THE STOCKTON CITY COUNCIL has unanimously approved a resolution directing city staff to display the Pride flag annually during the first week of June. The measure passed 6-0 without discussion during the consent agenda at the May 13 council meeting. District 2 Councilmember Mariela Ponce was absent.
The resolution also includes a provision to fly the flags of the United States military branches annually on their respective dates of establishment. The policy change was first reviewed by the Stockton City Council’s Legislation and Environmental Committee — a subcommittee tasked with evaluating proposed changes to city policy. In April, this committee received a staff presentation outlining the proposed resolution to display the Pride flag and U.S. military flags annually.
Under the new policy, the Pride flag and military flags will be displayed each year without requiring additional council action. The change aims to standardize flag displays while aligning with the city’s existing flag policy, which treats such commemorations as government speech rather than public expression.
The vote brings resolution to a multi-year debate that has at times divided the council and drawn strong reactions from the community.
In June 2023, the council deadlocked 3-3 on whether to fly the Pride flag at City Hall, resulting in the flag not being raised at the start of Pride Month. The split vote, which came amid tense public comment, centered on differing interpretations of the city’s flag display policy and concerns about politicizing city-owned flagpoles. A week later, the issue returned to the council agenda. This time, a fourth vote in favor broke the deadlock, and the flag was raised later that month.
The vote brings resolution to a multi-year debate that has at times divided the council and drawn strong reactions from the community.
Stockton’s flag policy, adopted in 2019, defines commemorative flags as those marking specific events or causes and allows them to be flown only with council approval. Only councilmembers may sponsor such resolutions. The policy states that city flagpoles are not intended to serve as forums for public expression.
In 2024, the Pride flag was again the subject of disagreement. The council ultimately voted to approve its display, though Mayor Kevin Lincoln, who has consistently opposed using city flagpoles for commemorative causes, dissented. At that time, the flag was flown during the last week of June. The city’s official recognition of Pride Month, marking a policy shift that aims to bring consistency to an issue that has seen years of debate.
With the resolution now in place, the Pride flag will be displayed at City Hall each year during the first week of June, as part of the city’s official observance of Pride Month.
This story originally appeared in Stocktonia.