IN HER FIRST State of the City address since taking office in January, Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi projected an image of a dynamic City Council that’s getting to work.
“The state of our city is focused, energized and rising,” Fugazi told an audience of hundreds from the flag-adorned stage inside the downtown Adventist Health Arena on Tuesday afternoon. District 4 Councilmember Mario Enriquez even led chants of “We Are Stockton!” from the podium.
It’s been six months since Fugazi took up the mayor’s gavel after beating then-San Joaquin County supervisor Tom Patti in the November election. Since then, the new City Council has overseen steps forward on quality-of-life issues such as broken streetlights, street vendor regulations and widespread smoke shops, while also presiding over significant changes to the structure and staffing of city government.
On Tuesday, Fugazi focused on the city’s accomplishments, including a 45-day moratorium on new smoke shops the City Council passed unanimously in March, and the planned reopening of McKinley Park next week complete with new benches and a new pool and sports area.
The mayor also touted efforts to retain Stockton police officers and firefighters and to repair local levees.
“Together, with the dedication of our City Council, city manager and staff, and most importantly the people, the residents and businesses of Stockton, we have already made significant strides toward a safer, stronger and more vibrant Stockton,” Fugazi said.
Perhaps the issue the mayor stressed most was the city’s efforts to pass its annual budget by the June 30 deadline.
“Under the direction of interim City Manager Steve Colangelo, we are making responsible decisions today to build a stable and prosperous tomorrow,” Fugazi said.
In addition to accomplishments, the City Council has also presided over disruptions in the city’s ranks.
Political shift shakes up City Hall
Just two days after Fugazi and new councilmembers Jason Lee, Mariela Ponce and Enriquez were sworn-in, the City Council forced then-City Manager Harry Black to resign under threat of firing without cause. The City Council replaced Black with former fairground executive and city government rookie Steve Colangelo as interim city manager in a split vote.
Colangelo then hired Lathrop City Manager Steve Salvatore to support him in the role for $11,000 a month.
Starting in January, the countdown to the current budget season was marked by the departures and firings of key financial leaders from their posts, including interim Chief Financial Officer Jay Kapoor and longtime Budget Officer Imelda Arroyo. As of May, the department responsible for the budget — Administrative Services — was missing five leading officials.
In recent weeks, Colangelo and Stockton’s fiscal experts published a proposed budget that included $14 million more in city department expenses than expected revenues, Colangelo wrote in the proposal. The council is currently in discussions about the plan.
“This council will not put us back into bankruptcy,” Fugazi said Tuesday.
Among 10 city employees whom Fugazi and councilmembers honored Tuesday for their behind-the-scenes work was Brandon Sepulveda, the new interim budget officer since Arroyo’s departure.
Sepulveda “(stepped) up during a period of staff shortages,” District 4 Councilmember Mario Enriquez said.
Other employees recognized included Rosie Alvarez, Deputy Director of Public Works; Jeff Vanover, Plant Maintenance Mechanic; Karen Mora, Assistant Director of Human Resources; Lori Green, Senior Library Assistant; Stockton Police Officer Robert Johnson III; Freddie Nixon, Senior Permit Technician; Fire Service Captain Kevin Taylor; Kenneth Blankenship, Supervising Parking Enforcement Officer; and Florence Low, Assistant to the City Manager.
In closing her speech, Fugazi urged the audience to ignore “negative rhetoric” about the city. “We’re all on team Stockton,” she said.
Among the City Council, only District 2 representative Mariela Ponce was absent from the event.
This story originally appeared in Stocktonia.
