're told no. Um, and so we have not been able to give meaningful input. We want to make sure that the cultural resources are at, are identified and avoided. And really, we just need a little more time. And it sounds like the other commenter that came in this morning also wants a little more time. And I think additional time to get it right would be beneficial because this is an important project for the city of Stockton. And we would want to make sure that your CEQA documents are done right. So we are just asking that you deny the motion today. Thank you.

Alicia Crutcher, followed by Steve McBurney.

Good afternoon. My name is Aleja Crutcher. I'm an attorney with Lozo Jury. I'm here on behalf of the Laborers International Union of North America. Local 73 or Launa whose members live and work throughout Stockton. Launa respectfully asks that you not approve the project as proposed today because the city has not demonstrated that it qualifies for streamlining under CEQA guidelines section 15183. 15183 is not a blanket exemption from environmental review. It only applies when a project's impacts were adequately analyzed in a prior EIR or when any remaining impacts are substantially reduced through previously adopted uniformly applied mitigation measures. and that's not what is happening here. Our experts identified substantial evidence that this project will have several significant project-specific impacts that were not analyzed in the 2018 General Plan EIR. First, biological resources. The city's checklist concludes that impacts to biological resources were already addressed in the General Plan EIR, but in just a few hours of field surveying, our expert wildlife biologists documented 48 wildlife species, including seven special status species. These are project-specific effects that were not meaningfully analyzed in the general plan EIR. Second, air quality.

Does my mic sound okay?

Second, air quality. The city's own analysis concludes that the project exceeds the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's significant thresholds for multiple pollutants. The general plan EIR requires that when thresholds are exceeded, emission reduction measures be implemented. But here, although thresholds are exceeded, the checklist identifies no project-specific mitigation measures to reduce those emissions. Without those measures, the city has not implemented the mitigation required by the general plan EIR, making this project inconsistent under 15183. Third, greenhouse gases. The checklist concludes the project is consistent with the city's climate action plan and the state scoping plan, but it doesn't explain why or how. So additional review is required. Thank you so much.

Steve McCarty, followed by Mary Elizabeth.

Good afternoon City Council members. My name is Steve McMurtry. I'm a principal planner with De Novo Planning Group. Our firm serves as an environmental consultant to the city staff and we're responsible for preparing the environmental analysis, the CEQA compliance documents. I wanted to just provide some supplemental information to the staff report that was provided specifically about cultural resources analysis because it was a topic that was brought up during Planning Commission and some subsequent letters that were brought up. So the analysis did involve many technical analyses. It was hundreds of pages of analysis to support ultimately the finding of a 15183. Pekin Associates is a cultural resources firm that's been doing work in the city of Stockton for about 40 years. It's a very highly qualified cultural resources firm. They were retained by our team to do the analysis. It started out with a record search, looking at any records of past studies, past archaeological finds on the site and in the general vicinity. After that, you do a field pedestrian survey and that was done by Mike Lawson, part of the PEAK team. He's in the audience and he is available if you have any questions. After the pedestrian survey was performed, the document, the written document is prepared and ultimately becomes part of the record to support the analysis. Because of the interest in the cultural resources analysis, we also retained Tremaine & Associates, which is another highly qualified cultural resources firm, to do an independent peer review of the document. And Kim Tremaine, the owner of the company and the peer reviewer, is also in the audience and available to answer any questions that you have. Ultimately, her review concluded that the document followed a normal protocol for a cultural resources analysis. And she also reviewed the project requirements of what will be done prior to construction and during construction as it relates to cultural resource mitigation to ensure best management practices are fulfilled. And so she is in the audience. Thank you.

Mary Elizabeth.

Last year on my birthday, I was at the capital making testimony about these exemptions here for CEQA. Relying on the 2018 general plan for all of the mitigation measures here is unconscionable and it's wrong. this should have had evaluation of traffic, air quality, greenhouse gases, and how in fact all of the provisions of the general plan are going to be adopted. I provided a copy of correspondence which you should have gotten yesterday regarding specific sections in the general plan which are violated by this proposal. The development agreement is locking in the city on public facility fees that are over 20 years old and have never been upped for inflation. Every single year, you know, City comes in, staff comes in. Well, we're working on that nexus study. Well, we're working on this nexus study. Having that in the development agreement is a slap in the face of the people who have been waiting for developers to truly pay their fair share for years. Next, I included a picture here from 2024 showing all of the approved housing that we have already in the books. There's no need for more moderate housing in Stockton. We have more housing. People aren't even building it because there's so much housing out there. Next, I provided information regarding the population and the RHNA effects for the record.

That concludes public comment for this item.

Okay, are there any remaining questions for counsel of anybody before I close the public hearing? I do have a question, so Mr. Smith, can you come up please? since you're managing the project. So there have been, there was a comment, Mary Elizabeth talked about being EV ready. I know some projects have it as an option. I just am curious as to what the development, how they're looking at making sure that people have chargers if they need it, if the infrastructure will already be there for them.

So regarding solar and EV charging, all the homes will have solar on the rooftops. The way TriPoint Homes does it, and I can only speak for them as they're my client, and Jeff Klein's a farmer, Matt's a developer, he'll sell to a home builder. But the way TriPoint does it is they run, they put the panel in, oversize for the meter needed for an EV charger, run the conduit to the garage, And there's different types of EV chargers. So if you buy one, you're kind of guessing that buyer of the house is going to use that.

I'm saying it's an option.

It's an option.

I mean, they'll be able to, when they're purchasing a home, be able to say, I want A, B, C, or D?

Yes.

Okay, great. Thank you. I will close the public hearing and bring it back. I think, Vice Mayor, you pressed first.

Thank you, Mayor. First of all, thank you to city staff, our planning commission, and everybody that worked on this project. As I mentioned during my disclosure, I didn't get a chance or an opportunity to talk to developers, but I have met with Trevor Smith a few times. one on LeBaron Estates, which I thought was a beautiful development, and in that meeting said, I can't wait until you bring business to District 6 because we're open for business. And the mayor said Stockton is ready, and we need more housing. In order for communities that want more commercial development, you've got to have more rooftops. And so there's a whole system to go about doing that. I'd look for three things when these items come before us. One, I asked my colleague if it's in their district, is this good for your district, which I did, my colleague said yes, so that's one check. The other check is what does staff and our city, our planning commission say, and it looks like there was a very thorough examination of this opportunity. And the third thing is and I appreciate Mary Elizabeth and all of our environmental advocates and people who advocate for a healthier safer Stronger city because we all up here collectively and individually want that But I do want to admonish the group specifically the reason why I asked the name Union 73 I'm glad there's a representative here You can't come in here at the 11th hour with 188 pages and ask us to stop the cart There's too much work that goes into this work. There's too much process there's too many opportunities to have a conversation with council and the same I Right of access that our developers have you have and the one thing that I look at in my district when it comes to Environmental studies sequel and all the other things is I welcome everybody in as partners How can we become more collaborative as we get to the conclusion of a development that makes our city stronger that raises our tax base? This is going to be great for The tax agreement that we just got with the county and so it helps us to get more resources And when you have more you can do more so I just want to say I think it's really important that that the outreach efforts come way before the 11th hour, because there's no consideration of 188 pages 10 hours or five hours before a city council meeting. That said, I did look at this document, and it looks like there was a neighborhood meeting and that the people that attended all were in favor of the project. And so for me, that's the fourth thing that I look at. I can't go against what a neighborhood wants, what a council member says is good, what the staff and our planning commission have evaluated. And when we know we have good developers, that we want to continue to do business in our community. So I'll be supporting the project, but I did want to make that statement because oftentimes when we sit up here, I think some people think we don't hear you. We're listening to every single syllable that comes out of every single person, but it has to line up with a model that works for the greater good of our city, and I think this project is good, so it has my support.

Councilwoman Padilla. Thank you, Mayor. And as a council member for representing this district, you know, we see Stockton growing because people see our opportunities here. We have great neighborhoods. We have great parks. We have great schools. And, you know, we're in a location that makes us attractive to families looking to put their roots down here. You know, I need to acknowledge that I constantly hear from my residents and also hear today is the concerns about traffic. You know, those concerns are real and I share them and I've also expressed them to the developers when I met with them. And you know, as we continue to grow, we need to, our infrastructure needs to grow with us. So we can't simply just build homes and we have to make sure that the roads, the intersections, our transportation improvements keep the same pace. So I'm a big advocate of that. You know, I've always said that we need to look at our infrastructure and our roads and our traffic studies because we are constantly building and we just can't keep up. So my hope is that we'll continue to see investments in road widening, especially on Eight Mile Road, as well as other infrastructure improvements in this area, so that we're planning not just for today's residents, but for the families of the future who will be moving here and living here and working here on a daily basis. I feel confident that we can do both. As my colleague said, we welcome responsible growth in our city. We want to create neighborhoods where families want to live. An attractive part of this development are the parks and the walking spaces. These are not just going to be your regular park. They want input from the community what they want to see in our parks is it a soccer field we even talked about pickleball I would like to see a splash pad but that is to come down the road so you know that's this is how we build a stronger Stockton and so I'm just super excited for this future of district one so thank you councilman Villapudua

Yes, thank you, Mayor. I also agree with my colleagues. What really got me with this project, and if you all know me, I'm really big when it comes to parks. Stockton has over 60 different parks in different areas. All of our districts are all different. There's going to be four more coming. I saw the project. I agree with Council Member Padilla about hopefully they can bring some water to it. but it's going to bring jobs it's going to create more more tax to for us in our city so this is a big big thing for stockton i don't know if anyone has anything else to say i want to make a motion to approve if anyone else so there's a motion a second but um council member enriquez

Thank you, Mayor. I just want to thank everyone for this presentation, all the information. I'll echo what many of my colleagues have shared so far. I know one of the things for me that I appreciate about this project was first I asked questions about the water infrastructure and all my questions were answered. So that was the main focus that I had in terms of how it's going to be laid out in terms of the three developers uniting together for this. So seeing the visuals was really helpful for me. Also appreciating the green space. So I think those so that was another component to it I'm not too familiar with district one, but just seeing the layout and having heard about eight mile road Murata West Lane You know hearing all that knowing that they'll be added lanes to it as well I think also the walkability but I do want to appreciate the the folks from La Una who did you know reach out who did give comment and I would say just for the record that council and staff did get an email from I have it here on May 29th asking for an extension. So I'm not here to blame anybody, but I'll just say during that time when they're asking for a 30-day review, no one responded. And if someone did respond, obviously we don't do reply all, but I know it looks like I was BCC'd on it. So through that email, 30 days have already gone by. So was there a reply? Could we have adjusted? Could we have provided that response? public review. I think it was the 15183 checklist for public review. So it did fall within the 30 days of today's meeting. So I just want people to know that we did get an email on that day. And I have here from Luzzo Drury, LLP, May 29, 2026, request for extension of hearing for the Bear Creek South residential project. So that was provided. But again, I think one of the things moving forward is while I do support this project and of course I'm a huge advocate and supporter of LIUNA 7-3. The in-between I think is concerning for me. I think it should be concerning for the public as to why either council or staff, especially when we have control of the agenda, to be able to provide an opportunity to say, hey, council, mayor, we got this email. We want to provide that. If it does fall within the 30 days, let's make it accessible and public for everyone to see. And that didn't happen. So I'm just putting that out there. I'm not here to blame anybody, but again, We do have documentation and a clear timeline. So I just want to, again, it's a tough balance because, again, I do support this project, but I also want to acknowledge information, accurate information. Thank you.

Okay, so we have a motion and a second. Roll call? Second. Yeah, okay.

Council Member Blauer? Yes. Council Member Enriquez? Yes. Council Member Ponce? Yes. Council Member Padilla? Yes. Council Member Padilla? Yes. Vice Mayor Lee? Yes. And Mayor Cavazzi?

Yes.

Passes 7-0.

Wonderful. Okay, moving on to agenda item 9.3, public hearing to approve a resolution overruling protest adopting the delinquent utility service assessment report and directing the assessments be placed on the San Joaquin County treasurer tax collector's tax roll. I declare the public hearing open.

There you go.

Can you hear me now? Good afternoon. We're here to discuss public hearing to approve resolution overruling protests, adopting the delinquent utility services assessment report, and directing the assessment to be placed on the San Joaquin County treasurer tax collector's tax roll. A little background, in 2018, the council authorized staff to collect property owner utility delinquencies through liens and assessments on the property tax roll. The process includes three steps, notice of violation and intent to record a lien, notice of charges to be assessed, and then council public hearing. The city bill approximately, we bill about 85,000 customers within the city. The city, so the first process is a lien process. The city and Solid Waste mailed certified and regular letters in November of 2025 and February of 2026 to the service addresses and the addresses provided by San Joaquin County delinquent property owners. The property owners were provided the option to make a full payment or pass due to avoid a lien. Owners were also given an option for appeal for the lien. A total of two appeals were made during the year for the lien process. The rest of the customers, approximately 5,139 customers, were liened. So then in April, we took a look at the lien list, and we sent out letters saying, you've been liened. Your payments are still delinquent. We will be assessing in July, in August, actually. The city and solid waste mailed out certified regular. Oh, sorry. Yeah. Sorry. Oh, OK. How do I go about it? Sorry, you guys. Okay. The City Solid Waste Mailers, for assessment, we mailed out certified letters also. We mailed out letters April 30th and May 8th for the service addresses from the San Joaquin County list. As of April 30th and May 8th, 1,957 parcels for utilities and 4,772 parcels for solid waste received notices of charges to be assessed. Total utility delinquencies for utilities was $4,731,549. Total solid waste delinquent charges were $5,611,098. So this was just the beginning in May when we came up with the numbers that were leaned. So then we had administrative hearings. We had three hearings. We had a hearing on May 13th, 14th, and the 22nd. We had 88 citizens show up to appeal. So... Notice of the public hearing was published in the record on June 23rd and June 30th for today's meeting. Customers were informed that the city council will hear the consider all evidence testimony objections throughout written protest. Summary of current balances. As of June 15th, the city and solid waste haulers received payments approximately $1.5 million, actually $1,587,957.48. That satisfied the requirements to avoid assessment and charges. So customers did pay. Between May and June, we got approximately $1.5 million. 4,254 accounts with a balance of $8,754,689.52 remain delinquent and will be referred to the San Joaquin County for collections on August 10th of 2026. Staff will account for any payments that continue to be made after the meeting before finalizing the assessment We will continue to take payment from customers until July 31st To give them the opportunity to make the whole by this their delinquent account and then we will take them off the list so a question for you, so They have till July 31st.

What if they would like to set up a payment plan? I

We can work on a payment plan if they've never been delinquent on a payment plan before. We will definitely take that into consideration.

Okay, but they have to see you before July 31st? Yes. Okay, thank you.

Recommendation action. At the conclusion of the public hearing, it is recommended council adopt a resolution to overrule all protests, confirm the unpaid utility and solid waste service charges set forth in the delinquent utility and solid waste service charges for 2026 assessment report, adopt the delinquent utility and solid waste service charges 2026 assessment report, direct the assessment to be placed on San Joaquin County Charger tax collectors tax roll authorize a direct and the city the direct the city manager or doesn't need to execute all documents Authorize the city manager or doesn't need to take any necessary and appropriate actions to carry out the purpose and intent of the resolution Any questions Any questions vice mayor you have a question

Thank you. Yeah, so we met this morning, and I learned a lot about this whole process. And I remember last year when we were here, but learned more about specifically waste management and what would be some of the potential complaints from customers. What have you heard? I just want to remind waste management, you were just before the council not too long ago on the discussion related to Republic. Cal waste and we had a conversation about the competition that you're going to be in with city with the city at some point when it comes to evaluating the extensions and one of the things that I was concerned about in my district specifically being the second largest to now go after these fees next to district one almost 1.9 million dollars in in fees and that the assessment from waste management didn't happen last year on time and my understanding is you know there's there's explanations why but the consumer really doesn't care why when there's a fee that's going to be assessed and we all have a responsibility to make sure that we're following through with those responsibilities for the consumer the second thing is I understand that there's a customer service concern or ability to reach waste management. So I see them here. I would like to understand what they're doing specifically around access for customers and addressing the customer service needs, if they can take a minute to please the council with an explanation. Okay, I can wait, but those are the two comments that I have so far. I can wait.

