Stockton, California

Stockton, California
City, county seat
City of Stockton
Downtown Stockton waterfront
Official seal of Stockton, California Seal
Nickname(s): "California's Sunrise Seaport", ","Fat City", "Port City", "Mudville", "Brick City"
Motto: "Stockton: All American City!"
Location in San Joaquin County and the state of California
Stockton, California Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Joaquin
Region	San Joaquin Valley
Incorporated	July 23, 1850
Government
• Type	City Manager-Council
• Mayor	Anthony Silva
• City council	Vice Mayor Christina Fugazi Daniel Wright Susan Lofthus Moses Zapien Elbert Holman Michael Tubbs
• City manager	Kurt O. Wilson
• State senator	Cathleen Galgiani (D)
• Assemblymember	Susan Eggman (D)
Area
• City	64.753 sq mi (167.708 km2)
• Land	61.670 sq mi (159.723 km2)
• Water	3.083 sq mi (7.985 km2)  4.76%
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population (July 1, 2014)
• City	302,389
• Rank	1st in San Joaquin County 13th in California 63rd in the United States
• Density	4,700/sq mi (1,800/km2)
• Metro	710,731
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	95202–95207, 95209–95210, 95212
Area code	209
FIPS code	06-75000
GNIS feature IDs	1659872, 2411987
Website	www.stocktongov.com

Stockton is the county seat of San Joaquin County in north−central California. It was founded by Captain Charles Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after Robert F. Stockton. The city is located on the San Joaquin River in northern San Joaquin Valley and has an estimated population of 300,899 people as of 2014. It is the 13th largest city in California and the 63rd largest city in the United States. As a result of regional losses to the economy due to the 2008 financial crisis, Stockton was the second largest city in the U.S. to file for bankruptcy protection. It has been home to the University of the Pacific since 1923.

Geography

Stockton is situated amidst the farmland of California's San Joaquin Valley, a subregion of the Central Valley. In and around Stockton are thousands of miles of waterways, which make up the California Delta.

Interstate 5 and State Route 99, inland California's major north-south highways, pass through the city. State Route 4 and the dredged San Joaquin River connect the city with the San Francisco Bay Area to its west. Stockton and Sacramento are California's only inland sea ports.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city occupies a total area of 64.8 square miles (168 km²), of which 61.7 square miles (160 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) (4.76%) is water.

History

The Miwok Indians lived in the Central Valley among the delta's waterways, using them for food and transportation. The Yokuts Indians also lived along the Calaveras River up into the foothills following the South Fork of the river, what is now the northeast area of the city. At the northern San Joaquin Valley started the Siskiyou Trail, a centuries-old Native American footpath leading through the Sacramento Valley, north over the Cascades, and onward to present-day Oregon.

19th century

Europeans and Americans started to arrive in the area after gold was found in northern California, starting the Gold Rush in 1848. When Captain Charles Maria Weber, a German immigrant, decided to try his hand at gold mining in late 1848, he soon found that supplying gold-seekers was a more profitable venture. As an alien, Weber could not secure a land grant directly, so he formed a partnership with William Gulnae. Born in New York, Gulnae had married a Mexican woman and sworn allegiance to Mexico, which then ruled California. He applied in Weber's place for a land grant of eleven square leagues on the east side of the San Joaquin River.

Weber acquired the Rancho Campo de los Franceses Mexican land grant and founded Stockton in 1849. The area now known as Weber Point is where Captain Weber built the first permanent residence in the San Joaquin Valley.

During the California Gold Rush, Stockton developed as a river port, the hub of roads to the gold settlements in the San Joaquin Valley and northern terminus of the Stockton - Los Angeles Road. During its early years, Stockton was known by several names, including "Tuleburg", "Fat City," and "Mudville". Weber decided on "Stockton" in honor of Commodore Robert F. Stockton. Stockton was the first community in California to have a name that was neither Spanish nor Native American in origin.

Stockton, circa 1860.

The city was officially incorporated on July 23, 1850, by the County Court, and the first city election was held on July 31, 1850. In 1851, the City of Stockton received its charter from the State of California. Early settlers included gold seekers from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, Mexico and Canada. The historical population diversity is reflected in Stockton street names, architecture, numerous ethnic festivals, and in the faces and heritage of a majority of its citizens. In 1870, the Census Bureau reported Stockton's population as 87.6% white and 10.7% Asian. Many Chinese were immigrating to California as workers in these years, especially for the Transcontinental Railroad.

