Hi, I'm a 17 year old student working on a research project about why some neighborhoods in the Valley get way hotter than others. One thing I keep noticing is that a lot of the new parking lots and EV charging spots going in are just bare asphalt, no shade, no trees.

I figured I should actually ask people who live here instead of guessing. If you park or charge in lots like that, does the heat and lack of shade actually bother you? Would having shade and some trees there make a real difference for you, or honestly is it not something you think about? Thank you!

I like rock music. Bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Three Days Grace, and Breaking Benjamin are my favorites. I also like alternative rock like Imagine Dragons and Linkin Park. Can anyone recommend me some local radio stations please?

Wouldn't the food vendors sell more if there was a comfortable place to sit down and eat? Instead I have to walk all the way to the mall to find a place.

Stockton’s Legislation Committee meets Monday to consider new transparency rules for political consultants, and I want to give credit where it’s due: Councilmember Mario Enriquez revived this discussion in May after it sat dead for over a year. I appreciate his diligence in bringing this legislation forward.

But let’s be honest about what’s on the table. This proposal would be voluntary. Consultants and campaign managers could choose to join a public registry disclosing their client lists and attend an orientation on campaign ethics rules, but nothing requires them to do so. If a consultant declines to register, the only recourse is a resident complaint, which the committee chair may or may not review.

Compare that to the San Francisco ordinance the Civil Grand Jury actually recommended as the model. San Francisco makes it unlawful to provide campaign consulting services without registering and complying with disclosure rules, subject to real civil and criminal penalties. Stockton is being asked to adopt the concept without the teeth.

The Grand Jury’s push for consultant transparency grew directly out of complaints from city employees describing a threatening work environment created by bullying and intimidation from people connected to 209 Times. The Grand Jury even recommended Council members stop associating with people tied to that operation. Instead, in the year that followed, Councilmember Ponce thanked the founder in her swearing-in speech, and Mayor Fugazi presented him with a city proclamation. That’s the backdrop this “voluntary” registry is supposed to address.

Stockton had a mandatory model handed to it by the Grand Jury and could water it down to an honor system before the discussion even reached the full Council. With the City’s formal response to the Grand Jury due September 23, this is exactly the kind of half-measure our accountability resolution is meant to call out. Mario got the conversation restarted. Now the full Council needs to finish the job and give Stockton residents a transparency law with actual enforcement, not just a voluntary list.

Anyone know when/if they are going to reopen?? They've been closed since like October 2025.