I know there's public comment because I see Steve Haram. Well, no, I don't, but he's behind the column. So public comment.

Steve Haram to the podium, please.

I just wanted to let you know that our full technical team here is to answer any questions you might have. I would just make a couple of preliminary comments. Number one, uh, is that in 2023, uh, the city asked that we take over the collection and you would keep the enforcement part of it. And this is simply what we're doing today. A very standard procedure in order for them to be collected, uh, as to let's turn immediately to Mr. Lee's questions. Uh, I would just make a couple of preliminary comments. As to what happened last year, there appears to have been an error, a clerical error, that didn't allow us to do it. Not pointing fingers, it happens in life, and so now we're doing it this year. There are five dedicated people that are involved just to deal with complaints, and I'd ask Vanessa to address you more directly on exactly what happens if someone files a complaint.

Okay. Good afternoon, Council. Just to help clarify our customer service capabilities, we are most definitely wanting to be available and engaged for our customers in Stockton. Just like Steve Heron mentioned, we have five dedicated customer service representatives just for City of Stockton residents. But in addition to that, we've also recently added the ability for residents to reach us through an app and chat options as additional options. And after having about a year process of construction at our Navy Drive location, we are now going to be opening back that up so that residents can walk in and talk to somebody in person as well.

Yeah, thank you. Yeah. Councilman Blower was telling me you were talking to me. I was writing down everything you were saying because I like to keep copious notes in case things change. It's good to hear that the technical error was discovered and addressed and that we're back on track. How are residents learning of the chat option or the app? How are you marketing that? How are you getting that to them? And is there currently a process where they call you now? Is that what they're used to or are you migrating from one process to another or just adding another process?

So the typical process over the long term has been the local customer service number. In 2020, we had it become dedicated customer service agents for city of Stockton that are local. They sit in our Lodi office, so they're within San Joaquin County. That changed there. In terms of marketing, you know, additional communication, like the app and customer service live chat options, those are actually marketed on just our standard communications, including like on the invoice and on our website.

It will be on the bill that will say you can chat with us here or whatever. Yeah. Yeah, I would just ask again, since it was highlighted by staff, if that is an ongoing concern in terms of customers being able to reach you, if there be some collaborative discussion on how to continue to educate people.

Maybe develop some more marketing. Thank you.

So I would just conclude and say first to Councilman Lee and all of you, if you want to discuss the customer service practices in more detail, please give us a call. We'd be glad to show you what it is. We'd love to hear your comments. We want to have the best possible customer service. There's no reason not to. And if you have ideas. were all ears. Finally, I would point out that all of the challenges were presented to an administrative hearing officer, and that administrative hearing officer rejected all of the challenges and found them not to be appropriate. I know some of them deal with the idea that they have vacant property, so why are they paying a fee? that's what the city ordinance requires there is a process for them to seek some relief and they can always file an application as I understand it with the city to get some relief from that if they can prove its vacant property but otherwise the city ordinance is the city ordinance and we all have to follow it until some change is made there any other questions of us will be pleased to answer them and if some specific questions comes up we would be more than pleased to come back up and try to answer those as well thank you thank you

No. Do we have any other public comment or are we done? We do not. Okay. Go ahead, Vice Mayor.

A motion to approve.

Second. We have a motion by Vice Mayor, second by Councilwoman Padilla. Roll call.

Ms. Mayor, would you like me to speak about my objection?

He did on the other item.

Thank you, Ms. Mayor. So I have two vacant properties. You know, they were vacant for extended period of time, no running water, no solid waste produced. I am not disputing the mandatory requirement to have the service, but I'm disputing that the haulers waste management and the public service issue bills, you know, and try to add thousands of dollars to my tax bill, you know, without delivering any service. I oppose to that, and I respectfully ask the council member to deny that motion for them to add it to my properties. 2415 East 6th Street and 1806 Longdon Drive.

Well, I would say we have Vanessa and Steve here, so please have a conversation with them before they leave, because they're the ones that are decision makers of waste management.

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you.

And I forgot I closed the public hearing.

Now make the motion to approve.

Okay.

Roll call. Council Member Blower. Yes. Council Member Enriquez. Yes. Council Member Ponce. Yes. Council Member Padilla. Yes. Council Member Villalba. Yes. Vice Mayor Lee.

Yes.

Mayor Fugazi. Yes. Motion passes 7-0. Okay.

Okay, so we're going to take a quick break. It is 3.49. Please be back by 4.10. 4.10. Is that okay with everybody? 4.10. Okay, we will now bring our meeting back to order. Apologies, it's 4.14. The next item on the agenda, 10.1, is San Joaquin Regional Transit District Update. I know we received something like right before the meeting.

That is correct, Mayor, and I will turn it over to Florence Lowe to give you an update.

So Mr. Beasley will not be able to attend the meeting, and I'm going to read the email that he sent to all of you. I am writing on behalf of the Regional Transit District as its interim CEO. Due to severe staff constraints, we must regretfully decline participating in the July 7th Stockton City Council meeting. RTD is currently undergoing four simultaneous state and federal audits, audits that were long overdue and neglected for the past six years under the prior administration. This has placed an extraordinary burden on our already limited resources, with all hands on deck to address these critical compliance matters within tight deadlines. Given the short timeframe, we simply cannot divert personnel to prepare for or attend the meeting. This said, if the Council has specific questions that the RTD is positioned to answer, we would be happy to provide written responses as promptly as our current workload allows. Once these comprehensive audits are successfully completed and our staffing capacity stabilizes, I would welcome the opportunity to schedule a dedicated meeting with you and the Council to discuss RTD matters in greater depth. Please let me know a convenient time for you in the coming weeks, and I will make every effort to align our calendars. Thank you for your understanding during this challenging period for the agency. Best regards, Bernard Beasley.

Okay, so I know we have a meeting on July, I wanna say 21st, and then we have August 18th, and then September, first or second I mean I'm just throwing out all of our council dates so if there's one that he feels can fit would love to have him come or somebody from RTD come and do a presentation I know he has a I don't know if it's an interim or a permanent CFO because they presented to cog I know Two of my colleagues were at COG when they both presented, and if we could have them come, that would be fabulous.

We'll be more than happy to talk with them on behalf of the council.

Okay. Thank you. Oh, there's a question. Florence. What's up? Oh.

thank you mayor it's not performance it's more of just a statement i just want to again i think you know i've heard the sentiment that voters forget i think it's important to remind the public why this was agendized this discussion this discussion uh was agendized to understand if there's been any impacts to transit in our city for our seniors people throughout the city as a result of whatever conflict had existed and then when we scheduled that presentation there was a no-show and then we rescheduled it and now there's another no-show I did watch the YouTube video I implored the public to go and look at the cog video at the last cog meeting a few days ago maybe a week ago where mr. Beasley spoke in front of cog and he went on and on and on about the money I don't know what that presentation was I still don't understand what if any impacts of Happening or are happening to the transit in this in this county specifically the city So I would like to see the presentation sooner or later the August 18th date I'm not going to be here in person because that's my birthday That week so but I will be participating in the meeting. I do want to be present for that presentation So if we can let them know, please. Thank you

Okay, understood. Okay, moving on then to item 10.2, community development department development process overview and process enhancements. Looking forward to it.

Yes. If there were public comments on the last agenda item, we can't make them?

Well, the item's continued.

Oh.

Yeah, the item is continued to a date not certain.

Okay. Good afternoon again. Stephanie Ocasio, director of community development. Before you today is an overview of the community development department's functions, responsibilities and how it applies to the development process. community development department was created in 1974 through the marriage of the city's building and planning departments over time the department expanded to include development engineering operations and policy development our purpose is to ensure that stockton's built environment is safe for all of its citizens this is achieved through numerous regulatory means as you can see on the slide cdd staff is responsible to ensure compliance with numerous codes and laws including California Building Code, FEMA flood regulations, environmental requirements such as CEQA, and the list goes on. Our department is responsible for the administration of thousands of code requirements, and new requirements are adopted each year. Development consists of three parts, policy setting, implementation, and construction. Elected officials set the laws and the rules, and this is where requirements come from. CDD facilitates and administers those rules. This includes ensuring that all interested parties are informed and included for review and or input, that rules are applied consistently, and that the process is coordinated efficiently and effectively. The private market is responsible for construction. They are driven by economic factors such as feasibility and market demand. Generally speaking, the pace and type of development is dependent on the development community, subject to rules and regulations. We will now be discussing permitting and projects. Since 2021 Stockton CDD on average issues almost 12,000 permits per year with a construction valuation of approximately 841 million, about 71% of our permitting volume is attributed to building permits resulting in an average of over 20,000 inspections per year of those about 3% are attributable to code enforcement citations. When discussing permits, it's important to recognize that there are different types. Projects vary in complexity from very simple to extremely complex. However, on average, 66% of CDD's permits are issued the same day, while 34% undergo plan review. Plan review is when construction plans must be reviewed to ensure compliance with applicable codes. Further, permitting is different between planning and building functions. Planning permits are often referred to as entitlements. This occurs generally before the building permit process and involves land use instead of construction. This process is demonstrated on the slide going left to right Each block represents a step in the process. The application is submitted, staff reviews it for completeness, fees are paid, the project is reviewed, and the approval occurs. Approval can be at the director, planning commission, or city council level, or multiple, including planning commission and city council, as we just had earlier.

Depending on the application type the municipal code dictates the level of approval that is required for a project Once an approval occurs a 10-day appeal period starts and once that appeal period is exhausted the permit is then issued Okay, so before you go to the next slide so that process How what is the average time for that for that process to go from application submittal to the 10-day appeal

so this is talking more about the planning process so that's very hard to identify because every project is different so if the council wanted specific information as to how long does a rezone take we'd be able to look at our data and bring that back to you i do have information regarding building permit data though that i'll be presenting later in this presentation okay so i know your next slide then i'll do a follow-up question after the next slide Building permits vary slightly as they include plan review and don't require planning or council approval and include inspections. An application is submitted, reviewed, and comments provided to the applicant. This would include corrections or plan omissions which would need to be addressed. This is called the first cycle review. A typical project can have multiple cycles. We average right now at about 1.6 cycles. Once all issues have been addressed, plan check is completed, the fees are paid, and the permit is issued. Once the permit's issued, the applicant requests inspections during different phases of construction until they have their final inspection where the permit is then finaled, which means closed out, and it's that time, if it's new construction, a certificate of occupancy is issued.

okay so on this part I think this is something you know most of us have heard about and I know you go into more detail on that review do you have are you fully staffed right now

Yes, we are. Well, actually, we have one vacancy for a senior plan checker that we are currently recruiting for. We have one pending planning manager position that we're waiting for a new applicant, and we just filled, I believe, our office technician. So we are full.

So I'm just thinking, you know, for continuity, I know oftentimes people have said it's almost like the goal line keeps moving or it's. abc you fix abc but somebody else then gets their hands on it and they want xyz so if you're fully staffed and if it's if if it's the ability is there to have one person try to you know see a project all the way through and i know you guys do a great job of anybody that wants to do something getting all the people around the table you know from fire prevention from building you know engineers all that kind of stuff from the city's point of view but you know the thing we're always looking at is you know how do we make it more efficient but still at a high level would you like me to respond

Yep. So we assign projects. So we have the same planner that sees an entitlement from start to finish. We have the same plan checker assigned to a project. The only time another plan checker would come in is if maybe that plan checker is off that day or they're on vacation. We don't want to hold things up for the applicant. So if they do a resubmittal, We'll assign it to the backup plan checker for that project. We also have a development liaison position, which is our deputy building official, which will help support projects from beginning to end to make sure that they don't get lost in that shuffle and to make sure that comments are complete at the front end. So something that we work diligently with our partner departments is to make sure that and forgive the casual statement, late bites of the apple, that they need to be full and complete reviews at the front end, so that way we don't come up with anything new. However, I do want to clarify, and we're going to touch on this later, but I'll mention it right now. Oftentimes, we will get an incomplete set of plans. So let's say the whole section on electrical is missing. We don't get that until the second cycle. At that point, we have to provide feedback on those electrical plans. The applicant, unbeknownst to them, maybe their contractor, whatever, tells the applicant, oh, well, now I'm getting all these new comments. They're not new. We never received that information that's required. We're now providing that feedback. So it is a partnership between the city and the applicant to make sure that submittals are complete and the reviews are complete.

I think specifically about opportunity zones and the fact that Stockton had this designation, we're applying again for that designation, and what I've been told by investors is they need things to move quicker Because they have to get their money their investment in Within 60 days now. I'm not saying we're doing it outside or inside of that I'm just saying those are the concerns that I get from people who want to come into this city and do business Understood.

Thank you We'll go on to the next slide As touched on earlier, plan review confirms that plans meet all applicable regulations. Once reviewed, the plans are reviewed by multiple parties as appropriate, including fire, mud, public works, police, and external agencies if appropriate. All comments are compiled and provided to the applicant. Comments can include corrections to plans, requests for additional information, acknowledgement that certain information is missing, et cetera. Once all issues have been addressed via additional review cycles if needed, the plans are approved and the permit is issued. common theme that is expressed is that permits take too long or have unnecessary delays This issue can occur as a result of a variety of factors not all within the city's purview Common issues that can cause delays include incomplete plans where the submittal lacks the entire set such as electrical or plumbing non-response to cycle one comments. Sometimes they'll be submit and there's zero changes in response to a comment that was made in cycle one. Changes to the project during plan check. We have had scopes completely change where the entire building is different, but it's still the same permit application. So now the comment is, well, it took too long. Well, it's essentially, whole new project halfway in so we have to restart all of that review there's also changes to the applicants team there are numerous occasions where they fire their contractor and someone new comes in or they get a new architect they're not familiar with the project or new set of eyes they make changes that adds to delays Another one that I find interesting is that the permit is not picked up when it's ready. So we have a status called ready to issue. What that means is that it's approved. It's ready to go. You need to pay your fees and pick it up. There are times where it will sit for weeks and that gets added to our timeframe on permit turnarounds when it has nothing to do with us. So these are all nuances that affect the development timing here in the city and not just Stockton. This is industry wide. Speaking of processing time, CDD has adopted the cycle times listed here on the slide. These timeframes are posted online and our key performance indicators are built around meeting or exceeding these timeframes. These stated timeframes are a result of process mapping and streamlining efforts that the department took back in 2020, 2021, and are consistent with industry standards. For the period of November 1st, 2025 to April 30th, 2026, the department completed 1,057 plan checks. So we are now at the age-old question, how long does it take to get a building permit? For the period of November 1st through April 30th, from submittal to issued, meaning picked up by the applicant, a building permit takes about 50 calendar days. Here's the breakdown. From application submittal to plan check is eight and a half days, inclusive of applicant response times, Plan review takes about 30 days inclusive of the time it takes applicants to respond and 11.6 days for the applicant to pay their fees and pick up the permit as you can see about 55% or nearly 28 days of this time frame rests with the applicant if You were to focus solely on the time a permit is being processed by the city It's about 22 calendar days. This average includes all permits from simple to very complex. I

Now, I know there's more slides. AI, is there opportunities for, I mean, you still need humans, of course, to assist with this, but are they able to do like a quick, you know, to make sure all the documents are there, to look at some of the less, Well, I shouldn't say less important. Everything's important. But I think you understand what I'm saying. Are they able to go through some of the nuances that are tedious but still need to get done?