Benjamin Holt settled in Stockton in 1883 and with his three brothers founded the Stockton Wheel Co., and later the Holt Manufacturing Company. On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 1904, Holt successfully tested the first workable track-laying machine, plowing soggy San Joaquin Valley Delta farmland. Company photographer Charles Clements was reported to have observed that the tractor crawled like a caterpillar, and Holt seized on the metaphor. "Caterpillar it is. That’s the name for it!"

20th century

Benjamin Holt (left) with British Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton in Stockton, April 1918. The vehicle on the right is a Holt tractor; on the left is a miniature replica of a British tank.

On April 22, 1918 British Army officer Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton visited Stockton while on a tour of the USA. The British and French armies were using many hundreds of Holt tractors to haul heavy guns and supplies during the World War, and Swinton publicly thanked Benjamin Holt and his workforce for their contribution to the war effort. During 1914 and 1915, Swinton had advocated basing some sort of armored fighting vehicle on Holt's caterpillar tractors, but without success. (Although Britain did develop tanks, they came from a separate source and were not directly derived from Holt machines. After the appearance of tanks on the battlefield, Holt built a prototype, the Gas-electric tank, but it did not enter production.

Main Street, Stockton, California, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views, ca. 1870.

The extensive network of waterways in and around Stockton was fished and navigated by Miwok Indians for centuries. During the California Gold Rush, the San Joaquin River was navigable by ocean-going vessels, making Stockton a natural inland seaport and point of supply and departure for prospective gold-miners. From the mid-19th century onward, Stockton became the region's transportation hub, dealing mainly with agricultural products. By 1931 the Stockton Electric Railroad Company operated forty streetcars over 28 miles of track.

Stockton is the site of the first Sikh temple in the United States; Stockton Gurdwara Sahib opened on October 24, 1912. It was founded by Baba Jawala Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh, successful Punjabi immigrants who farmed and owned 500 acres on the Holt River.

During the Great Depression, the town's canning industry became the battleground of a labor dispute resulting in the Spinach Riot of 1937. In 1933, the port was modernized, and the Stockton Deepwater Channel improving water passage to San Francisco Bay was deepened and completed. This created commercial opportunities that fueled the city's growth. The Rough and Ready Island naval base was established, placing Stockton in a strategic position during the Cold War.

During World War II, the Stockton Assembly Center was built on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, a few blocks from what was then the city center. One of fifteen temporary detention sites run by the Wartime Civilian Control Administration, the center held some 4,200 Japanese Americans removed from their West Coast homes under Executive Order 9066, while they waited for transfer to more permanent and isolated camps in the interior of the country. The center opened on May 10, 1942 and operated until October 17, when the majority of its population was sent to Rohwer, Arkansas. The former incarceration site was named a California Historical Landmark in 1980, and in 1984 a marker was erected at the entrance to the fairgrounds.

In September 1996, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission announced the final closure of Stockton's Naval Reserve Center on Rough and Ready Island. The island's facilities had served as a major communications outpost for submarine activities in the Pacific during the Cold War. The site is slowly being redeveloped as commercial property.

Economic history

The historic Commercial & Savings Bank building, Stockton.

Historically an agricultural community, Stockton's economy has since diversified. These include telecommunications and manufacturing among others.

Stockton is centrally located relative to both San Francisco and Sacramento. Given its location, its proximity to the state and interstate freeway system, and relatively inexpensive land costs, several companies base their regional operations in Stockton.

Construction and public spending

View across Stockton metropolitan airport, 2009.

Beginning in the late 1990s, under the mayorship of Gary Podesto, Stockton had commenced some revitalization projects. Newly built or renovated buildings include the Bob Hope Theater, Regal City Centre Cinemas and IMAX, San Joaquin RTD Downtown Transit Center, Lexington Plaza Waterfront Hotel, Hotel Stockton, Stockton Arena, San Joaquin County Administration Building, and the Stockton Ballpark.

The "sunken parking lot" in front of the Hotel Stockton was transformed in the late 1990s into a public space named "Dean DeCarli Waterfront Square." The area is designed to include a variety of spaces and flexible uses: a sunken plaza, shade structure, numerous trees and planters, stadia seating, bench seating, viewing platforms, a weir at the west end, and a cascading waterfall at the east end. DeCarli Square has become a popular urban place hosting music, art and religious events, festivals, Farmers Markets, and social gatherings.

A new Downtown Marina and adjacent Joan Darah Promenade were added along the South Shore of the Stockton Deep Water Channel during 2009. Various public art projects were also installed throughout the area (see Stockton's public art section).

Other projects under consideration by the city council as of January 2009 include South Shore housing, the revitalization of the Robert J. Cabral Train Station neighborhood, bridges across the Stockton Deep Water Channel, and a new San Joaquin County Court House.

