At its July 8, 2026 regular meeting — the council's first full meeting in Stockton's new City Hall — the Stockton City Council voted 7-0 to approve new labor contracts covering the Stockton Police Officers Association, Stockton Firefighters Local 456, fire management, the Stockton Police Management Association, and a compensation plan for nonunion city workers. The items passed as part of the council's consent agenda, meaning they were approved together with other routine business and were not pulled for separate debate, according to Stocktonia News, which covered the meeting.
The agreements end more than a year in which the city's public safety employees worked without long-term contracts after the previous agreements expired in the summer of 2025, Stocktonia reported. The three labor items are estimated to add roughly $17.5 million to the current fiscal year's city budget.
What the Contracts Include
The police contract runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028 and includes a 6 percent raise in the first year, a 4 percent raise in the second year, and a one-time $2,500 payment, according to Stocktonia's reporting on the item, which cited city documents. The new terms are estimated to add about $9.47 million in costs this fiscal year and $8.13 million next fiscal year.
The firefighters' contract also runs through June 30, 2028 and includes a 6 percent raise in the first year and a 2 percent raise in the second year, with an estimated cost of $4.82 million this fiscal year for the fire unit and fire management combined. The police management and nonunion employee terms are estimated to add about $3.24 million this fiscal year.
The Numbers — July 8 Labor Contracts
- Vote: 7-0, consent agenda, July 8, 2026
- Police contract: July 1, 2025–June 30, 2028; 6% + 4% raises; $2,500 one-time payment
- Fire contract: through June 30, 2028; 6% + 2% raises
- Estimated cost: ~$17.5 million added to current fiscal year budget across all three items
A Grand Jury Report Four Weeks Earlier
The labor votes came roughly four weeks after the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury transmitted its report on the Stockton City Council, titled "Governance in Turmoil," to the presiding and advising judges of the San Joaquin County Superior Court on June 10, 2026. The report states that what began as an investigation into complaints of alleged Brown Act violations "revealed far deeper problems with the business of City governance." It describes "a pattern of repeated conflicts between Council members" and says the council has been marked by "a consistent 4-3 voting division," according to the findings.
The grand jury's report says the city lost "a significant number of experienced and valuable employees at a considerable cost in severance pay" during the period it examined, and that the absence of a permanent city manager for most of 2025 left "a lack of checks and balances that typically define the City Council/City Manager system of governance."
The report also found that the council budgets $500,000 annually to fund city investigations, including those initiated by council members themselves, and that in a typical year $200,000 to $300,000 of that amount is used — but the entire $500,000 was exhausted by the first half of fiscal year 2025-26. The grand jury said it was unable to verify how much of that spending went specifically to council-initiated investigations.
Key Findings — "Governance in Turmoil" (San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury, June 2026)
- Investigation began with complaints of alleged Brown Act violations and expanded into a broader review of council governance
- Council described as marked by "a consistent 4–3 voting division" and public disputes between members
- Cites "executive instability" in the City Manager's office, marked by the sudden resignation of then-City Manager Harry Black and the "controversial appointment" of Interim City Manager Steve Colangelo
- Separately alleges "improper involvement by Council members in personnel matters", which along with "departures from established governance protocols" created "uncertainty and poor morale in multiple City departments"
- The $500,000 annual budget for city-related investigations was fully exhausted by the midpoint of FY 2025-26
- Recommends the council work toward establishing an independent ethics commission, with a goal of operating it by January 2028
- Recommends the council adopt its own campaign contribution limit ordinance by December 31, 2027, citing examples in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles
Business as Usual, on Paper
Whatever friction the grand jury documented among council members, the July 8 vote on labor contracts drew no recorded dissent. All seven councilmembers — Mayor Christina Fugazi, Vice Mayor Jason Lee, and councilmembers Michelle Padilla, Mariela Ponce, Michael Blower, Mario Enriquez, and Brando Villapudua, per the grand jury report's roster of the council — voted together on the consent agenda that included the contracts, according to Stocktonia's reporting.
The report requires the city to respond within 90 days of receipt under state law governing civil grand jury reports. The report also notes that the council has yet to formally respond to findings from the two preceding years' grand jury reports, as required under California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05.
DFP's San Joaquin County Coverage
Dismal Freedom Press tracks San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and city council proceedings across the county's incorporated cities as part of its Politics desk. We file public records requests and follow up on grand jury and civil oversight reports as cities respond to them.