Sure, and I'm glad you asked that question. I recently attended a League of California Cities webinar regarding AI usage in planning. And the answer is the systems that exist right now are just not quite there yet. There is systems out there being advertised as being able to complete plan check, but it is truly just a checklist configuration. It's going to look at, you know, are the calculations included? Are the code citations included? It's a very basic check. It does not... replace that initial check by a plan checker, just because there's different ways to meet, um, requirements. Right. Further, um, we are using an AI system called each that help us with our code research. So, you know, a plan checker's got all of their assignments. Once you work in code enough, you're gonna be like, I know there's a requirement for this percentage for this roof slope. You can use the AI software that we have, and it'll help you pull those citations to make you process and comment on those plans faster. So that is something we're already using right now. So we are constantly looking for new AI as it's introduced. We've had demonstrations with different AI companies and startups. We just haven't found the one that can do what we need yet, but we're open to it.

I would think maybe we could be like kind of a guinea pig on a project or two and we get the software for free. I don't know. I'm just throwing that out there as a possibility for us to help them figure out the kinks and we get something in return for that.

There are certain startups that are doing that. I will caution that it's extremely staff intensive. They need a lot of our time, and it's a balance between making sure we are efficient and effective in delivering our permits and balancing other commitments like that. To provide some additional perspective, a CDD has prepared different project examples to better acquaint the council and the public on what different project processes look like. This slide illustrates a new restaurant moving into a former restaurant space. The building permit for tenant improvement undergoes building, fire, and mud review. There's a possible sign permit requirement, a business license zoning confirmation, and an annual permit from fire prevention. CDD is responsible for the coordination of the permit to all necessary parties. This next example is for a gym moving into a former grocery store space. Given the change in occupancy type, this process triggers additional requirements according to the code, including site plan review, possible design review, then the building permit, business license zoning, and annual fire permit. Moving to new construction, this slide illustrates a drive-through restaurant on an undeveloped vacant parcel within the city limits. As you can see, approvals from Planning Commission and City Council are not required. The project not only needs site plan and design review, but may also trigger a parcel map, a rezone, and land development permit depending on the site, followed by a building permit, encroachment permit for access into city right-of-way, possible sign permit, business license verification, and an annual fire permit. As you've probably noticed, the projects have become progressively more complex in these examples. This example is for new construction on undeveloped land outside of the city limits. This project type requires multiple permit types, reviews, and approvals, starting with a tentative map, a pre-zone, an annexation proposal which requires planning commission, City Council and LAFCO approvals, a final map, improvement plans, encroachment permit, and then finally the building permit process. Each project is unique and it takes well-trained members of CDD to ensure that each are processed in accordance with all laws and regulations. Once entitlements and permits have been approved, projects then undergo building inspection. Our inspectors ensure public safety through the confirmation that work matches all approved plans. You'd be surprised what changes out in the field. The unsafe conditions are rectified and that all necessary records are in place. Further, inspections occur at key construction milestones to ensure code compliance while inspectors provide guidance to contractors and support project progression to occupancy. As touched on earlier, CDD has undergone significant process improvements since 2018. Before 2018, no online services were offered. All applications, payments, and permits were paper-based. We had over 100 different inspection types, which led to confusion for customers to schedule, and a permitting system that needed significant adjustments. Since then, CDD has undertaken several initiatives in order to improve customer experience, decrease processing times, and improve service delivery and transparency. We initiated an overhaul of our permitting system in 2019. We evaluated and overhauled our internal processes in 2020 and 2021. We focused and improved the customer experience in 2022 and 2023. We made advancements in data and analytics to better help track our performance and identify our issues. We've turned our focus now to expanding our digital platform since last year. One of our primary objectives for the 26-27 fiscal year is to provide more information to the public about CDD's offerings and support services for development. Some key improvements include increased digital access, such as our virtual assistant that can support customers 24-7. This is what's known as decision tree software, where people can input, I want to open up a cafe at this address, and it's going to guide you with questions to let you know what's required. It can then lead you into our seller system where you can start applying for a permit. We also offer instant permitting, the AI-supported code research that I mentioned earlier, automatic notifications such as text notifications for upcoming inspections, and real-time key performance indicator and project tracking. The combination of all of these efforts have resulted in a dramatic increase in processing times and increased amenities for the public. One of CDD's primary focus points is the support of economic development and businesses in our city. Our online permitting tool, Customer Liaison, and participation in the Economic Review Committee provides support to businesses interested in investing in Stockton. Many agencies charge fees for pre-application support. We don't. As mentioned previously, CDD has undergone significant process improvements to support its citizens and business owners. Compared to baseline numbers from 2018, current building permit plan check for commercial new construction meets timeline targets 86% of the time. That means we either meet it or exceed it. meaning we go faster. Compared to 2018, that's a 69% improvement. The statistic for multifamily construction is even better. We've been meeting our targets 100% of the time. Compared to 2018, that's a 97% improvement. Further, online permit utilization has been on the rise. Since introducing online permits, 70% of all CDD permits are submitted online. We currently offer 15 permit types online and have plans to expand that number. We offer a total of 32 different permit types. A key tenet in our department is to always look for ways to improve. Since 2019, CDD has enhanced its permitting system, integrated into the city's ERP system, MUNIS, and introduced automated customer notification. We are currently working on providing more public-facing data and overhauling our document archives. We're also preparing for the future by exploring different AI systems and ERC enhancements. CDD's progress and performance has been recognized by peers, state agencies, and industry partners, including the International Code Council, California Housing and Community Development, the California American Planning Association Chapter, and Acela. Stockton's permitting configuration is used as an example for other jurisdictions on how to effectively utilize Acela and make it work based on your specific needs. As we near the end of this presentation, I'd like to emphasize that CDD is truly more than permits. Our amazing staff perform a number of functions from floodplain management, policy and code development, governance support, and interdepartmental facilitation and coordination. Community development touches many aspects of city services and quality of life matters for its citizens. Now that you've been provided with an overview of all that CDD is responsible for and does on a daily basis, I'd like to share some agency comparisons. We always like to compare how we do with other people. Cities are often compared with one another regarding processing times, etc. We decided to look into this theme and we found the following. Using 2023 to 2024 data, we compared Stockton's CDD permit workload with those of other agencies similar in size or regional. Those were Bakersfield, Sacramento, Fresno, Modesto, San Joaquin County, Lathrop, and Tracy. It was confirmed that Stockton CDD staff processes an average of 231 permits per employee, the highest number in the comparison. Further, we looked at per capita numbers based on population. Stockton came in second highest when calculating number of residents per employee. I share this to emphasize that the Stockton CDD department not only meets and exceeds processing timeframes, and supports many non-CDD related functions, we do it with the heaviest workload compared with other similar and regional cities in California. In conclusion, CDD is a dynamic department that is regulatory but also innovative, customer focused and motivated. Through the hard work of many talented individuals, CDD creates the places where we live, work, invest and thrive. I'm happy to answer any questions.

going back to the digital access right is that active right now which part yes so per my previous slide we have 15 building permit application types that can be submitted online through our SELA customer portal Okay. And all this stuff, is it bilingual as well?

I believe through the city's website it is available to be bilingual. It's like a plug-in that goes into the website.

Yeah, I agree with the mayor as well. I get contractors as well always saying that these permits are taking longer than it is. I've seen the change from 2018 to 2020. a dramatic impact as you guys have upgraded your programs. So, for example, if someone is open to visit, are there some type of video on how the process, how someone can get a permit? Because sometimes these people don't know how to do it exactly.

So it would be challenging to have a video for every single type of business proposal. We do have our CDD virtual assistant where you can identify the type of business and the location that you're exploring, and it will guide you through a series of questions to let you know requirements, and then it will guide you to our CILA portal, so that way you can submit a building application.

Okay. And then my last question. Do we subcontract anything out there to our permits?

We do. So CDD is very lean, and we talked about this during the budget process, that based on per capita numbers, we should be a department of about 80. We're 51. So we have consulting contracts that help us with plan check, that help us with inspections, and that help us with planning support. And that is called staff augmentation, and we do that to help eliminate long-term liabilities on the city's budget. If we were to hire full-time staff of 80, you're not just paying salary. There's all the overhead, there's the PERS, there's the benefits, and that is a long-term commitment to the city. So by augmenting, it provides us the flexibility to increase or decrease our staffing levels if need be through contract staff, and that way our core staff can focus on our operations for the public.

Okay. All right. No further questions, Mayor.

Councilwoman Padilla.

Thank you, Mayor. I know you touched on development and businesses, but could you briefly explain what kind of permit is allowed or needed for businesses operating out of your home? Because I have several in my district, and It's more so the neighbors that are being affected by these businesses within a residential area Sure, so home-based businesses require a home occupation permit from planning.

So it is a partnership between ASD and CDD There's the business license itself, which is a mill tax which allows the city to collect a tax on businesses the home occupation permit is going to verify a the type of business that's allowed in the home. Only certain types of businesses are allowed in a residential home setting. There is limitations on anything that could be a nuisance or potentially harmful to a residential neighborhood. That being said, some authority is taken out of our hands. We get a lot of calls regarding group homes, transitional living, things of that nature. The state has made it very clear that those are considered residential uses and are no different than a residential family living in a single family house. We have no authority to stop them. We can't even require them to get a permit. They are allowed by right, no different than residential occupancy. If it is something that does not meet the municipal code definition of a home occupancy permit, that does get forwarded to code enforcement. And I'm aware of one of the ones you've recently reported, and that is being processed in the system through that process.

So if we do identify a business being out of the home, would we just contact code enforcement and that's how it goes through the process?

Well, if you have concerns about negative impacts to the community, then you can submit a request for investigation by code enforcement and they would do their due diligence to determine whether or not something illegal is happening. Okay. Thank you. but there is stuck in municipal code against certain things yes a mechanic you know if you're fixing cars in the driveway you know out in the open or the street or whatever yes it's things about like noxious fumes you're not supposed to have any storage of things at the property you're not supposed to have customers come to your house so a lot of times people will just do their bookkeeping or their online sales from home but all of the inventory is off-site and that is allowable

Any other questions from Council Informational, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Oh public comment. Sorry.

I apologize Good afternoon, so community development community development at at one time many different cities have code enforcement in community development. And there was a time when code enforcement was part of community development long ago here in Stockton. And I just say that because... What happens with code enforcement is the Ask Stockton request is made to code enforcement. Code enforcement opens a case and that's the end of any communication with the residents. And speaking of communication, this is a really important aspect when there are projects that need to have Planning Commission, all of that information, all of the learning that happens to the Planning Commission should be made available to the public before the meeting. And I keep saying that because it's a big problem, particularly when a topic is public noticing. you know, that it's not available. And so, you know, public noticing, we heard, you know, 300 feet. Well, 300 feet, you know, from that project, there's very few. I doubt that there was nine notices that went out 300 feet from the Bear Creek South. So, you know, notifying the public is very important about planning. And I appreciate the question about, you know, information available to help guide because, you know, it's a real problem. You know, how do people get through things? And so I just wanted to bring those topics up.

That concludes public comment post-item.

Okay, thank you moving on to item 10.3 submittal of the Stockton Opportunity Zones 2.0 prioritization list through the California State Governor Good afternoon mayor and council Jordan Peterson economic development department

Before I get into the heart of the recommended action, I'm just going to provide some brief overview of opportunity zones so the original legislation that approved opportunity zones was back in 2017 that was the tax cuts and jobs Act and that had a sunset of the end of 2026 so in foresight of that Congress approved in the president signed a what we're calling Opportunity Zones 2.0 last year, and this process is something that all of the states are going through, where they are receiving nominations, if you will, from all the different jurisdictions, so that way they can send them up to US Treasury for certification to go live early next year. States essentially are only allowed to nominate 25% of eligible low-income qualified census tracts, And again, Governor will send it up to the Treasury. And these Opportunity Zones are intended to spur long-term investment in low-income communities, intended to kind of create projects, new housing, new opportunities, and provides an incentive for those developers to invest those dollars and defer their capital gains tax. In order for an investor to take advantage of opportunity zone funding incentives, they have to invest that money into a qualified opportunity fund. They're essentially investment vehicles that has an asset threshold where 90% of the funds in this opportunity fund has to be going towards investments in qualified opportunity zones. and a whole host of different parties can take advantage of the opportunity fund like banks, limited partnerships, philanthropic organizations and CDFIs. not to get too in the weeds in terms of how these incentives work but essentially it allows for a deferment of of their capital gains uh there's different types of thresholds um again don't want to get too into the into the weeds but it essentially allows them to defer their capital gains and it's uh it's an attractive incentive for investors across the country So I know this is a little bit hard to see, but just wanted to give you a high-level snapshot of the eligible census tracts. Again, this is not something that staff decided. This is based on the formula of the percentage of low-income residents and different metrics, and this shows the census tracts that are eligible for nomination to U.S. Treasury across the city. They're mainly concentrated in downtown and South Stockton, and then some in Midtown and North Stockton as well. terms of what the governor of California is looking at this is what guided staff as we brought this item forward as we looked at the submittal requirements that the governor is looking for and we kind of mapped out all the census tracts and what the governor is looking for is is census tracts that advance California jobs first initiative that's the North Valley thrive that we're working with Stanislaus and Merced County on They, of course, want to attract private investment in affordable housing that's aligned with the regional housing needs or RHNA goals and target sites. So staff looked at where are the RHNA sites? Where are they designated within these eligible census tracts? Governor's office also is looking at quote unquote shovel ready sites. A lot of the sites in the city and infill sites, they're considered shovel ready because utilities are nearby. So that's kind of a. easy threshold to me and then what they're also looking for is demonstrated or planned public investment so staff kind of look through the CIP looked at the different affordable housing awards that have taken place over the past couple years looked at different public works projects and kind of mapped it out and trying to align these eligible census tracts with these different criteria from Governor Newsom This is a map that is in your agenda packet. I think this is attachment B. Shows you a map that ITGIS helped us make that shows kind of the gray scale is eligible but not recommended. The kind of like transparent color is they're just not eligible. They're not considered eligible. And what staff did because, and there's, Slides later on that has a little bit more detail in these different areas. Staff's proposing a ranking of these eligible census tracts because that is one of the submission criteria. It doesn't need to be submitted that way where they say, how are you ranking these census tracts? At the end of the day, the governor's office is going to submit in coordination with the state controller's office. whatever census tracts they see fit, this is gonna just be part of their criteria where they're gonna look at what did the jurisdictions say. So staff, based on all those different metrics that I mentioned earlier, came up with a ranking of the census tracts that are being recommended for submission to the governor, and that is due to the governor July 25th. So that's why we wanted to bring this, have this conversation now, and seek approval from council. So the first census track map that I wanted to show is kind of the highest priority census tracks that we were looking at, mainly concentrated in the downtown and South Stockton area. I'm not going to necessarily go kind of in order of the ranking unless council wants to have that discussion, but as you'll see, highest ranking is kind of Port of Stockton area, downtown core, Mariposa corridor, in district 6 and then looking at the census tracts that are along MLK and Airport Way one of the Elements that staff was looking at is where does where does the city own vacant sites? And there are a lot of vacant sites on Airport Way. So we wanted to make sure that those census tracts in South Stockton were high highly prioritized in terms of the ranking Next, these are kind of the census tracts in North Stockton. One thing I do want to add is there was only one Opportunity Zone census tract in all of North Stockton under 1.0. We really wanted to look at where are there RHNA sites, the housing sites, where are there commercial corridors that need some investment, and so that's why staff are proposing to include a number of census tracts in North Stockton that meet the criteria.

Jordan, we have some questions. Go ahead, Vice Mayor.

Oh. Okay, the Opportunity Zone in North, can you hear me? Yes. Opportunity Zone in North Stockton, where was that specifically?

Oh, it was, it is 3307, so that's where Pacific comes up and then it forks off to go to Hammer. And so how exactly are we defining opportunities also can't filled wouldn't be one or Kelly Drive or Fox Creek so Kelly Drive is part of an eligible census tract but a part of the element that if we think about where is investment gonna come investments gonna come in areas where there's developable land right generally speaking and so if if a census tract is already built out and there's already houses there's not much for an investor to come in and put money into. So that was part of us juggling. There's more census tracts than are going to be nominated. Just like last time, there were about 51 eligible and only 19 or so sorry 15 or so got nominated and so not all of the eligible census tracts are going to be picked and so that's where staff kind of looked at where is there vacant land uh that can be built for housing or new commercial development thank you thank you and i wanted to point out um in green was the area by uop just south of march lane and i know that there are some big lots there if it's the greek festival you know they park

on that lot there or, you know, something going on at the church there. And then there's another area that I thought the University of the Pacific owns. But that's what I'm thinking of, those two huge fields.

