February 21, 2017
Stockton, CA – The City Council will have its first meeting following the much-publicized showing, earlier in the month. On Feb 7, Tubbs’ constituents called for pending investigations of homicides involving Stockton Police and unarmed Black youth. The most recent incident occurred in August when Colby Friday was shot by Officer David Wells.
Gulwinder Singh, President of the Sikh Temple in Stockton will be recognized with a commendation from the dais. The Sikh Temple of Stockton is North America’s first of its kind. The temple was first constructed in 1912 after Sikhs bought land on South Grant Street and erected one of two buildings that still stand today.
For the consent agenda, the Council will seat new commissioners to various committees.
Community Development:
District 6: James Gorman
Measure A:
District 2: Karl Miller
District 4: Joseph Johnson
District 6: Ernesto Gonzalez
At-large: Dwight Williams
Planning Commission:
District 2: Waquar Rizvi
District 6: Kimberly Warmsley
District 4: Anne Mallett
At-large: D’Adrea Davie
Water Advisory:
District 2: Mark Kendleberger
District 4: Paul Sensibaugh
District 6: Scott Winn
At-large: Phillip Merlo
Other matters requiring Council approval are included for the City Manager. Public works projects that were approved in the Capital Improvement Plan and FY16-17 budget that will benefit Stockton Fire, San Joaquin Council of Governments, and the Animal Shelter.
New Business is filled with appeals from Planning Commission decisions. The Planning Commission has not been uniform in denying alcohol permits, most notably, in the Downtown region. The Planning Commission approved another liquor license to a vacant lot on the corner of El Dorado and Swain, bringing the number of permits to 20. The previous Council Meeting confirmed the denial of Sharma’s Market in Downtown, who was just the 6th active liquor license in his census tract. The lacking uniformity of granting and denying liquor licenses are expected to be brought forward tonight.
Things are known to get heated when appeals to the Planning Commission’s decisions are brought to the Council. Gregg Meath, Sharma’s representation for the appeal, made a sound argument to expose the skewed evidence of the City’s facts, but they were not enough, as the Council still sided with the Downtown Stockton Alliance and the Huddle. It is worth noting that the Huddle was the campaign headquarters for Tubbs’ mayoral campaign.
