The Stockton City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to accept a $1 million federal grant for police technology, despite concerns that conditions tied to immigration enforcement and diversity programs could conflict with city and state policies.
The vote comes less than two weeks after Stockton publicly disclosed its withdrawal from two federal lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump’s administration’s requirements for government grants, a decision city officials said was intended to preserve access to federal funding.
Congressional Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, who helped secure funding for the police project, criticized the federal requirements in an interview with Stocktonia on Wednesday, calling them “wrong and illegal.”
“This is yet another example of this administration and the White House forcing their political chaos on what should be a really good and important project for Stockton and our city,” Harder said.
The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, will support the Stockton Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center, which uses technology and centralized information to assist officers responding to emergencies and investigating crimes.
However, the grant’s conditions prompted questions from residents and councilmembers about whether accepting the money could undermine California’s restrictions on local participation in federal immigration enforcement or Stockton’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, commonly known as DEI.
Councilmember Mario Enríquez cast the lone dissenting vote, saying his concerns centered on the federal requirements rather than the police department’s need for resources.
“I don’t want this language to come back and haunt us if eventually something does happen,” Enríquez said.
Harder criticizes federal grant requirements
Harder told Stocktonia that his office began advocating for the police technology project in 2024, before the Trump administration imposed the requirements now raising concerns among Stockton officials.
According to city documents, the police department began working with Harder in March 2024 to identify federal funding opportunities. In July of that year, Harder submitted a funding request to the House Appropriations Committee on the city’s behalf.
The department received preliminary notification of the $1 million allocation in February 2026 and submitted its noncompetitive grant application in July. The federal government formally notified the department of the award Sept. 25.
Harder said he believes the disputed federal conditions will ultimately be struck down in court.
“These requirements are wrong and illegal, and they’re being challenged in court right now,” Harder said. “I’m very confident that these requirements will get struck down again.”
He characterized the conditions as part of what he called the administration’s “war on California,” arguing that federal public safety dollars should not come with additional requirements unrelated to improving public safety.
Harder’s comments come as immigration enforcement draws growing concern in Stockton and across California. In San Joaquin County, immigrants have faced arrest after appointments at a local ICE facility, prompting local officials to seek answers from federal immigration authorities.
More recently, an Oct. 11 report documented a surge in immigration arrests around Fresno. Advocates reported that federal agents detained at least 100 people over three days, leaving some immigrant families afraid to leave their homes. ICE declined to confirm the increase in enforcement activity.
Asked about those concerns, Harder said he had received reports of increased ICE activity in Stockton and described the fear among immigrant families as understandable.
Harder said he intends to continue fighting for federal resources for Stockton while opposing conditions he believes are excessive.
“This is a good project that’s going to help make our community better,” he said.
Federal grant conditions raise questions about immigration and DEI
According to the Justice Department’s fiscal year 2026 Technology and Equipment Program application guide, grant recipients must comply with federal requirements governing the exchange of information about immigration and citizenship status.
The conditions specifically reference a federal statute prohibiting state and local governments from restricting officials from exchanging information about a person’s citizenship or immigration status with federal immigration authorities.
The application guide also requires recipients to certify that they do not operate programs, including those involving DEI, that violate applicable federal civil rights or nondiscrimination laws.
The language does not explicitly prohibit all DEI programs or require local police departments to perform federal immigration enforcement duties.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Enríquez questioned whether those requirements could conflict with SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, which limits cooperation between state and local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.
He also raised questions about the requirements’ compatibility with the Police Department’s policies and the council’s January resolution declaring Stockton a compassionate city.
Enríquez criticized the absence of the federal application guide from the council’s agenda materials, saying the document should have been available to councilmembers and the public before the vote.
“I was a little surprised that the application resource guide wasn’t attached,” he said.
Interim City Attorney Donald Larkin told councilmembers that federal courts have upheld California’s immigration protections and that the city could comply with both SB 54 and the federal grant requirements.
Larkin said federal immigration authorities could request information, but the city would not be required to violate state law in responding.
Deputy Police Chief Anabel Morris also defended the department’s policies, emphasizing that Stockton police do not enforce federal immigration law and would continue complying with California’s restrictions.
“Anything that does not abide by SB 54, we do not provide,” Morris said.
She added that residents should not hesitate to report crimes or contact police because of their immigration status.
Harder described the fear within immigrant communities as understandable and called for additional safeguards and restrictions on federal immigration enforcement.
Stockton’s previous DEI controversy resurfaces
The grant requirements also come as Stockton works to restore its DEI efforts following a controversy over the elimination of its former DEI position.
In April, the City Council voted to hire a new full-time DEI official, reversing changes made under former interim City Manager Steve Colangelo.
The decision followed months of scrutiny over the removal of the city’s previous DEI officer and the redirection of funds originally allocated to the program.
During an investigation last year, city employees testified that Colangelo had expressed concerns that maintaining the DEI position could draw scrutiny from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Councilmember Jason Lee questioned whether accepting the federal funding could jeopardize Stockton’s ability to continue supporting DEI initiatives or recognizing different communities.