Exactly. That's exactly correct. So that is a big Rena site. It's off of, I think, Persissy and Rosemary. Rosemary. it's a large site that's kind of been in you know lingering for quite a few years and so that was why that one is kind of higher ranking because we know that that's a an attractive opportunity for development thank you thank you and so with that staff are recommending City Council approve a motion authorizing the city manager or designee to submit the Stockton opportunity zones 2.0 prioritization list to the city California governor and authorizing city manager to take necessary and appropriate actions.

Any questions before we go to public comment? Do you have a question? Okay, public comment. Mary Elizabeth, please.

Housing. Placing. opportunities, housing opportunities. So we have lots of multi-unit housing now coming into downtown in the next couple of years. It's going to be quite significant, but we're still dealing with corner stores. You know, we don't have a market, a full service market in downtown or midtown even. So we, you know, go up the street. or down south where there's a couple of big markets. But I would hope that the city economic department could consider those amenities that make life worth living and walkable neighborhoods. And when you've got to get in a car and drive 20 minutes, you know, to go to the market, you know, you lose an opportunity there to meet with your neighbors on your way, you know, to pick up some milk. And so I just like to hope that opportunities can be more than just housing. And I did provide you the RNA data, you know, from 2024 to show, you know, like where we're at in the housing comments. Thank you very much.

That concludes public comment for this item.

Okay, bringing it back to council.

I make a motion to approve. Second.

We have a motion and a second by three people. Can we do roll call?

Council Member Blower?

Yes.

Council Member Enriquez? Yes. Council Member Ponce? Yes. Council Member Padilla? Yes. Council Member Villa-Padilla? Yes. Vice Mayor Lee? Yes. And Mayor Pagani?

Yes.

Motion passes 7-0.

Okay, thank you. moving on to the next item 10.4 discussion on council initiated investigations and associated costs I know at our April 28th meeting I had requested that we get whatever information we have for the conclusion of the you know the fiscal year And I know that we got the grand jury report. And I think the audit committee also had a report done that was given to them, but it wasn't given to the full council. And so I wanted to know where we're at with the council-initiated investigations. If they've been concluded, if there's still an outlying, is there a cost? I know that there is zero cost for the ad hoc I know that the vice mayor asked about that last meeting there's been zero money expended on that but do you have city attorney do you have any numbers for us and also whether or not these investigations are still going on

Mayor, the only update I believe I have, as far as it relates to the fees associated to date, I believe it's in the $700,000 range. And then the other update that I have for you is in regard to Optic. And my understanding is, based on the Audit Committee's last presentation, is that the recommendation was that the attorneys who conducted the investigation be brought back to council. And I believe that my assistant city attorney, Taryn Jones, was working with Florence in coordinating a date to bring these attorneys back before this council so they can hear from the investigators themselves.

Okay, so I had an opportunity just to briefly look at the full report that was 3,485 pages. I know that it will have to be up to this council whether or not they want to waive privilege. I know we did that for the previous one. It will be the decision of this council. I always recommend people actually look at those They necessarily waive privilege, but I think we've kind of set a precedent for that. Whether or not this council wants to stay in that same vein is up to them. But is that something people want? I mean, do people want a – oh, sorry, Vice Mayor. Stop.

think you know as a system first of all thank you the city clerk and staff will figure this out and mirrors there's a lot going on up here the total expenditure so far for the council and investigations and investigations have happened up here seven hundred seventy thousand five hundred eight dollars I do want to agree with the mayor in terms of transparency the taxpayers paid for all of this mess and I think they need to see it I do want to just for the point of reference we did have the attorney I believe they they came before the Audit Committee we wanted to bring the full report here I think the mayor has put it on this agenda so it's here I wouldn't have a problem waving privilege for that because, again, the taxpayers need to be able to see it. But I do have more to discuss on this agenda item. Do we do it now?

Do we want to do one at a time?

Yeah, sure. But as far as the report goes, I think one of the directions I was going to put in my council comments is that I think that we should get a comprehensive breakdown of all the costs associated with all the investigations. Obviously, we have to redact employee information or who the claimants were. But I do think showing all the investigations, all the fees associated with it is something that the public has a right to have.

And I would agree with that as well. Councilwoman Padilla.

I just want to clarify that the investigation that we're asking of two-way privilege is the optic.

If I can during audit committee though the attorneys actually made recommendations of what actions should be taken I think it was more legislative than anything but in terms of what the mayor said following through with what we've done in the past with the while and out investigation if we want to bring them here I don't know if there's fees associated with them coming down traveling presenting I I would probably say $770,000, we shouldn't do that. But the report is what it is. It's out there. People can read it. We should waive privilege so they can get the full report. But I think to pay more money to come down and explain it is probably a waste of taxpayer money. I agree with that.

So would that mean then Taryn, because Taryn was part of that, would Taryn be able to disseminate the findings in that investigation? okay okay um so is that a motion or no yeah i make a motion can we do that and because it's not agendized we have to agendize it yeah

That way they can make a fully informed decision when they make their vote on that particular night.

So I'll make a motion to agendize it for a future council meeting.

Second. Yes, everybody. Yeah, we don't even have to do a roll call. We've got two. So we're good. And I would have put it on that.

Mayor, are we talking about all investigations?

Well, we're doing them one at a time. So we just did the executive summary confidential investigation for OPTIC that was initiated by the audit committee.

Correct.

Okay. Do you have another comment on that item?

Well, not on that item, but I appreciate the clarification. I did say earlier, I think we should release a report, make a report available to the public on all the investigations that have led to the $770,000. And and then with of course, I think we should agendize it as you're saying So council can go to look at them if they want to I think with the proper read actions I think that's the motion I would make that we agendize that for future Now the second item on here is the grand jury report and again, it's also a summary I

I have not been able to get my hands on the full report because obviously there would be a lot of redaction to that. I have made a request for it. I don't know if anybody else up here on council has made a request to get that full report. But I will tell you that... as soon as i got it i started going through it and as you know yeah i have yellow i have red i have blue i have all kinds of colors in here and i will tell you because of the scrutiny of the 23-24 grand jury report. I made a commitment that I was gonna go through this line by line, item by item, recommendation by recommendation, and so for the last, well, since the 25th, I literally started on the 25th, and then have been working on the Stockton governance reset, a 100-day reform plan. We have to have responses within 90 days, is that correct? that's correct okay and so I do want to hear from the public on this I want input from them as well I have like I said I've gathered quite a bit of information regarding things that we could be doing better based upon the the conclusions of the grand jury. And I said, I respect the grand jury, what they had to do, the number of people that they interviewed. Do we agree with everything in there? I would say, I don't necessarily agree with everything in there. But nonetheless, as an elected official, we have the obligation to go through this and address the concerns that they had. And so I will be sharing what has been already developed. I've also spoken to the city attorney and city manager and some staff about this as well. And I look forward to sharing it with council and getting input of council. Because whatever we do, we have to do it together. We have to agree to that. And that is something that the grand jury strongly recommended. So, Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, so I wanted to, I was happy to see this item added on the agenda. You know, the one thing that I want to say is that I understand that the public is frustrated with all of the infighting that has happened. And I agree with the mayor's sentiment that the characterization of how we got here isn't all the way accurate. I think this council has relinquished a lot of authority to the mayor that has in some times been abused. And this meeting has been a great meeting and so I'm going to be very mindful of the comments that I make because comments do hurt people's feelings and then that creates a whole other thing and I don't want to be I don't want to come off disingenuous, but I also don't want to come off disrespectful. But I have to say this. When we inherited this government, the government was in crisis. This is 2023. The government was already in crisis. That's what it says. And then when we got here, we came in on a promise of turning it around, and then we turned into a government in turmoil. How we got there... It is what it is, and the public has watched it. The one thing I have to say is that I do agree with this press release that you put out this morning, but we just got it handed to us from a member of the public. And I think, for me, it's disingenuous to say that we're going to work collaboratively towards a solution when the members of the public get this before we do. This body has to make the decision, but that said that is a criticism That's not a contempt because this is a very well thought-out Document and it outlines a lot of things that I actually agree with and then I think all of us agree with so this has never been about do we want to get to the destination because I know every single person up here wants to get to the same place it's how we get there it's the route we take it's not shortcuts or bypassing process or eliminating or manipulating the rules. It's about following our plan and then changing them in public if we want to go a different course. At least that's been my interest. I will say I saw the letter from the District Attorney's Office, Assistant District Attorney Richard Price, and when I read it, I had to get out of my own feelings when I read it because I felt like I was being attacked. But what it was was the same sentiment that our community has felt, that they are just frustrated with all the fighting, and they want to get us focused on the solutions. But the taxpayers do pay for a political corruption unit for a reason, and that unit is there to make sure that it looks through the thousands of documents, and I understand that they did that. But I also know that there are other agencies looking, and we're all waiting for the conclusion of all of those various agencies. I'm open for the 100 days. I do want to say, though, I think the 100-day reform needs to include the 2023 grand jury report. This current grand jury report, I think we need to track all of the recommendations and all of the sentiments because this council is a byproduct of whatever was broken before and whatever is existing outside of this room that has influence over decisions being made. I think the other thing is that this document, this grand jury report, does not... make definitive determinations on specific things. For example, it doesn't talk about the elimination of DEI and how we got there. It doesn't talk about obstructing oversight. It doesn't talk about the list of things that I wrote down as I was going through it, as the mayor did, to say how we got here. But nonetheless, without opening up all those cans of worms here, I do believe in this 100-day reform, but I do think it needs to be, and I think we need to have an open discussion to really go through both grand jury reports as a council have very clear and public dialogue over the documents, allow the public to weigh in since they had to sit through it all. And then I agree, there does need to be some work done between some council members, particularly the mayor and I, outside of the council, to really sit down and talk about what direction we want to go in. Because I've tried, and I know that she's open to it, and we're facilitating some discussions on that. The one thing I will say in this document, though, from the grand jury, is this is a new council, and I am a different council member. And I'll just speak for myself. I don't want to speak for all my colleagues. If discussion or dissension can't happen here, it will happen on social media, just like it happens in the press, just like the mayor put out a press release today. That's what we do. We put out press releases. We put out social media. And I don't know what council members before this council had 9 million followers. I do. And that's not going to go away because I'm here. But believe it or not, I've been more tempered than you think. and more patient, and I am going to continue to work collaboratively with everybody here that's interested. But it's also an election season, and so I want to be mindful that, you know, things seem different now than they did a year ago, but I look at all the videos from last year. I look at all the comments from last year. I look at ejecting the public. I look at shutting down meetings, moving me to the end of the day. It's all still there. And so unless this council had... some kind of exorcism where we believe now we have to just be different people. I don't know necessarily that we will all fundamentally change, but my commitment will be that I will show up as Jason Lee every day to work with you and be open to supporting things in your districts. But I do think this 100 reform has to happen in public with a special meeting or at a council meeting.

and I have copies for everybody I just did not bring them down I thought they were in my folder I would have given them to you oh yeah so I apologize for not getting you guys the copies and then are there any more comments on the grand jury report Okay, and then the last thing on there, and I think the Vice Mayor already alluded to it, is the letter from the Assistant District Attorney and... their conclusion we have not heard from the attorney general we have not heard from the state controller and we did hear from the grand jury so there's still two groups that are that are outstanding and whether or not the grand jury chooses to reassess or reexamine I don't know if that's going to happen or not I just know that we need to respond and as the vice mayor alluded to and I agree you know that there are other things we should be focused on other things we should be working on this this city the people of this city the people that own and operate businesses in this city, our children in this city, our city employees. We have to do a better job of doing what we were elected to do and what we were not elected to do was to have strife, and we have. And again, I've said it many times that we all, the destination, yeah, we're on this journey together, it's how we get there that is often what is most difficult. So with that, I think, oh, I'm sorry, I can't see it, so go ahead.

No worries. Thank you, Mayor. And yeah, I just want to just reiterate just in terms of when I first read the grand jury report, I was actually happy that we finally got it because I kept asking myself every month, when are we going to get it? When are we going to get it? And I remember Thinking back early last summer, about a year ago, I think it was maybe late May, early June, probably July, but I remember when, what I shared about what I wanted taken to the grand jury, and having gone through, I think, two interviews, I think one lasted three hours, where I was being asked questions left and right, and it was my first time, obviously, going through that process, but I learned a lot through that in terms of how I document and how things were, everything that was documented had a clear timeline of when certain things happened.

If I may, through the chair, have a moment with Council Member Enriquez for a quick break.

Sure. Okay, so what time is it?

5 a.m. Okay, so we'll just say five minutes.

Okay, it is 525. We're bringing council back. We are on item 10.4. Are you still talking? Yes. Okay. Councilman Enriquez.

Yes. So I appreciate the tension that there's a... Council members are protected, but I want to just continue with just kind of giving just the general thoughts of why this is on the agenda. So I appreciate you, city attorney, just for us to be extra cautious. But what I was going to say was just in terms of the overall process from last year and looking at it and reading it thoroughly page by page and the recommendations. And one of the things that, you know, for those that don't go to ledge, and I know I wanted to give context, was people kept asking about recommendations from the first grand jury report. the governance in crisis and I know additional recommendations have been picked up by ledge and I know that's something that city clerk and I were confirming that it is going to be coming either in July or August to do additional recommendations from that to be brought to council so I want folks to know that from those recommendations they are being they are going to be introduced to council particularly the disclosures of consultants that candidates have and that was something that we discussed in legislation committee about two months ago I believe One of the things that when I was reading this report is that to me it was very general. There wasn't really specifics. So I think personally for me as a first time council member, Even do I do have government experience as a first-time council member for the city of Stockton One of the things that I know I asked at a public council meeting was I like to be able to Clear my name as there was a brown app violation a claim towards me But yet there's still no proof and my simple ask as anybody I think if you're being blamed at work I always say show me the proof and to this day there is no proof so I was really happy that If something as serious as that, violating state law, was in this report, they would have said it. So even though they didn't specifically say my name or the vice mayor's name about Brown Act violations, I would say that if it was that serious, it would have been listed. So I would hope that there was no violation that we had committed in terms of the Brown Act. I know there's other components, but I bring that back because I think that's, It is a serious allegation. I have been quiet about it because my focus is my district and doing the work I was voted to do. That is why I have been focused on the last year and a half to do what I have to do for my district. I didn't make a lot of noise about it. Last summer I said I want to be able to send this to the grand jury so they can do a deep dive and clear my name and the other allegations. It is a pretty accusation to make. And as I said at that one time, I think I was interviewed, that it was highly irresponsible. And I caution my colleagues moving forward. I love this reset because if it is a reset, all of us up here have to have an opportunity to put our ego on the side and say, you know what? I apologize. Let's start fresh and let's do this and it was what it was and this is why I did it or this is why I didn't do it or whatever the reason is because the public doesn't want to see it. They don't want to see the fighting. So if we have to have internal one-on-ones, great. Let's talk. We're all adults here. But I think that was the one thing that I know I personally was looking for when it comes to that piece. Again, folks who came to my defense, they all said that I'm someone of integrity, and that's something that I hold myself personally. I always say there's two things you don't go after. You don't go after my integrity, and you don't go after my mom, who's here. Those are the two things you don't go after. So I'm happy that it wasn't in the grand jury, but again, nonetheless, it was a very general statement of just the overall infighting that occurred Yes, are there recommendations, and I've seen them and I want to support them, but I think to what my colleagues have shared, having a more deeper conversation collectively about the recommendations and hearing from staff about what each one can do, because that was something that we did in Ledge about, oh, well, what about this one? How can we make it a Stockton version? And the city clerk really broke it down for us during legislation. So each one's going to be unique. And I think having the opportunity to discuss as a group would be very important. But I just wanted to put that out there just in terms of my perspective and what I was looking for. And again, I'm happy to continue working with my colleagues and putting that to the side. So thank you.

