Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln gave his first virtual State of the City address recently where he discussed the city’s achievements, gave updates on the COVID-19 pandemic and announced new programs being rolled out.
Lincoln began his address by introducing the seven recipients of the 2021 Key to the City awards who were nominated by the city’s six council members.
Awards were given to Linda Vasquez for her work with veterans and nonprofit organizations, Nancy Lamb for her service through 209 Cares, Dorothy Jones for her advocacy efforts that address systemic racism, Tracie Glaves for contributions with Delta preservation efforts, Zoyla Moreno for her engagement with the city, Dr. Todd Ruhstaller for his leadership through the Haggin Museum for 37 years and the Sikhs for Humanity Organization for serving the community with their pantry and their partnership help with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lincoln then went on to give some updates on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the end of April, Stockton had recorded over 30,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 695 Stockton residents have died, according to the mayor.
He said as of May 1, 53 percent of city residents have received a vaccination.
“We are making progress to vaccinate as many residents as possible,” Lincoln said.
However, on average less than 30 percent of the communities disproportionally impacted by COVID have received a vaccination.
In the city address, Lincoln also announced a new program with Crime Stoppers in response to an increase in violent crimes in the city. The program aims to take illegal guns off the street.
Lincoln closed up the address by discussing one of the larger issues facing the city of Stockton: homelessness.
“To truly solve this crisis, we must take bold actionable steps to mitigate homelessness by addressing its root causes and ultimately bring healing to our unsheltered residents,” Lincoln said.
Lincoln said the mayor’s office partnered with the San Joaquin County Office of Education and software developer CodeStack to design an app capable of integrating with existing homeless management information.
The system will create a registry to help improve services, modify policy and assist a person’s individual needs.
Lincoln concluded his address by telling residents, “The winds of innovation and progress are upon us.”