Lee specifically asked whether the federal government could seek to reclaim funding if Stockton hired a DEI official or continued displaying commemorative flags, including the Juneteenth flag.
Larkin said he would review the grant agreement carefully but did not believe those actions would jeopardize the funding.
He also told councilmembers that accepting the grant would not prohibit lawful diversity initiatives or prevent the city from recognizing different communities.
Previous lawsuit withdrawal draws renewed scrutiny
The debate renewed concerns about Stockton’s earlier decision to withdraw from two federal lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s grant conditions.
Stockton joined City of Fresno v. Noem and City of Fresno v. Turner, lawsuits brought by local governments arguing that federal agencies were unlawfully attaching conditions to funding authorized by Congress.
The challenges addressed federal requirements involving immigration enforcement, diversity programs and other administration policies.
Federal judges granted preliminary injunctions temporarily protecting Stockton and other participating jurisdictions from certain disputed requirements while the litigation proceeded. Those rulings did not represent final decisions on the legality of every challenged condition.
The City Council directed its attorneys to withdraw from the lawsuits in July, but city officials did not publicly disclose the decision until late September, after Stockton had already exited the litigation.
At the time, Mayor Christina Fugazi said the council withdrew to preserve Stockton’s ability to pursue federal funding for public safety and other municipal services.
During Tuesday’s council comments, Fugazi disputed claims that city officials had kept the decision secret.
“There was no secrecy,” Fugazi said. “There was nothing to report out because we had to find out from the courts when we exited. That’s why it took the amount of time that it did.”
Lee, who supported accepting the police grant, questioned the council’s earlier decision to withdraw from the litigation.
He said he had personally advocated for the funding alongside Harder and police officials but believed the council needed a broader public discussion about the implications of leaving the lawsuits.
“That was prior to us making a decision that I think was the wrong decision,” Lee said.
Lee also called for greater scrutiny of federal grant conditions, including those associated with the Justice Department’s separate Model Cities Initiative, which Stockton has identified as a public safety funding priority.
The Model Cities Initiative is distinct from the $1 million Technology and Equipment Program grant approved Tuesday.
Lee argued that the responsibility for evaluating the legal and policy consequences of federal funding rests with city leadership rather than the Police Department.
He also called for greater transparency about the city’s future funding decisions and the potential consequences for residents.
Asked Wednesday whether he had concerns about Stockton’s withdrawal from the two lawsuits, Harder declined to weigh in.
“I’m not a lawyer. I’m not really following those lawsuits. I’ll leave that up to the City Council,” Harder said.
He emphasized that his role has been securing federal funding for Stockton projects and ensuring that the city receives resources for public safety improvements.
Police officials say funding is needed for crime center
Despite the concerns surrounding the federal requirements, police officials defended the grant as an important investment in technology they said would improve emergency response, officer safety and criminal investigations.
The Stockton Police Department plans to use the Real-Time Crime Center to consolidate information from multiple systems, helping officers and analysts monitor incidents as they unfold and coordinate responses more efficiently.
According to city documents, the department plans to use the grant for equipment and software, including video monitors, workstations and systems that support centralized crime analysis and communications.
The grant does not require matching funds from Stockton.
Morris told councilmembers that the department had already begun testing the center and reported improvements during its initial operations.
During a 32-day period, the department received 15,446 calls for service, with the center activated for 561 incidents, according to figures Morris presented Tuesday.
She said the center’s technology allowed officers to cancel responding units in 236 instances, freeing personnel to respond to other emergencies.
Morris said the equipment would also help officers obtain critical information before arriving at potentially dangerous situations.
Fugazi, who visited the center during its testing period, praised the technology and said the department needed additional resources to make it fully operational.
Councilmember Michele Padilla also supported the funding, emphasizing the importance of bringing outside resources into Stockton to support public safety.
“Our community needs to understand that every single dollar outside we bring into Stockton provides public safety to each and every one of you,” Padilla said.
Residents question the cost of accepting federal money
During public comment, residents questioned whether the city should accept funding subject to conditions they feared could undermine protections for immigrant communities.
Resident Julie Dunning criticized the council’s withdrawal from the federal lawsuits and questioned how the decision to accept the grant aligned with Stockton’s compassionate city resolution.
Dunning said she supported providing police with modern technology but opposed accepting funding under requirements she believed could jeopardize public trust.
She also pointed to Stockton’s existing public safety funding sources, including Measure A, and questioned whether the city could find money elsewhere to support the project.
Another speaker, Pat Barrett, warned that the grant conditions could expose residents to racial profiling, questioning or detention based on their perceived immigration status.
Despite the objections, the council approved the grant, with Fugazi, Lee, Padilla and councilmembers Mariela Ponce, Michael Blower and Brando Villapudua voting in favor. Enríquez was the only councilmember opposed.
The approval authorizes the city manager to execute the required federal documents and increases the Police Department’s grant revenue and expenditure budget by $1 million.
Enríquez urged the city to provide complete application materials, legal assessments and explanations of potential risks before councilmembers vote on future grant proposals.
He said his opposition was not a rejection of the Police Department’s work, but a reflection of his concerns about the federal conditions and their potential consequences for Stockton residents.