Council Member Villapudua.

Yes, I just had a question for the city attorney. Oh, sorry. yeah I just had a question for the city attorney on the part for the investigations right what Steve Colangelo charge

What specifically?

Former CD. I just wanted to know if there was any charges at all on him.

Not to my knowledge.

Okay. And then what was the cost on that investigation?

I believe that the vice mayor had relayed an exact amount. I think it was over 700, close to shy $800,000 for all the investigation.

No, on his. I'm just asking the question. Yeah, no problem. If you knew how much that cost.

Do I know a specific investigation report cost on that one?

No, I don't We're gonna get right on it Looking through this.

I'm you know, I'm very open to working with

on this and I'm glad to see a plan being in place and the one thing I really liked to see was the grand jury response matrix. So I like that idea of following each of the recommendations and having it very clear. I feel like when the report came out in 23 we kind of took a while to respond to it and I know some of the items from that are are still hanging out there. I'm glad to hear Ledge is going to take a shot at some of those things, but I'd love to see those items incorporated into the matrix as well from the 23 report. I think that's a good idea so we can see which ones, because I know some of them have been addressed, but I think to show the ones that haven't, and can kind of show the people what we're doing with those, I think would be helpful as well. And then as far as like, I'm glad to hear we're going to get a breakdown, because I know Council Member Villafuente was asking about the cost. What is the time that we'll get that? Will that, the next time we, who's doing that? Can I?

So one of you can agendize that if you want to be specific on what you'd like for the next council meeting or a future council meeting.

Yeah, so that will be presented then at the next meeting. Because I think the public would like to know, instead of just one big number, what is assigned to each one of those. So I'm glad to hear that. So that is. Okay, good.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, can you turn this mic up? I can't hear myself. Yeah, so I already said I want to agendize a full examination of all the investigations, all the costs, and waive all the receipts. We haven't waived the invoices here, so we need to vote to waive the invoices, right? Okay, so that will come. You know, I listened to Councilman Riquez, and I did write out some things, and I was a little triggered by a couple things you said. I travel outside of Stockton for work, and I go all over the country and all over the world, and people are watching what we're doing here because they're either following my social media or now they're just following it. I go everywhere throughout the city, all throughout every district, and people are watching, and they're asking me questions, right? And so when I... I heard you say you haven't been given an apology. For me, what the grand jury report did not do is it didn't say, you know, you didn't violate the Brown Act, you know, or you didn't extort people. And I went through a list, this exercise on Sunday, of writing out the thing. So when people say this is just a fight between the mayor and I, the fight between the mayor and I, it's not a fight between the mayor and I. For me, it is a total disagreement on how we've been governing, and this council has fallen to its knees for how it should be governing as a body. That is my point. And this is what I went through with just my list. The deconstruction of DEI without council approval and obstruction of oversight. The public allegations that I violated the Brown Act, that I was extorting the member to vote a certain way, that the forced resignation of our city attorney, Shutting down council meetings and injecting the public undermining council authority with Trinity Parkway in the cleanup and still don't know how much we spent or the reimbursement from the state staff intervening in our election and attempting to influence staff to change candidate statements. The Wilding Out investigation that threw me and my friends in the national news, we wasted money there. Voting down the funding to revive the youth center when the building's still vacant with no plan to do anything with it. The press release that said Tiffany Haddish was a pedophile and shutting down a reading event for kids, you know, continuously to influence overturning the police substation funding for Western Ranch after we promised it. Overturning staff's recommendation for funding. Just got a call from the state yesterday on one of the things we approved to fund that we shouldn't have funded that now is not eligible for the funding. the ad hoc, which is a loosely placed noose around my neck in case people want to spend more tax dollars to get me for something. My commissioner, Pat Barrett, was removed from office because she criticized the council, but then somebody can come up here and put out homophobic statements to me every other meeting, and then they get put on more boards. So for me, And not to mention, there are potential serious litigation coming to this city. And I just talked to the city attorney in November. We have serious litigation coming to the city as a result of decisions that have been made. So yes, we can get along, and I want to get along. But as we work through this report and to work through coming together, those serious significant things haven't even been met with an apology. And so while I can say I can do without the apology because I know it's not coming. It's like, wait, it's not coming. for us to move forward, we cannot go there again. And I don't know, maybe I'll look to the mayor or my colleagues, what does that commitment in 100 days look like, that those things I just read off, which probably aren't all of them, how do we not go there again when trust has been so badly broken in the interest of the public? Because again, I'll show up and I'll try my best to work through the items, and we've shown that today. We've worked through everything in a very collegial way And now we're on a very difficult, sensitive topic where it requires us to be very honest, but also very open in terms of hearing and still listening with optimism. So my question is, how do you see this process working, given all of what I just said?

I don't want to go back tit for tat on everything. We've said this is a new chapter for this city. I turned the page. do think it's important that people realize you know that the information that we got back again don't necessarily agree with everything in it there are nuances that were left out an interpretation that was made for things in terms of you know our commissioners you know they sign an oath and the oath is very clear so people want to get up here and say what they want that is their First Amendment right but they also represent you as a council member or me or any of us as members of this council. And I would say that for me, when I look at what we have, this letter was a surprise to me. And I will say it was a surprise to me just because of you know, the terse words that I felt were in this letter, which I would hope was a wake-up call for all of us. And I know people have a question about it. So a city attorney, do you mind just reading the letter so everybody knows what we're talking about or if the city clerk can put it up on the screen? But if you could read it. No, the letter.

um after a careful review of materials your office has provided the san joaquin county district attorney's office we have concluded the actions of former interim city manager steve colangelo does not rise to a level requiring action by the district attorney's office i would like to take this opportunity to point out that of the several requests for investigations sent to the district attorney over the last 18 months, not a single request has risen to the level of involving my office. These multiple requests have resulted in a drain of resources that could have been better spent serving the people of Stockton, achieving justice for victims of crime and reducing harm that is done in our community. I would implore your city council to learn how to better work out their differences in a manner befitting the offices they hold and better serve the citizens of the city of Stockton.

So I agree with that statement, especially the last one. And again, as we move forward, again, do not want to go tit for tat. We can either move forward or not. I have said I'm open to mediation. I have stayed very steadfast in trying my vision and hope and prayers for this council. I have groups that pray all over this city for this council, as well as the people of this city. And as we move forward, that's why some of the things in our council policies and our charter that do relate to dealing with things behind closed doors, yes, if you want that out there, we can put it out there, but again, as it says here, drain of resources that could have been better spent serving the people of Stockton, achieving justice for victims of crime and reducing harm that is done in our community. People are tired of seeing it. People are tired of hearing of it. And they deserve better. And I will just leave it at that. And do we have public comment on this? We do. Okay.

Yolanda Amen, followed by David Sankai.

Although I don't believe the claims in this report of no legal violations found, what the report clearly shows is a failure of transparency and process. Even when actions are allowed under the city charter, public trust is weakened when major organizational changes are not clearly explained, properly documented, or easy for the council and the public to understand. In this case, offices were restructured, the optic was created within the city manager's office using existing budget funds. While the report concludes that this was within the city manager's authority, it was not presented in a way that clearly showed what changed, why it changed, or how it was funded. The lack of transparency created confusion and concern and ultimately led to this investigation. The question today is not just whether something was legal, the question is how do we prevent this from happening again? First, strengthen budget transparency. Whenever a department or office is created, eliminated, or reorganized, the budget should include a plain language explanation and a simple crosswalk showing which positions were eliminated, added, or reclassified. Along with the reason for those changes, council and the public should never have to piece together significant organizational changes after the fact. Second, improve hiring transparency and accountability. When positions are filled with an open recruitment process or when higher salary steps are approved, there should be a written documentation explaining those decisions. That documentation should identify the minimum education and experience requirements for the position, explain how the selected candidate met or exceeded those qualifications, state why competitive recruitment was or was not used, and disclose any conflicts of interest or close personal relationships as required by law and city policy. Thank you.

David Sangtai, followed by Julie Dunning.

That's the timer, right? Okay, so, okay. Oh, good afternoon, Mayor Fugazi, Vice Mayor Lee, council members. I'm glad we're having this discussion regarding the Grand Jury Report. It is a bit disappointing that we've gotten to this point and speaking as the president of Stockton Democrats together, personally, the club, ourselves is personally interested in seeing the recommendations of the grand jury be seen through and so mayor fugazi your press release released this morning is quite promising and taken at face value i think working through these recommendations in accordance with your 100-day plan is something that we're pleased to see Regarding the investigations themselves and the price tag, our city taxpayers, including myself, have had to pay. It's disappointing, and I think a lot that there was a joke online is that we're investigating the investigations at this point, right? And it seems that at the end of the day, most of these investigations are... We're coming from the fact that there were personalities and egos that were bruised at the dais, and that's okay, and it seems that we have an opportunity in this new chamber, in this new building, to move forward and really reimagine what this dais, this council, can do. While elections are coming up, you all are in your seats for at least a good more time. Six months right, you know and so in these six months that you guys are in these seats for at least maybe longer to really work and move forward in a way that prioritizes Stockton City residents and some of the recommendations that stock the Democrats are really looking for is the full atomized accounting of this year's investigation spending. It looks like we'll get the agendize for the next July meeting. Again, responding to the grand jury before September 23rd. The pattern of the last grand jury report not being responded to, we don't want that repeated here. And also, I want to point out the Ethics Commission. I think that there is a lot of potential for an Ethics Commission to re-regulate and oversight over this body. Thank you.

Julie Dunning, followed by Alyssa Leyva.

Good afternoon. I'm really happy to see what appears to be a come-to-Jesus experience here in responding to the current grand jury report, because the lack of respect shown to the last grand jury report was very disheartening. I think we can all, of us that have been a part of this from the beginning, can identify a point in time when this started unraveling. I think we all know the one specific event that happened that caused that. I'm not so concerned about the money that's been spent as I am the findings of those investigations. I'm highly concerned that we have a county DA that doesn't think that there's anything wrong going on here when we still have members of this dais voting to approve contracts where the board has contributed to their campaigns for those companies. where we've had a member take a contribution, get elected, then hand that contribution back and say, that didn't count, I can still vote on awarding you money. I'm sorry, there's a moral compass here that needs to be followed, whether you can find legal loopholes or not. That's what we're looking for. That's what accountability is. That's what transparency is. And if you can't hold yourself accountable to that moral compass that says, I know this is wrong. Legally, I may be able to get away with it, but it's not right. If you can't hold yourself to that, please step aside and allow leadership for this city to prevail and make it the best place it can be.

Alyssa Leyva, followed by Ms. Ashley.

Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone. I'm a community organizer with Stockton Stans, former redistricting commissioner, former organizer of Fix as USD. We are having a totalitarian takeover by 209 times with our county. And my message today on the dais is for the public and the people sitting behind me. The people that have the power to do something about this, about the selective truth, trust, and transparency, I'm looking at Mario and I'm looking at Blauer. Blauer, with the utmost respect, you as a rich white man have the influence and the privilege that nobody else on this dais has to go to the appropriate agencies because you know about the triangulation and the other implications of violence that are happening to our employees, to our residents, to our press, on social media, the defamation, the discourse the everything this doesn't make any sense and it can be implied on paper or not Mario of Brown Act violations about Rosenberg's was of order that you guys don't follow about the Brown Act violations I Already told the ACLU everything you guys are up to and we just won in court actually about the 209 times takeover not only here but in Stanislaus County and My faith is on any of you because you already showed that your intentionality before you even got into office, before you colluded and gaslit organizers, unions endorsements. I warned you a long time ago, and your day is coming, and I can't wait.

Ms. Ashley, followed by Mary Elizabeth.

Thank you.

Well, hello. As someone who has been very vocal against all of you, I would like to say that this grand jury report was of no surprise to me. It's disheartening and sickening to see the games that have been played, the manipulation that has taken course by each and every one of you in some shape, form, or fashion. Whether you placate like you are for the community, whether you sit in silence as a leader. It is shameful, it is disheartening, and it is damning to our community. It's also very embarrassing because I travel, and as soon as someone says, oh, Stockton, it is an immediate laugh. Now, it's shameful to think for one moment that anyone would not take a stand against 209 Times, especially after Angel Ann's case revealed that MoTeC of the 209 Times told Ron to go after Angel, and the response was, get me something on her. when her trial was made so public that it showed the level of corruption that leaks and seeps into MoTeC and Frank and the 209 Times and their influence and degeneracy. that they have over our city. So I suggest that we make sure we incorporate that recommendation to do a public disassociation for the sake of the commoner who may not have a literacy level above the sixth grade to know that 209 Times is not a news outlet and should not be trusted per they told, MoTeC told LA Times. He's a liar. He said it. The major composure that we have to have as a community to not want to go up ape on y'all, and I mean that in that word, is because we have watched you guys single-handedly destroy what we have tried to build. Do better, and happy birthday.

I forgot we're handsome.

Mary Elizabeth, followed by Cynthia Gale Boyd.

Mary Elizabeth, I'm happy to say that I'm glad that there's going to be an itemization of the costs. Additionally, I think that those costs need to also be broken down between consultant and staff. Because there's a considerable amount of staff time, you know, that has taken away from concerns about equitable access to infrastructure. And, you know, when we talk about even, you know, selecting where the ADA curb cuts are going to go, Right? That's still on the list that somebody made, you know, a long time ago that is not transparent. So I'd like to see, you know, when you're looking at the transparency, why don't you release that list so people know, you know, where their projects are instead of all of a sudden coming in. And, you know, I have tried and tried, you know, to understand the costs associated with the animal control. And, you know, the whole budget, you know, when you're talking about the budget and being transparent, you know, that needs to be, you know, like full on a little report on the animal shelter services. You know, like how much of the police department money is going to protect that, protect the people from, you know, loose dogs. And so I'm hopeful, you know, that maybe we can get about the business of, taking care of the safety of our residents and making our community nice, preparing for climate change. We've been so blessed. You know, this week here, I have people back east that, you know, have been frying. And, you know, people down south, you know, they're going to be frying. And, you know, we need to be preparing. Thank you.

Cynthia Gale-Boyd, followed by Pat Barrett.

copious notes i heard said earlier that's what uh lincoln used to tell me all the time they wasn't too copious though but i trust you miss mayor you might want to take a couple of notes uh about this investigation accountability policy will you be concluding or canceling your ad hoc investigation on vice mayor now that we're going to be playing nice can i get my requests that I put, and your attention as well. Can I get my request that I put out when you all first got elected, the new people, about, put it on the agenda, get it agendized, about the street vendors and in particular those golf cart people, even if we had to set new policies, the loud parties, et cetera. Will you in particular be taking advice from the grand jury 23-24 report concerning affiliation with the 209 Sanchez? What is a public reform calendar? Council conduct reset resolution. We are confronted, we are comfortable, we were comfortable when Vice Mayor Lee sat next to the mayor. See, because now it seems that the votes go with team A, and the other votes go with team B. Let's play nice, let's play fair. Is the seating arrangement hard and fast, or can we get him back where he belongs at? Is the huge Fugazi campaign sign above the car lot that's over there on Minor and Webber Street still in compliance with removal time limits after you've already been in office over a year? Give public your undivided attention when we're up here talking. Grand jury should have talked about that. Increase speaking time, if you will, pretty please, to at least three minutes, ma'am. We listen to y'all 15 and 30 minutes. Counsel, operating protocols, public accusation. What's the measuring stick or the burden of proof on that?

