The City of Stockton published its response to a scathing San Joaquin County civil grand jury report on Friday, promising a "governance reset."
The report, released in June, blasted the Stockton City Council for infighting, mistreating city staff, and letting personal politics get in the way of city business.
The city agreed with some of the report's concerns while pushing back on others and laid out a series of proposed reforms it says are intended to change how Stockton City Hall operates. Legally, the city must respond to every finding, whether it agrees or disagrees wholly or partially and explains any disagreement.
Stockton leaders agreed that sustained and public conflict between council members can diminish public confidence and can become a distraction. However, the City did not agree that public disagreement does not necessarily constitute as a governance failure.
The city said it also agrees in part with the report's finding that councilmembers improperly interfered with the duties of city staff.
Under a proposed governance protocol, individual Councilmembers would not be allowed to hire, discipline, threaten or evaluate employees, direct staff to start or stop operational activities, influence procurement or grant-selection outcomes, interfere with personnel investigations or use administrative access for preferential treatment.
The City also proposes a formal process allowing employees to report suspected Council interference without retaliation.
The City is also proposing a framework for an independent Ethics Commission or comparable oversight body. The framework is expected to be publicly available by December 31, 2026, with an operational goal of January 2028.
The proposed body could oversee complaints involving ethics, conflicts of interest, campaign finance, lobbying and open-government issues, as well as investigations and advisory opinions.
Recommendations addressed the infighting between councilmembers, stating that while they are communicating in an official capacity, councilmembers should refrain from "personal attacks and disparaging or demeaning statements directed toward fellow Councilmembers or City employees." While these recommendations have not been implemented, the response notes that once the council adopts the contents of the response, it will be implemented immediately through formalized council standards.
The City notes that it does not accept every characterization outlined in the civil grand jury report but adds it accepts the "larger responsibility identified by the Grand Jury."
The response, posted as part of the City Council meeting scheduled on Tuesday, where council members will review the recommendations, will be discussed by council and open to public comment during that meeting.
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