After hundreds of serious crashes on Stockton streets in recent years, city leaders will consider a plan Tuesday that aims to eliminate traffic deaths by 2050, one of several major proposals before the City Council as officials confront questions about public safety, financial stability and the future of local development.
Tuesday’s meeting will also bring a review of the city’s financial performance, a proposal to direct nearly $1 million toward public housing improvements and an examination of efforts to connect Stockton residents with jobs created by local development.
Councilmembers will also receive updates on violence prevention and downtown revitalization while reviewing independent financial audits of city spending and voter-approved tax measures.
A long-term plan to make Stockton’s streets safer
Between 2018 and 2022, Stockton recorded 466 crashes that resulted in death or serious injury, according to a city analysis that found pedestrians and cyclists faced a disproportionate share of the danger.
Those findings helped shape Stockton’s first Vision Zero Action Plan, which councilmembers will consider adopting Tuesday.
The plan establishes a goal of cutting traffic deaths and serious injuries in half by 2040 and eliminating them by 2050. It identifies dangerous stretches of roadway where officials could prioritize improvements such as redesigned intersections, protected bicycle lanes, safer pedestrian crossings and measures to slow traffic.
City staff and transportation consulting firm Fehr & Peers spent nearly two years developing the strategy with federal funding and public input.
Residents raised concerns about speeding, poorly lit streets, missing sidewalks and dangerous intersections — conditions that can make everyday trips hazardous, particularly for people traveling without a car.
The proposal calls for a shift in how Stockton approaches road safety, placing greater emphasis on preventing severe crashes through street design and infrastructure improvements.
Adopting the plan would establish a framework for future projects, although the council would still need to identify funding and authorize individual improvements.
Higher revenues offer relief as city reviews finances
Stockton’s latest financial report offers a somewhat stronger picture of the city’s finances than officials anticipated when they approved the budget.
Stockton brought in $16.1 million more than expected during the fiscal year that ended June 30, collecting a total of $345.5 million. The city also spent $3.4 million less than planned, although its total spending of $373.7 million still exceeded its revenue.
The city still spent more than it collected during the fiscal year, but the difference was substantially smaller than anticipated. Officials had already planned to draw on money carried over from previous years to cover expenditures.
Higher sales tax collections and investment income contributed to the additional revenue, according to the staff report.
City officials now recommend directing available funds toward reserves intended to protect essential services during economic downturns and other emergencies.
Under the proposal, Stockton would bring its working capital reserves to approximately $62.9 million, known contingency reserves to $73.5 million and risk-based reserves to $14.7 million.
Councilmembers will also consider independent financial reports covering the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2025, including examinations of several voter-approved tax measures.
The review follows an October decision by the City Council to approve five internal audits examining key city operations, including purchasing practices, payroll, grants management, municipal utilities and spending tied to Measure A, a voter-approved sales tax.
Councilmembers have raised questions about how the city tracks public funds, monitors expenditures and ensures that departments follow financial procedures. The audits, which the city expects to complete by June 2027, aim to identify weaknesses in those systems and recommend improvements.
Federal funding could improve public housing
Councilmembers will consider redirecting approximately $966,000 in federal funding to replace aging heating and air conditioning systems at Conway Homes, a public housing development operated by the Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin.
City staff identified the improvements as necessary because existing equipment has reached or is approaching the end of its useful life.
The proposal would require Stockton to amend its federal housing and community development plans, allowing officials to prioritize public housing modernization and improvements to community facilities.
The proposed improvements would use money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program, which helps cities pay for housing, infrastructure and other projects that benefit low- and moderate-income residents. Stockton would redirect nearly $1 million in existing federal funding toward the renovations, meaning the project would not require additional spending from the city’s General Fund, which pays for services such as police and fire protection.
Before the housing authority can move forward with the renovations, the City Council must approve changes to Stockton’s federal spending plans. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the grant program, must also approve those changes before the city can use the money for the project.
Revisiting a decade-old promise of local jobs
More than 10 years after Stockton launched an economic stimulus program designed to encourage construction while expanding employment opportunities for disadvantaged residents, city officials are proposing a new framework to measure whether local investment translates into local jobs.
The initiative, known as BUILD Stockton, would connect developers, employers, labor unions, educational institutions and community organizations to expand workforce training, apprenticeships and access to employment.
The proposal builds on the Stockton Economic Stimulus Program, established in 2015 to encourage residential construction while helping disadvantaged residents benefit from the resulting economic activity.
Participating projects reported 3,117 local hires between 2016 and 2025, according to city records.
But a review of the original program found that Stockton had not established specific guidelines for implementing or enforcing some of its hiring commitments. The city also lacked direct demographic information about those workers, relying instead on estimates based on the populations of their ZIP codes.
BUILD Stockton would introduce more consistent coordination among employers and workforce organizations, along with quarterly reports tracking employment outcomes and barriers facing residents.
The council will receive an update on the proposal and consider supporting continued coordination among participating organizations.
Violence prevention and downtown investment
Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention will present its annual report, outlining the services it provided during the 2025-26 period and the needs of residents participating in its programs.
The presentation will highlight initiatives that provide mentoring, conflict mediation, counseling and educational support to young people affected by violence or at risk of gang involvement.
The council will receive the report for informational purposes without taking formal action.
Meanwhile, city officials will review efforts to bring vacant and underused downtown buildings back into service as part of Stockton’s broader economic development strategy.
According to a city report, two developers have invested more than $26 million in downtown properties, rehabilitating 85 residential units that are now fully occupied.
Tom Romeo, founder of footwear company BEARPAW and a developer involved in restoring historic downtown Stockton buildings, will discuss his projects alongside Joe Michael, president of Pacific Development Group, and Michael Huber, executive director of the Downtown Stockton Alliance.
The presentation will provide a progress report on the city’s goal of developing a more active downtown district that supports housing, employment, shopping and entertainment throughout the day.
City officials expect to return to the council in early 2027 with additional proposals, including a downtown master plan and potential financing strategies for further revitalization.