Pat Barrett. killing me everybody's on the same page i was reading this immediate release and i was laughing here you have a statement talking about 2026 grand jury report and we never finished the last grand jury report that specifically said to keep specific people away from city hall and your and you gave one of them a recognition and the second one you're setting up bus routes to benefit the other one and his projects for laythrift now you want us to believe that you will rebuild the city trust When you recall the recognition of a bully and stop pulling favors for your friends, a million dollars to pick up garbage, and overwrite staff recommendations to get monies for your friends' projects, then perhaps you can start getting trust back. This 4-3 has got to stop. It's corrupt. What I said was nothing compared with what the mega man said, and I was not a commissioner. I was a volunteered... committee member my time for this city and furthermore if you root the root of the problems hadn't focused on all your friends here we are again your friends this is the first thing you need to change that concludes public comment for this item oh

You needed to put it in before the item was introduced. I'm sorry. Yeah, it's all electronic now. Okay, so City Manager's Update.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. My name is Tony Manner, PIO for the City of Stockton, and I'm here on behalf of the City Manager to present the City Manager's report. Gabe do you have it muted? Do you have it muted? Let me check in the back. So apologies, council. We've been having audio issues all day. So we'll have this reviewed and prepared for you by the next council meeting.

So city manager, do you want to share anything?

No. Good morning. My name is Ricardo Nogueira. I'm excited to be Stockton's new economic development director. I come from just a few miles away, the city of Brentwood, where I was an economic development manager there. I have served in this role of economic development. I'm also torn beneath the various commercial corridors And I understand that there's a desire on the employment side to attract employers that are offering higher payable wages. So the types of industries I'll be pursuing are medical device, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing. which are three key industries across Northern California that continue to excel and have not had the challenges with the economy. So I will be focused on traveling across the Bay Area as well as to Southern California to attract those types of companies that are going to provide good paying jobs for a local workforce. On the retail side, I'm looking to attract retailers and restaurants so that the people, the 325,000 people who reside in the Greater Stockton area will spend their money here as opposed to leaving the area to shop. So we can minimize sales tax leakage and we can keep our locals shopping locally. And as it relates to the downtown, we have some very good assets. We have an arena. We have a baseball stadium. We have a new city hall. We have the county, over 8,000 public sector employees working in the greater downtown area. Not many cities could say that. I want to be able to utilize that to leverage, to attract private investment both on the multi-family side, getting more rooftops in the downtown, as well as attract employers. We have the H train here, and we also have a number of, what I call, only utilized public and private properties where we can attract developers from across Northern California to build housing and mixed-use type developments in the greater downtown area. So I'm excited to be part of the Stockton team. I look forward to joining investment and jobs, the people who live in Coho, Stockton, and home. Thank you.

Hello, everybody. I'm here, Public Works Director with the City of Stockton. I'm grateful for this opportunity to provide a brief update on a couple of the The first project that I wanted to provide an update on is the east to west bike path. That's going to be covering both Oak and Park Street from Pershing all the way to Wilson and approximately covering six miles of streets with new bicycle lanes, crosswalk enhancements, The improvements on this work will take place between Alp and Park from Pershing all the way to . The next project that I would like to provide an update for is the left-hand turn away from Harding Way to Pacific. This is a highly anticipated project. be in the construction in September of 2026. Contractor has indicated to the city that parts have been ordered and expected to be here and installation to be held on September of 2026 that will provide a dedicated left turn lane from Harding onto Pacific Avenue on the Miracle Mile. This project includes upgrading of three wheelchair ramps, and the current AVA influence in the area. The third project that I'd like to provide an update on is the three-way stop sign or stop light that is going to be installed at the intersection between Alpine Street and Alvarado. This is a high-traffic area, particularly when considering events that take place at the ballpark. The main purpose of installing the light is to have control of traffic and to avoid accidents in the area. The installed ride will provide a safe left-hand turn from Alvarado onto Alpine for those that are looking to exit from the ballpark or from the senior center after it hits. So those are the three projects that Public Works would like to provide an update on. This is an exciting time to be able to do all these improvements for all pedestrians and for vehicle operators as well. And also to provide improvements on some of the city's infrastructure. Thank you.

That concludes the city manager's update.

Wonderful. Great. Moving on then to item 12, council comments. Councilman Blower.

Thank you, Mayor. First of all, I just want to talk about the Fourth of July. I thought the parade was a lot of fun. We had a fair amount of us were involved in that. And I just want to thank the Karl Ross Post for putting that on. I thought, you know, every year it seems like the crowd gets a little bigger. So hopefully that will continue to be the trend. And then that night, I got to see the fireworks downtown and it was one of the most impressive fireworks displays I've ever seen from the city. It just kept going on and on and you kept thinking you saw the grand finale and then something better came. So just big, big compliment to the city for putting on such a wonderful fireworks display. And the word I would hope would get out to people is that we're putting on this wonderful fireworks display so you don't need to try and do your own. And that has been a big issue. I've heard a lot of complaints from constituents and it's just so frustrating that people that You know, we're celebrating the birth of our nation, and it should be that and not terrorizing your neighbors at 2 in the morning on a week before and a week after. So I would again just try and get the word to people that we have a wonderful fireworks display. Let the professionals do it and go see it. And once again, my compliments to the city for putting on just a wonderful, wonderful show. More fun stuff coming up this weekend July 11th and 12th StocktonCon is coming back so I recommend everybody that enjoys that sort of thing come on out. I would recommend also if you do want to go to that getting your tickets ahead of time you can go to places like Al's Comics and I think it's $20 for the weekend. Now if you wait and get it when you get there I think it's more like $30. Also, if you have kids 12 and under, get in free with paying an adult, and that's something they've always done, which I think is really great. So look forward to seeing all of you out there, and we'll see what costumes people come up with. Also, I guess the last thing coming up to mention on the 11th, the Armed Forces Ball. This will be a first annual event that's being put on by Carl Ross Post and the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce. And that's going to be at the Hilton. Jose Hernandez, our local astronaut, is going to be the emcee. And again, it's going to be at the Hilton, and that should be a great event. And that's what I've got. Thank you.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, I want to just echo the comments of my colleague with respect to Fourth of July. It was great to get out there and see everybody. I wish during the parade more people would come out. During Cinco de Mayo, you see a lot more participation. I think the parade, I would have loved to see more people but to everybody that was out there all the positive comments the kids that were excited to uh see council members and just our our community coming together and shout out to the police department they had a great presence uh i think they had the greatest presence out there um but i did want to also talk about the fireworks in western ranch uh it it was like a war out there and i i did go out and talk to some of my neighbors uh and what we had some pleasant conversations and we had to have one unpleasant conversation because the fireworks were so egregious that I thought it was going to hit people's houses and cars and right now it's really hot outside and it's dry and I was really concerned about potential fires and I was looking at the kids I didn't want to ruin their 4th of July but I did have to tell the parents like you know I don't want to call Morris out here or her people but like y'all are going to have to wrap this up and they did but I just for me I think you know going down as my colleague said to the waterfront enjoying the fireworks that are provided for the city is one thing burning down your neighborhoods or you know setting off fireworks until 2 o'clock in the morning is probably not not not the safest thing to do I also want to acknowledge that that night we did have two homicides in Stockton and I see Cynthia and she always says you know thank God she's alive in this dangerous city And I scratch my head trying to understand how do we really wrap our arms around what's happening in this community where people who love their community, their block, love the whole city. How some of this crime that's just so random and unpredictable is happening. What is motivating people to go straight from an argument to homicide? And I want to thank our chief for putting out a statement. and continuing to have the officers patrol our neighborhoods. But I also think that there's a conversation that needs to happen in the city about the soul of this city and how we love our city the way we love our children and how we love our neighbor's children the way we love our own. And I think there has to be more ownership for people here in terms of how they react to things. Really quick, I had a person get really upset that I grew up with over something and they were, you know, they got really upset about it and then the next day they thought about it and they sent me a private message about how they took responsibility. And I told them, this is great. This is how we should be able to talk through frustration. So at some point I want folks to think about how they're nurturing their children, having conversations in their homes with their family. because the soul of the city is, to me, needs a lot of love. I went to Progressive Church. I saw our city manager there. Pastor Shields did a phenomenal job, and his message was about how easy you can just slide, just slide into some problems. And when you think about it, that slippery slope that we tend to see ourselves sliding in is very indicative of the experience I've had as a city council member. And I love the conversation today about the optimism of working together and wanting to, but I've said many times, faith without work is dead. And there's a lot of work to be done here. I heard the mayor say publicly she's open to mediation. I've been open to mediation. I look forward to that. I shared with our city attorney I'm okay with that. Our city manager, I'm okay with that. So we need to get that on the books. Sometimes people see me and they go, oh, you're the council member, but you're the vice mayor. The vice mayor is a backup to the mayor. The mayor is the mayor. The vice mayor is the backup. And I'm also the chair of the audit committee. And I took that responsibility seriously, having worked in a union for 11 years, to really look at how we're governing. We discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in payroll errors. We spent a million dollars fixing that. We've looked at internal processes that were broken. And one of the things that I will say that I am proud of is the fact that we referred the city to the state for an audit. And with respect to the district attorney's note about no wrongdoing, there's still another agency or two looking at things. And I'm not sure what standard of review happens at the district attorney's office versus state controller's office. But I know how hard she's digging. And I know what she's looking at. And I'm confident with what I referred over there that it won't be a waste of the taxpayer time. But the taxpayers didn't have to pay for that. And so I say to my colleagues and all of us, staff included, that slippery slope, it catches up with you later. And I have a lot of confidence that although sometimes my social media can be a lot, and it will continue to be a lot when I don't feel I have a voice in this forum because the taxpayers put me here, that I hope that we can work as we talked about being more collegial. The RTD folks not coming tonight wasn't a surprise. The press release I put out, although there were comments made by the mayor in the press about my referral, I am the chair of the audit committee. We do have a state review happening. We do have a letter that was sent to all the council members a letter from 50 people that says we need to have a serious outside examination. I took that serious but all members of this council got a certified letter. I chose to send it to the state and that's my responsibility as a council member. That's what transparency and accountability look like. And accountability does not mean it's an attack. You know, it's like, you know, if Councillor Ponce tells her son, go to bed because you're being bad, that's not, she's not attacking him. She's saying it's time to go to bed. That's accountability. And that's what responsible parenting and responsible governance looks like, even though it feels uncomfortable. And I will tell you, the most pressure I've ever had in my entire life has been being elected and going along to get along. The pressure to fall in line with how things are. It's something that I've had to endure as a young black kid, as a black business owner, and as a person in this country. But going along to get along, deference is not democracy. Democracy is about uplifting the voice of the people and working to serve the communities that elected you to get there. And that's what I'm going to do. with the grand jury report we talked about that the public frustrations we share that I said earlier the mayor and the council we all have the same destination in our minds it's the route and how we get there and the process in which we get there which brings me to another point I was contacted by the governor's office last night about the service first project that was funded by this council and then I also received a letter along with the mayor from the people that have the property that it's no longer an option so that needs to come back to council I want a second if I can get one to bring that matter back to council to get an update on where we are with that 300,000 that we allotted to that project I'll second that thank you And so I look forward to working with the mayor and the council through the grand jury report on that 100 day. Public comments. Comments about not finding the council member. Somebody said they can't see their council member. I don't know where you're looking, but, you know, I'm out there. And if you need to see me or see my work, there's a Stocktonia article that talks about all the work I've done since I've been here and me and Council Member Ricca as being two people who have returned the most emails, had the most meetings, and done all the things. So the work is out there, and I'm going to have a state of the district meeting in Western Ranch to actually bring city staff back to the district like we did last year to go over all of the work that we've done and all the work that we're going to do specifically around development. Yesterday we had a meeting with the District 6 commissioners and staff, myself, to talk about the future of Western Ranch, all the broken promises, all the current work that's being done and all the projected work that will need to be done over the next 10 years to fulfill the promises that were made at Western Ranch and Southeast Stockton. But in particular, what the vision for real development looks like, including an infrastructure study, you know, being creative and looking at whether or not we need to look at infrastructure taxes and what are some creative ideas opportunities to bring to the city because leading with optimism has to be met with an open mind. So when we talk about economic development, everything is on the table if it's going to increase our tax base, but how we do that goes back to what I said earlier. The destination is good, but how we get there is important. So the next steps for the district 6 development meeting is we're going to host a meeting to bring developers from Stockton, San Joaquin counties, California, outside of California, outside of the country to come here and hear about district 6 and what we want and what we envision and then see how we can get work done in our city and then work with staff to Roll out the red carpet for business because as the mayor says Stockton is ready Well district 6 is more radio than Stockton and I will say I'm looking at the crime stats PD did report district 6 is safer than the other districts in the city So I will say thank you to the council for approving that one substation and I can't wait until we get a council that believes and put in them everywhere else because we're gonna get there and July 18th I'm going to hold a meeting at huddle at 5 p.m. 110 north San Joaquin Street for everybody in the city who wants to come out and have a conversation about the future of our city. It's not a district 6 meeting, it's not a district 5 meeting, it's not a district 1 meeting. Everybody is welcome, every dissenting opinion is welcome, everybody who wants to see how good things are, how bad things are, but again when you talk about optimism I want to start reaching more people throughout the city Because I am a vice mayor that does care and I don't just care about my district I've met people this weekend at Victory Park. I met them at church I met them at the waterfront who are all watching what's happening in our city and who tell me, you know Congratulations on this or good luck on this or I support you on that or I don't like when you do this but I love every part of the feedback and I now want to Build more momentum throughout our city because I like everybody up here love Stockton Nobody up here loves it more than me. I don't love it more than them. We all love it. But as you know, with family members, y'all love family members in different ways, and some of them love and show love in different ways. And so I want to meet more people who are aligned with the vision that I had when I ran, the vision I still have, and the optimism that I do believe is coming in the future of our city so July 18th at 5 p.m. 110 North St. Joaquin Street there will be a community meeting. Staff are not allowed at that meeting because we have to keep church and state separate but you will be having an opportunity to register to vote there too so bring a friend or ten. All right the state of the district meeting as I said that's going to be in September because I do want to get through the development meeting to have real reports to talk about And again, you know, thank you to everybody who has been very welcoming of the work that we're doing in Western Ranch. But for the next two and a half years, there's going to be an intense engagement, specifically in Western Ranch, the corridor, as I know Pat would want to hear about the facade and traffic congestion with diesels, and then District 6 on the southeast side of Stockton with respect to housing. National Night Out August 4th. We do have the largest National Night Out in Stockton in Pauley Weston Park. That's going to happen again. Again, everybody's welcome, but it is a District 6 kind of neighborhood thing, but it's a lot. And this year I need to probably have more food trucks because three are not enough, and I think you guys came and ate food last time, and my district wants more food. All right. There's four things that I want to put up. One, I already got the service first funding to come back to council. I would like that at the next council meeting if we can find time. If not, the very following council meeting. There was an email that I do want to waive privilege on. I want to bring to council the 730-2025 email from Taryn Jones to council. It needs to be waived, but it will give city attorney time for council members to go and review that. We already waived it. at the 7.30, 2025 at 4.13 p.m. email. This is the 6.39 p.m. email. So if I can get a second, I'd like to agendize that.

I'll second.

All right, thank you. And then we talked about waiving invoices for city investigations. And then I guess mayor I would ask you with the time I have left The grand jury investigation report in this 100-day reform is that a meeting that we'll have or you're gonna finish the kind of like the meat of the work and then bring it to us or I'll talk about in my council comment. Okay, perfect. Okay, and then the last thing I will live lead with leave with is that You know When you're running for office, you go out and have lots of conversations. You hear from everybody and you come up with a plan in your mind of what you're going to do to bring change. And then you get in it and it's a whole ecosystem that has already been there for decades and people are very comfortable with the way things are. And when you raise an opinion about somebody, then it becomes this idea that it's personal. And I just saw on the news where one of our former mayors is looking at federal charges and probably going to go to jail. I think he's supposed to be pleading guilty or something. When you take this path and you take this oath and you bear the responsibility to govern and oversee tax dollars and make decisions, it is easy if you don't know how to remove your personal interest or your personal relationships to fall into that slippery slope. And so I hope that this is a body that keeps in mind that how you start ain't where you're going to end up. And how you start can always start over the next day. But it has to be more than conversation. I want to make a public commitment that I'm going to continue to do everything to be open-minded to how we govern. But when I look at that grand jury report and most of it talks about things that I think encroach on our First Amendment rights I also want to say that slippery slope can leave the taxpayers right into a lawsuit if the idea of peace comes with Silencing the voices of people who represent the people of the city. I'm not saying that that is the suggestion but again when we make these proposals on how we govern I think we need to make sure that we're encouraging people to speak because to tell anybody to not speak up or not speak out is similar to telling somebody who is a victim of abuse or a person who is a victim of molest not to say anything against those that they think are taking advantage of them or hurting them and that is not something that any of us stand for. So great meeting, I want to thank the city clerk, our city staff who helped to deal with all the craziness. Gabriel, you did a great job. All the team. I mean, it was IT, optic team, our city manager's office, and just everybody who worked to get us here and to the public that came out. And Cynthia, for not leaving, thank you for participating because your government will not work if you're not an active participant in it. Thank you.

