Stockton’s City Council has agreed that its government needs reform. More than a month after unanimously approving a response to a civil grand jury report detailing dysfunction at City Hall, councilmembers must now confront a more difficult question: How will they put those promises into practice?
That question will take center stage Monday morning, when the council gathers for a public study session on the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury’s “Governance in Turmoil” report, which found that political infighting, leadership instability and failures in oversight had undermined the city’s ability to govern effectively.
The 8:30 a.m. meeting comes as deadlines approach for proposed changes to Stockton’s ethics rules, council conduct policies and oversight procedures. Although councilmembers accepted all eight of the grand jury’s recommendations in September, they have yet to settle several consequential questions, including who would investigate misconduct allegations against elected officials and how the city would enforce new standards of behavior.
The divisions that prompted the grand jury’s scrutiny have hardly disappeared. Since approving the response, the council has voted to remove Councilmember Jason Lee as vice mayor, while another departure from the City Clerk’s office has added to the leadership turnover that investigators identified as a recurring problem.
Now, with some reforms due before year’s end, the council faces its next test: turning its written commitments into policies that can withstand the political tensions they are meant to address.
According to the meeting agenda, councilmembers will review the grand jury’s eight recommendations and provide direction to staff on implementing them. The council is not scheduled to take formal action.
Henry L. Gardner, a former Oakland city manager and municipal governance adviser, will facilitate the discussion. Gardner led Oakland’s administration from 1981 to 1993 and has served in several municipal leadership roles across the Bay Area.
City Manager Johnny Ford announced plans for the session during his Oct. 27 report to the council.
“This session gives council and staff the opportunity to review the findings together and discuss how the city will address the issues the grand jury raised,” city spokesperson Tony Mannor said.
The meeting will be open to the public.
From findings to reforms
The June 25 grand jury report outlined nine findings involving public disputes among elected officials, interference with city employees, leadership instability, questionable fiscal practices and concerns about ethics and transparency.
Investigators described a pattern of dysfunction that extended beyond individual political disagreements, raising concerns about whether the council’s conduct had compromised the city’s ability to operate effectively.
The report also criticized Stockton’s handling of previous grand jury recommendations, finding that the city’s September 2025 response adequately addressed only three of six outstanding recommendations from earlier investigations.
On Sept. 29, the council unanimously approved a 36-page response, partially agreeing with all nine findings and accepting the grand jury’s eight recommendations.
The response acknowledged that prolonged public disputes could undermine confidence in government but maintained that disagreements among elected officials did not necessarily constitute governance failures. It also recognized the need to protect city employees from improper interference while disputing some of the grand jury’s broader conclusions.
Under the city’s proposed “Governance Reset,” officials committed to strengthening ethics rules, clarifying the relationship between elected officials and city employees, establishing standards for public communications and developing new oversight mechanisms.
But approving those commitments did not settle how the city would carry them out.
“The hard work is really going to start,” Ford told councilmembers during the September meeting. “This is where you get intimately involved in shaping what we’ve sort of put together for you to react to.”
Key decisions ahead
The city’s presentation for Monday’s study session identifies several reforms that officials hope to bring before the council in December, including changes to ethics policies and rules governing councilmembers’ public conduct.
City officials have identified Dec. 15 as a proposed date for council consideration of revisions to the Code of Ethics, which would establish clearer standards involving conflicts of interest, use of authority, treatment of employees, transparency and accountability.
The city also plans to bring forward written guidelines governing councilmembers’ use of social media and public forums when discussing city business.
Both measures carry a Dec. 31 implementation deadline under the city’s response.
City officials also plan to provide councilmembers with training on the City Charter, their responsibilities under Stockton’s council-manager form of government and financial procedures governing public spending, procurement and oversight.
The training aims to address the grand jury’s findings that some elected officials had interfered with city employees and that councilmembers needed a clearer understanding of their responsibilities and the limits of their authority.
Among the more consequential unresolved proposals is the creation of an independent ethics commission or comparable oversight body.
The grand jury recommended that Stockton demonstrate measurable progress toward establishing the commission by the end of 2026, with the goal of making it operational by January 2028.
The council’s Legislation and Environmental Committee previously considered a draft ordinance outlining an ethics commission, including its responsibilities and authority to investigate complaints. However, the proposal has not received final council approval, leaving questions about the commission’s independence, appointment process and enforcement powers unresolved.
Another recommendation calls for Stockton to establish local campaign contribution limits by Dec. 31, 2027.
The grand jury raised concerns about the influence of campaign contributions among councilmembers and candidates, warning that such donations could create the appearance of political alliances influencing city decisions.
Stockton currently follows state campaign finance requirements. Any additional local restrictions would require further council consideration, including decisions about contribution limits, transfers between campaign committees and enforcement.
Accountability beyond the meeting
The upcoming discussion will also focus on how Stockton intends to measure its progress.
During the September meeting, Councilmember Michael Blower questioned how elected officials would know whether the city’s commitments remained on schedule.
Ford said staff hoped to return with an update no later than the council’s first meeting in December.
The city’s response establishes an initial 200-day implementation schedule covering council conduct standards, complaint procedures, investigation spending controls and transparency in procurement and grant decisions.
Officials also committed to maintaining a public tracking system that identifies each recommendation, the department responsible for carrying it out, its deadline and evidence of completion.
The system aims to address a recurring problem the grand jury identified: Stockton’s failure to fully implement recommendations from previous investigations.
Under the approved response, city officials must report progress on unfinished reforms at least quarterly, explain delays and identify revised deadlines when necessary.
The stakes extend beyond administrative policies.
On Oct. 13, the council voted 4-2 to remove Lee as vice mayor following months of public disputes among elected officials.
City Hall has also experienced further leadership turnover. Interim City Clerk Bonnie Paige announced her resignation in October, just weeks after assuming the position, following the earlier departure of City Clerk Katherine Roland.
Those developments have kept questions about City Hall’s stability and internal relationships in the public eye even as councilmembers have committed to reform.
Monday’s study session is designed to move the process forward. According to the city’s presentation, staff will use the discussion to document council priorities, identify outstanding questions and prepare a work plan detailing responsibilities, deadlines and future actions.
The proposals will return to the council through the appropriate public approval processes.