Stockton Mayor Promotes Community's Growth, Chance For Bright Future
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Stockton city, county and community leaders gathered today to hear the city's goals and accomplishments since electing its new mayor.
Public safety, the economy and education were the focus of this year's Stockton State of the City address.
Ambitious and excited, newly elected Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs wants the next four years to be a time of change.
"The future of Stockton looks like us so, however hard we are willing to work and collaborate and problem-solving that's the future of this community and I'm confident at least with the people I work with the people are really trying to move forward," he said.
The mayor reflected on the last 100 plus days since taking office and says Stockton has shown a lot of progress but there is still a lot of work ahead.
"We spent the last several years dealing with hard crisis, bankruptcy, foreclosure and now we're not perfect but we're turning a page turning upwards," said Tubbs.
The mayor is in talks with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to create mini pitches throughout the city offering people places to play soccer and avoid going down the wrong path.
"We need positive activities for young people to be engaged in and if we can take away any environment that has been, or drawing in gang activity and causing young people to get involved in negativity because of the lack of things to do this will be a great help for our community," said Bob Bivens, president of the NAACP Stockton Branch.
During the address, Mayor Tubbs said he wants to do more for the youth in our community and announced an additional $100,000 for summer youth jobs bringing the total to $200,000 and a chance to help at-risk teens find alternative opportunities.
"Well it certainly gives them the opportunity to be able to be responsible it's sort of a precursor to the real job that they're going to get once they graduate so it will be a tremendous impact on the community and the high school seniors," said Santa Lopez-Minatre, director of admissions for Humphrey's College.