Councilman Villapudua.

Yes, thank you, Mayor. First of all, I want to thank everyone coming out today. I want to thank our city manager and our public works for everything you guys are doing. It was a past great 4th of July weekend. The day before 4th of July weekend, obviously, there was a big fire that occurred in my district, and I just wanted to thank our firefighters for just getting on top of it and controlling that fire before it even got worse. I approached the area. I talked to the mayor about it. And I just want to thank our firefighters. And they deserve everything that they get as well as PD. So I just want to thank you guys and thank my colleagues for making sure that they got their contracts. As for July, it was great. I saw some of my colleagues out there. You're right. It's not as big as the end of the mile. It's a lot of happening. A lot of people go out of town. There's barbecues. But I think it's getting bigger and better every year. But, hey, we're out there to celebrate, regardless of how we do it. As well I had a chance to honor Stockton history, the Golden Rose Barbershop as well as Clemson's Tuleberg Chapter 69 in recognition of their preserving one of Stockton's historic landmarks. It was great to see these people, it's been over 90 years that they've been doing this I'm glad that I got the help from city manager to get their plaque. So they were very honored As well earlier that week I'll have Our chair the homeless Michelle kind of talked about it and went to Sacramento Talk about the sake company, but I'll leave that for her so she could talk about it Tomorrow, we're going to be doing a grand opening. It's called La Troca. So La Troca means the truck. It's a mobile radio station that will be attending tomorrow from 10 to 12 right here at Nana's. restaurant so get a chance to you know see how a radio station does mobile is going to be going all around down Stockton so I'm just glad that it's something new so if you want to get your word out talk you could pull up into and the mobile and go around Stockton so something new so we're gonna support those type of ideas I've been working on this project for the last six months. It is coming together. I believe in August we'll have our grand opening. It's called New Era Sports. It's for the kids all year round, learning how to catch, learning how to throw, learning everything, even for autistic kids that have been working with this program. I'm very excited for them. This is going to be a free program for the youth from ages from 6 to 10. 12 years old I'm gonna give more details but I'm just so happy that this ball has been going thank you city manager for helping me with all the permits and everything that they need to get it's in my in my district I'm so excited to get this involved and every kid and passion that has about baseball because they're gonna do basketball as well but that is before they're gonna be concentrating they don't have to go out of towners they don't have to pay all this big money it is a free program so i'm just glad that it's coming together um and then um city hall this is a great thing we're going to start new memories and i i'm excited we all have our rooms and desks and more rooms for the community but it's a great thing and the last thing I want to add on to and I was just talking hearing Hearing her right now. Can we add on? To ledge talking about food vendors Golf carts in our neighborhood so if I could talk to our chair about that and as well I think I spoke to about this in our last meeting about dogs in our neighborhoods as well is that it's a problem that we're having a regular I know it's in my district, I know it's in the vice mayor's district, and it's a lot of people's districts, so we've got to have some discussion about that. And like I said, thank my colleagues for all the great wins today. There's going to be plenty of more wins. Hope everyone has a good week and a great weekend. Thank you very much.

Councilwoman Padilla.

Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Villaputa mentioned that we have over 60 parks. city and most of those parks or there's areas that have pools well district one does not have a city public pool so when ursula meyer community center opened i actually pressured ardry of csd really hard um to get a j uh with the Lodi Unified School District because McNair High School is just right behind the community center, and they have an awesome Olympic-sized pool. And every time I saw her, I was like, are you on that pool? Are you on that pool? Well, she followed through. And we now have an MOU with Lodi Unified at McNair High School. So the first night is actually tonight. And it's from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight. And the best part of it is that it's free swim for the whole month. So people that live in that area don't have to pay. So weeknights are from five to eight, and weekends are from 12 to six. And on July 11th, we are actually having a community pool opening celebration with snacks, games, and crafts, and that will be from 12 to six. So I hope everyone will come out to support that. That also brings me to water safety. With summer here, we see a lot of children and families enjoying our pools, lakes, and waterways. And I just want to encourage everyone to make water safety a priority. I myself recently took a CPR class and it really reminded me how important it is to be prepared. And the reason I bring this up is because a couple of weeks ago, Our community's HOA pool experienced a very heartbreaking loss of an adult. There were families there. There were children. I mean, it was just a very, very rough experience for the whole community. And this just makes it, you know, a reminder to us that accidents can happen right away and accidents can happen to each and every one of us even if we do swim or know how to swim. So just being prepared can really make a difference. And our fire department, our EMTs were there on site, you know, immediately but unfortunately you know, we had a loss in the community. So my thoughts are with this family, and I hope it encourages all of us to just be safe around water, don't swim alone, and just consider taking a CPR class. But still have fun, safe, and a healthy summer. I also want to take a moment to thank Penny for coming out to my monthly coffee hour. It really meant a lot to everyone, and everyone learned a lot, even myself. You know, sometimes we don't realize how much public works does behind the scenes. You know, sometimes we think it's just the roads or our parks, but they handle engineering and traffic and much more. So just having that opportunity for the community to speak and ask questions and hear directly from our director is just extremely valuable. I also want to thank our city manager Johnny Ford I told him that he didn't need to come but he came out anyways and you know whenever the council asks for support in the community our staff is always there I never heard a no or I'm not you know I can't come they will always do this and this is outside of their regular daily jobs you know they show up for our residents and They answer questions, and they truly, genuinely care. And a staff, city workers, employees, departments, that's what makes a great team. So having people within our city who share their passion for Stockton, you know, it's truly something that we shouldn't take for granted. So I really appreciate having Mr. Ford and our staff for always willing to take that extra mile. Within our district. We are still seeing a lot of graffiti on our utility boxes The department is extremely proactive I can report something in the morning and in the evening it could be cleaned up So please report to ask Stockton or myself I do want to talk about our activities at our parks we do have play mobiles that visit our parks on a regular basis and They offer crafts, games, and so most recently, the Playmobil was at a park in my district, and my niece happened to go, and of course, this was information that she received firsthand from me, but unfortunately, she was the only one there. So it was just the staff members and my niece. The members were quite receptive and involved in showing her crafts and everything, playing the games and stuff. But also I do want to mention, and I don't mean this in a negative way because our police department is extremely engaging and receptive to all of our residents, but there was a community officer there as well, and I just hope that that community officer was more engaging just because it's really important to build those relationships with our children. You know, explaining to them, explaining that they are good people, that they keep you safe, because it's too often that our kids feel that our PD are bad people. So we really want to change that perception. I cannot express enough that see something, say something is extremely important. At my meeting a resident indicated that this is our city. We need to be involved and proactive about reporting. All of us can't be everywhere all the time. And so residents just taking advantage of what we have to offer. you know, and what we can provide as far as activities or just knowledge and education. And I can honestly say that due to my resident's involvement, two male thefts, male, I don't mean male men, but two male thieves were caught due to them reporting sharing sharing video and making a police report. And then also, currently, there is an investigation in process for illegal dumping. So someone provided pictures, all the information, and this may be maybe the one of many that may be prosecuted. So it's truly very important for all of us to get proactive and see something, say something. I know it's been a long time since our ad hoc committee has been meeting, and I know the public is wondering what's going on. Why haven't you had a meeting? But I can tell you the work has not stopped. In fact, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes. Council Member Villalpura and I had the opportunity to visit the safe camping site in Sacramento. to see it firsthand on what they are doing and to learn more ideas that will work for our city as well. I really wanna thank the mayor of Sacramento, their city council and their staff for being so welcoming and taking the time to meet us. Social media and just things you see on TV really give you a false perception I can't say enough of how receptive they were, the information they provided to us, just how well you can see that they work for their city and the way they work for their city was just something really that I appreciated and it was just very enlightening to see. And it was extremely valuable to us that I was super excited and I couldn't wait to tell the mayor. I just like came in City Hall and I was like, I got to talk to you. I got to talk to you because I was just super excited of what can be done here in Stockton. I even shared pictures on social media and what really stood out was the response from the community. There wasn't one single negative response, you know, because our community is looking for solutions and people want us to take action. So they want us to think outside the box and just work together to address homelessness in our community. So I am super excited for our next ad hoc meeting. It will be in August because it will definitely be action oriented. You know, as I close tonight, I just want to share a personal thought. You know, I wasn't on council when this city hall project was first initiated. And my first two and a half years or three years on council, I can honestly say walking up to the city hall steps often came with a feeling of anxiety. And, you know, when we opened these new chambers, it just really felt like a fresh new start coming in here. Just the newness of it, just walking in, it just gave me a really different perspective on this council, on our city, and I really felt or I feel hope for this city moving forward. I was a little disheartened and I have to admit that hearing the grand jury report discussed here in these chambers actually brought back some old feelings. You know, I wish it was two weeks ago and it was done in the old city hall. Because, you know, I know we always won't agree, and that's okay. But I really choose to move forward rather than looking back. And, you know, with that, my hope is that just we as colleagues on this dais, as well as out in the community, that we continue to treat each other with professionalism and respect and at the end of the day we are all here because we want the best for a city and we care deeply about Stockton and the people that we serve you know I also believe that everyone has the right here to come and speak their mind and public comment is one of the most important parts of our meeting you know I actually really enjoy public comment and I look forward to hearing from our residents even when they do disagree with us and I really don't want the public to take this the wrong way because I value what they have to say but my only hope is that words do really matter When it comes to personal attacks, name calling or accusations, it really is disheartening and it changes the mood of the room. You could be happy or great or that's a great idea, I really love that and then you hear something disheartening and it just really brings down your spirit. This is not because we don't want to receive accountability, but it's because I truly believe that all of us on this dais work extremely hard, and I can only hope to continue to challenge each and every one of us in this chambers just to leave these chambers a little bit better than when they came in. because these chambers belong to all of us. And so I encourage everyone to participate, share your voice, stay involved, because this is your city hall. This is your home, and together, you know, we can build a great city that we can all call home. So I'm going to end with that. I just am super excited to be in this building and I Just feel like a fresh new air and I hope that just stays For years and years to come. So, thank you Councilman

Great, thank you Mayor. So like many of my colleagues have shared, I'm very excited that we're here at New City Hall and the fact that I made a comment about being on the dais and just what an honor it is to represent District 4 and to be in these new chambers. It means a lot and I know it's the same sentiment that my colleagues have to be able to be here and represent their constituents. There's a new energy here. I felt it even when I first came a couple weeks ago when staff was here. Every time I saw staff, I just felt I saw more smiles. And I said, you know, it just feels lighter. There's an energy. There's a presence. There's happiness. There's optimism. And you just feel it through everyone's energy. So it's been really great to see that. And, you know, everyone settling in. And they made the move from historic City Hall to our new City Hall. And I'm just really excited to see what we are going to be doing together as we're moving forward. And I do want to do a call out to District 4. I'm going to be posting it tomorrow, but to any businesses, University of the Pacific, any organization or group that is in District 4, please, if you have any frames, any books, anything that you want to be able to donate to my office, because at the end of the day, it's really not my office, it's District 4's office. So if there's any frames or anything that you want to donate or to give to that office, I would be honored to post that on the walls. And I have a bookcase coming. So again, please, I'll share that tomorrow, but please do that. That'd be really great because I want to show just how unique and wonderful District 4 is. In general, I just, I want to thank our staff. I know there was a lot of work that went into getting here into this moment and how much work hasn't really been seen you know we don't really see the day-to-day work to get everything set up from the wiring to the paint job to the flooring to the schematics all that really does go a long way so i just want to say a heartfelt thank you to our staff um going on to the the general things of the district of course i'm going to be talking about potholes so i knew y'all knew it was coming But particularly at 4624 Venicia Boulevard, that was three potholes that we got fixed that were really annoying to the folks that live there, so I know they are very happy that we got those fixed. Also a driveway, there's a pothole on the main road, but That married couple always felt it because as they got into their driveway, they always hit that pothole, and it was considered a city street because, again, we had to take care of it. So I'm thankful that it took a little bit longer than I would have hoped, but I know the two of them, I actually saw them on the Miracle Mile, and they said thank you for fixing that. near Beverly Place near the Miracle Mile. Also, the last pothole that we got fixed for now is on Picardy Drive near Victory Park. As you all know, there's concerts in the park, so as you start driving there, we want to make sure that we keep our roads smooth, not just in my district, but throughout the entire city. And then graffiti clean up alongside Billy Hebert field we have folks that constantly put graffiti on the green walls there so we're able to get that fixed and I know I saw some graffiti a couple days ago on some bridges in my district so I already submitted the ask Stockton so I want to make sure those aren't an issue in the district. In terms of past events, I want to thank EMAC. They had their first-ever barbecue stick cook-off. I was thankful to have been a sponsor, but I also went to the event on June 27th. It was a Saturday, I believe, and I was there to just represent and try out barbecue sticks, and we did a contest. I know you all weren't there, but I think the orange team won, and orange is my favorite color, so it worked out. I think it was meant to be. And then also June 30th, Office of Violence Prevention hosted their pop-up for peace events. They had one at Victory Park. They had one at Oak Park. So they had two in my district, and I know they had one recently, I believe today at Weston Ranch. but to go there was great because I was able to support with 15 swim passes for our kids and families to go swimming for free at Oak Park Pool and we had community resources, we had boxes of food were provided, groceries so overall it was just a really good day to be with community and of course one of my favorite groups, the Cleveland school members, teachers were there as well providing gun locks for free. And then I want to thank Mike Colleagues to my right, Council Member Blower and Vice Mayor Lee for texting me at 8 a.m. to say, Mario, are you coming to the 4th of July parade? And I was actually, not only was I sleeping, but I was actually going to drive to the bay to see family, and my mom can attest to that. But I said, you know what? We can delay the trip. So I got up, got dressed, and joined the parade. And I remember Linda Vasquez, who works with me at UOP, was the organizer for the parade. And she was very annoyed with me when she saw me. She said, Mara, you're here. I said, yeah, it was really last minute, I promise. I had two colleagues that can vouch that they literally dragged me out of bed to come to the parade. But I'll say it was my first parade. I know the last couple of years I haven't been able to just because I was always out of town. But it really was special to be there and to just walk alongside my colleagues and just to see people's energy. So I didn't really know what to expect. So I didn't know what it's like. what it's been in past years how many people show up or not but I had fun nonetheless so let's see what else I want to thank Kelly I know a couple weeks ago I mentioned that Valley Brew was closed for two months due to a fire and they opened I think June 5th or 6th it was that first Saturday of June when they first opened and I decided to have watch parties for FIFA of course for Mexico because yes they are my favorite team and even though we lost we had three watch parties at Valley Brew and I'll tell you this it was a packed house all three watch parties and I don't know if it was because you know I organized it or because it was Mexico playing but one of the things I know some of my colleagues and folks in the audience were there is that it felt just the same way I felt at Oak Park pool opening there's just a sense of joy and community and everybody was having so much fun and and I think that's That's what people want. People want places to go. They want to be able to convene and be together and just have fun and to cheer on the team or if you're not cheering on the team. But I would say this. If you're not cheering on Mexico, you are not allowed in Valley of Broom. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. But nonetheless, even though we lost the third watch party, overall, we just still felt great because we were just having fun the entire time. And Kelly was great. She even went above and beyond and bought official FIFA merch. And we were able to raffle it off to everybody. So we had hats, scarves, flags even, t-shirts. And it was great because people were like, OK, am I going to get it? And I want the official FIFA swag. But again, she didn't have to. And I didn't ask her to do it. And she just bought it out of the kindness of her heart. And then the next day after we lost, the USA played. And it wasn't as packed, but she still did raffles. And again, even though we lost two, the fact that both my countries lost in 24 hours was pretty heartbreaking. But nonetheless, everybody had a good time. And we'll probably do another watch party, probably for the final. But again, people want places to go. And I say, why not bring people together with FIFA and soccer? What else? Events coming up. I have my mornings with Mario for July. July 18th at House of Shaw on the Miracle Mile at 10 a.m. Peter Ragsdale will be there again from the Housing Authority. And the reason why he's been coming in a little bit more consistently is because we've had a lot of folks ask questions about Edison House. And I already gave some context as to what Edison House is at the last council meeting. But, again, I always want to ensure that no one's ever left scratching their heads thinking, what is this? What's going on? What's the timeline? So, again, I just want to be able to just provide people with the right information and having the source right there for them to answer any questions. Next week, I will be out. I will be in LA Monday through Friday for the NALEL Conference. It's the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. So that'll be my first conference, but I'll be there. Similar to other conferences, policymaking, latest issues, how other elected officials at different levels are tackling what they're doing in their cities or their jurisdictions. And then speaking of parades, the fact that the 4th of July parade was the first for me, I am happy to share, they probably haven't posted it on Facebook or Instagram yet, but the Miracle Mile is going to have their holiday parade, their official holiday parade in December. So save the date, Friday, December 4th. And it's perfect timing because Thursday is the one in Lodi and the very next day we're having it. And I just think the Miracle Mile is so special and with all the investments happening and everything that we're doing the next two to four years, the fact that we can have a parade again just thinking we want places to go and we want to come together so I think that's just going to be another joyful event and I think just joy that's really the theme I feel I've been feeling a lot in my district this year especially and with other events that I've gone to you know I think someone said it earlier I think one of my colleagues about hearing people with different perspectives. And I don't know what it is. I think in the last two or three months, I feel like it's been happening more where I've had people come up to me that would tell me, hey, you know what? I didn't vote for you, but you're doing a really good job for the district. And I really appreciate that because at the end of the day, whether people voted for us or not, we still have to... fight and work for our district. And I always say, if the 7,000 plus people that didn't vote for me, you're still my bosses and I still work for you. So the fact that I think three or four people said that to me, it means a lot. And I had one gentleman, actually it was the gentleman who started the prayer this morning. He was at Ledge and he was on the opposing side of an idea about immigration that I wanted to introduce to Ledge. And I saw him at the Pop Up for Peace event at Oak Park. And you know, I was kind, I said, oh hey sir, good seeing you. and he came up to me, and he's like, oh, and I said, hey, I really appreciate your public comment at the last legislation committee meeting, and he was like, oh, no, like, no, you didn't, and I said, no, really, I do appreciate that, because I always want to hear different perspectives. We may not agree, but we're both respectful, and we're kind, and we can understand each other, so I... took that with a lot of heart and meaning because again I do want him to know that yeah I do appreciate what you have to say I may not personally agree with it but I'm always gonna listen I'm always gonna be able to provide my perspective as well as to why I'm on a certain side or not but nonetheless it was really good to hear that and I think one of them was with councilmember Blower we had taste of the mile and we had a young lady that didn't vote for me but she came out to me and said hey I really appreciate what you're doing I'm like thank you But I lost my train of thought. Oh, speaking of parks and advanced street vendors, I want to say thank you to everybody who's been asking a lot of questions. I know there was a lot of concerns recently about concerts in the park at Victory Park and then also at Angel Cruise Park. I have deep respect for our code enforcement team. Omarosa and her entire staff are just wonderful. And two weeks ago, we went to Angel Cruz Park, and we were there for about two, three hours. They were there longer, but they had a tent. They got set up. They had their black hats that said code enforcement with the police seal. And I know every street vendor at Angel Cruz Park, and we went to each one. And it was funny because there was a different energy when they saw the black hats. They're like, oh my god, Mario, am I in trouble? I said, no, you're not in trouble. We're just here to provide educational information about the steps to get your permit and to be able to do what you do because we want to support you. So we went to each one. And even though I haven't personally pressed on food trucks, you know, the rule is you can't be within a certain distance of a park. So code enforcement was there to tell the food trucks that they couldn't be at the park. And then also the double parking, which is always a constant issue there. We were able to clear out the vehicles. But it's just the initial education I think is really important and take that to heart because I've been going there. at least once a month for the last six months. So I told them, I say, you know what, you've gotten six warnings, you're getting another warning today, and in two weeks, if you get in trouble, you can't say you didn't get the warnings or enough information. So, you know, it's an investment you have to create. You have to make, build that relationship with people when it comes to, especially ordinances and policy, because you don't want to just say, this is a rule, and now I'm going to get you in trouble, and you're fine, you know, X amount of money. You have to really do it from a grassroots organizer mentality And then with concerts in the park, the fact is code enforcement now has, I wanna say teeth, because now we have a street vendor ordinance. In past years, if you have a special permit for an event, you have the ability now with the street vendor ordinance to say, I don't want street vendors within 1,000 feet. That third-party vendor has the right to say, I want to take on the additional costs and responsibilities, the health inspection costs, everything, the permitting, to allow X amount of street vendors. This year, because we have our street vendor ordinance we passed in December, and the third party choosing not to incorporate them, the 1,000 feet was in effect. So it caused a lot of confusion for people. And I get it. Change is hard, especially when you've been used to something. But we have an ordinance for a reason. So that's something I put out information on my social media. We went to Victory Park I think that night I want to thank staff because we got the information three hours before that six o'clock concerts in the park and we Code enforcement was there saying they had a tent I was with them and I say yeah people want to have frustrations or questions or anything I'm right here like you can talk to me and code enforcement was there as well But again, we were just around the area just to say hey people do come we can talk to them, you know in a in a humane, civil way. But again, it's really important that we're there and we're present. So I just want folks to know, until the third party vendor changes his or her mind, as of now, it's the 1,000 feet. If we see it's an issue and we want to discuss policy and to make amendments, so be it. As I said, when we passed it, I'm open to amendments. And even now, we're going to bring back the street vendor ordinance at ledge to make some amendments regarding our park hours and visibly showing your permit at your street vendors. So that way you don't have to second guess. And it's always awkward. You don't want to be in that position where you think someone has a permit or you don't. You don't want to make assumptions. So those are some slight revisions we're making through ledge. But I just want people to know that. and how important it is, regardless of what park you're in, or if you have a food truck, et cetera, it's important throughout the entire city. In terms of legislation, some folks gave me some more homework. I love it. Illegal dumping, animals, rent stabilization, Juneteenth flags, street vendor ordinance, immigration, golf carts, solicitation, mailboxes, truck routes, grand jury recommendations, and several more, but those are the ones I can think of right now, but we are very busy. We are a very active committee, and I love it. Other than that, I did forget at the last council meeting, if we can make sure, and I know I spoke with the mayor about this, about the ad hoc or the update on the Cesar Chavez downtown library. Oh, perfect, it's on the 21st. So thank you, Mayor. And then other than that, please continue to reach out to me, 209-645-2711 or DIST4 at StocktonCA.gov. And I want to just wish you all a happy Disability Pride Month.

You had to get to the end. Okay, so a couple of things. On June 28th, it was a Sunday, I saw no less than 500 young people because there was the Taban's 38th annual karate event. competition at St. Mary's High School. Then from there, I went over to Stagg High School, where we had Jeremiah Farms, who plays football for the New England Patriots. He had a football camp from the littles to the high schools. The place was packed. They did haircuts. They gave out food. They gave out boxes of food. Bread of Life was there handing out food. And it was great, because this is somebody who has been very successful. and came back to our community. It's kind of, you call him the native son that comes back to the community and then wants to give back to that community. And he was very humble. And then I went out to 209 Elevate where they had the first girls football combine. So you might be wondering what that is. So these are young ladies. Now it is where the girls have a football combine competition or teams in college and San Luis Obispo I met two young ladies who would be playing football at San Luis Obispo on girls teams not on guys teams but they were going through different drills they were being timed but there were a hundred plus girls there and they were from everywhere they're from other states They were from up and down California and their parents were there. At all of these events you had families out supporting their children in positive outlets and events. Moving from there, 4th of July, yes. I started working, oh, I had thoughts of 4th of July when I was back on council as to why the symphony left. Symphony used to perform during 4th of July and in the days of Mayor Podesto, and I said, why can't we have that again? Well, you know, there's a little bit of a cost associated with this and this council supported that. So the public got an hour and a half performance from professional musicians and some of them have never heard a symphony play before. And I know when they did the Star Spangled Banner, I started to get a little choked up thinking about 250th anniversary of America. and their 100th anniversary of them being a symphony, and it being 20 years since the last time they performed, and it was just great, and Latin magic opened up for them, and they are homegrown. Stockton, I said, they're loyal to the soil. They love their city. They always want to perform here every chance they get, and I agree with Councilman Blauer. I thought the opening was the finale. I thought they might have mislit because there were so many fireworks right from the very beginning. And they kept going and going and going. And it was just, inside Weber Point, there were, maybe they said 6,000 people outside of Weber Point, all lining up along the way. They covered the dirt, vacant lots on either side. I mean, there were thousands and thousands of people downtown. And then to look at the skyline in any direction and see fireworks, trying to beat the fireworks we were doing. I was kind of a little dismayed. I was worried about people's, you know, dogs, their animals, people who have PTSD. I was just like, just come downtown. Don't spend all that money on illegal fireworks. But nonetheless, loved our show. Thank you to staff for making that happen. Coming up, this Thursday, Channel Street Streetscape Connectivity Project will be having its ribbon cutting. This was a project with RAIL, COG, the City of Stockton, and a few other groups to redo that whole street project. to make it more welcoming, inviting for people to go, as well as nice and smooth, because talk about potholes, there were potholes that were huge, and they would just break more and more and more, but now it's beautiful, so go check it out. from there I will go to public works projects so oak and Park that used to be part of my district and I know Martina and you probably know Martina you know about Park Street Park Street Park Street and I know about oak because I take both of them regularly because I literally live a five blocks from those streets and I take Oak to get here and I take Park to go home and so I know the issues on those two streets and I'm so happy about that and the turning lane on Pacific and Harding worked on that actually when Public Works submitted the application they have interns from UOP's engineering school that work that have a internship and one of my former students was actually working on writing that grant proposal, so happy to see that finally coming. I think it's been six years, five or six years, but it's coming, just like City Hall. Contracts, contracts, contracts, contracts. We've heard from people over and over and over again about settle the contract, settle the contract, then I read, oh, I hope it's a fair contract, and then I read, oh, well, you had nothing to do with the contract, you know, all that kind of stuff, but guess what, it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, Our employees approved the contract. That's the only way it can happen. We go back and forth. They get a proposal. They say, nope, we don't want that. We want this. And we come. Like I said, it's a back and forth exchange. But ultimately, the members have to vote whether they want it or not. And they voted that they wanted this contract. So I'm happy for our police officers, our firefighters, our unrepresented management for both units all the way around. Happy about that. And there was a comment about police department recruitment. You know, we have police aides, and at our last meeting, there were two police aides here. They're both going into the police academy. They were born and raised here. Actually, pretty much all of the police aides are from here, and they are excited about being part of our police department. And then we have those that don't pass probationary. We have officers that go through the academy, and we don't want to keep them just to have... to meet our numbers. We want to make sure that they are able to do the job. But they might not be able to do the job as a police officer, but they could work in dispatch, they could work in animal services, they could work in code enforcement records. So I hope we don't just throw the baby out with the bathwater and that we offer them maybe another position under the police department should they choose to do that. Delinquent bills. And then code enforcement. I know I went out with code enforcement and there was a elderly gentleman it was his home and He had done everything he could and he had hired someone to do some work and they didn't do it actually they may left it worse than what it was beforehand and Code enforcement did they helped him? so you talk about money for that and there are programs out there that help people who don't have the means to do it themselves. Greenbelt in Western Ranch. So at our March 3rd meeting, we approved 133 solar lights, and they are to be up before the end of summer of 2026. So that's this summer. So those that are concerned about those lights, they've been ordered. Once they're in, they will be put on, and they'll be capped at the top so you don't have to worry about wire theft anymore. Signs. Yeah, I still see signs around the signs that are on private property or that they're on private property I've said, you know, can you take them down? It's on their property. They said no we want to keep them up I've asked and I've been told street vendors There are other street vendors. I'm concerned about these telephone street vendors or these people. They're not selling food. They're just at a tent. And on Washington Street in particular, when people are trying to get to HSA, trying to get to behavioral health, trying to get to where they need to to get the benefits they need, and you can't see them. People are parking, double parking. Like I said, there's these tents up, so we need to be looking at those individuals as well, not just people who are doing food but other types of vending. Budget. Animal services is a line item in the budget. Budget is not easy. It's municipal budget. thousand plus pages long even counsel I know struggles with understanding the budget and to put it in plain language I wish there was a municipal budget for dummies because then we could all use it to find out the information we needed it's simply not there in terms of contracts remember people have so when there's an RFP there is a it's a sealed it is a sealed bid on for a particular project, none of us see those. None of us see those, none of us know who applied. You can ask, they don't tell you who applied. And then it is a group in Public Works, or in community services or in economic development that then review those applications. But even to put that out, let's say for individuals, when we did city manager search, we were specifically told, do not release the names of any of the people that are in the running to be the next city manager. The same is true for... line, you know, front line staff. Because they might be working somewhere else and then they applied here and they don't want to lose their job over there because somebody said, oh, they were coming here. But there is something called right to privacy for personnel in particular and that's a very slippery slope that we don't want to go down. The other thing I was just going to point out, you know, I appreciate all the comments up here at the dais. Do I appreciate all the comments at the podium? Not necessarily. You know, we talk about a fresh, new start, but there are some people that still, you know, I don't know, just bitter. what it might be, ignorance, I don't know, but people want to say what they want to say, and it is your right. But we need to speak with knowledge and facts that are different from opinions. So just because people keep saying it doesn't mean it's true. And I will say at times, just like our actions up here might be embarrassing to people in the public, People that are on boards and commissions that are held at a higher standard per the document that they actually signed, which says on it that you are to a council member and commissioner conduct policy. It is written there. And then the document sign says, I assert my solemn belief that my primary responsibility for maintaining a high level of conduct. And it says then on item four, maintain the highest standards of rules and conduct. And if I went through then the actual council member and commissioner conduct policy, we set the example. Maybe we aren't always the best at doing that, but I would hope those that represent us on our commissions and boards would do a better job. And do it, don't do it, you know, Sometimes they say you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. We're never going to make everybody happy. It's just how things go. We will disagree up here and we will move forward. And I hope that that is it because the misinformation that continues to be perpetuated out in the public, it harms all of us. And who it harms the most is the city of Stockton in terms of attracting people to come here take advantage of Opportunity Zones, invest in our city, which we so desperately want. You know, talk about a grocery store. We have to have a community that supports the grocery store in order for somebody to bring a grocery store here or to bring other businesses here. We heard from Ricardo from Economic Development. He's working on bringing people here, but again, We always need to put our best foot forward. I know that I try to do that routinely on my social media to make sure that anybody that happens to be going there will see positive things that are happening in the city of Stockton. And so I will end it there. It is 7.13. Oh, I wanted to get to 7.07, but I overwent. So I will entertain a motion to adjourn.

Motion. Is that everybody?

Second, okay all those in favor say aye Motion adjourned Okay, bringing council back from closed session. City Attorney, do we have anything to report out? No reportable action. Okay, 730, do I have a motion to adjourn? Motion. All those in favor say aye. Aye. We are adjourned.

Have a good evening.

You too.