Real estate bubble

The Stockton real estate market was disproportionately affected by the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis, and the city led the United States in foreclosures for that year, with one of every 30 homes posted for foreclosure. From September 2006 to September 2007, the value of a median-priced house in Stockton declined by 44%.

Stockton's Weston Ranch neighborhood, a subdivision of modest tract homes built in the mid-1990s, had the worst foreclosure rate in the area according to ACORN, a national advocacy group for low and moderate-income families. Stockton found itself squarely at the center of the United States' speculative housing bubble in the 2000s. Real estate in Stockton more than tripled in value between 1998 and 2005, but when the bubble burst in 2007, the ensuing financial crisis made Stockton one of the hardest-hit cities in United States.

Stockton housing prices fell 39% in the 2008 fiscal year, and the city had the country's highest foreclosure rate (9.5%) as well. Because of the shrinking economy, Stockton also had an unemployment rate of 13.3% in 2008, one of the highest in the United States. Stockton was rated by Forbes in 2009 as America's fifth most dangerous city because of its crime rate. In 2010, mainly due to the aforementioned factors, Forbes named it one of the top three worst places to live.

City bankruptcy

Following regional losses to the economy due to the 2008 financial crisis, in July 2012, Stockton became the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy protection. It was surpassed by Detroit in July 2013. The city approved a plan to exit bankruptcy in October 2013, and voters approved a sales tax on November 5, 2013 to help fund the exit.

The collapse in real estate valuations had a negative effect on the city's revenue base. On June 28, 2012, Stockton filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. On April 1, 2013, a federal judge accepted the bankruptcy application. On April 1, 2013, Judge Christopher M. Klein,United States Bankruptcy Court Easter District of California, Sacramento Division, ruled that Stockton was eligible for bankruptcy protection.

The Stockton bankruptcy case has lasted more than two years and received nationwide attention. While there are many possible factors that led to the Chapter 9 filing including the real estate crash and failed city projects, Stockton is being watched along with Detroit to see whether a Federal judge will override State law and rule that pensions for municipal employees could be at risk. At issue are the contractual obligations to CalPERS that cities throughout California have undertaken. CalPERS receives special protection from the California state constitution.

On October 4, 2013, Stockton City Council approved a bankruptcy exit plan by a six-zero vote to be filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento. Voters approved a 3/4-cent sales tax which would help fund the bankruptcy exit on November 5, 2013.

If Federal courts rule on this aspect of the bankruptcy exit plan it could set a precedent for a state with one of the largest municipal bond markets in the country. According to the US constitution and laws passed by the US Congress all bankruptcies in the US are administered by Federal courts according to Federal law with some allowances for State law.

On October 30, 2014, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the city's bankruptcy recovery plan, thus allowing the city to continue with the planned pension payments to retired workers.

Climate

Stockton in relation to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.

Stockton has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa), with hot, dry summers and mild winters. In an average year, about 80% of the 13.8 inches (351 mm) of precipitation falls from October through April. Located in the Central Valley, the temperatures range is much greater than in the nearby Bay Area. Tule fog blankets the area during some winter days. Stockton lies in the fertile heart of the California Mediterranean climate prairie delta, about equidistant from the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Nevada.

At the airport, the highest recorded temperature was 115 °F (46 °C) on July 23, 2006, and the lowest was 16 °F (−9 °C) on Jan. 11, 1949. There are an average of 82 days annually with high temperatures of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher, and 18 of 100 °F (37.8 °C) or above; 19 days see low temperatures at or below freezing. The wettest year was 1983 with 26.65 inches (677 mm) and the lowest year was 1976 with 5.6 inches (140 mm).

The most rainfall in one month was 8.22 inches (209 mm) in February 1998 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.01 inches (76 mm) on Jan. 21, 1967. There are an average of 55 days with measurable precipitation. Only light amounts of snow have been recorded; the most was 0.3 inches (7.6 mm) in February 1976.

Climate data for Stockton, California (Stockton Metropolitan Airport), 1981–2010 normals
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	53.9 (12.2)	60.7 (15.9)	66.3 (19.1)	72.6 (22.6)	81.1 (27.3)	88.1 (31.2)	93.4 (34.1)	92.2 (33.4)	87.9 (31.1)	77.9 (25.5)	64.1 (17.8)	53.9 (12.2)	74.34 (23.53)
Average low °F (°C)	37.7 (3.2)	40.2 (4.6)	42.8 (6)	45.9 (7.7)	51.6 (10.9)	56.8 (13.8)	60.0 (15.6)	59.2 (15.1)	56.5 (13.6)	49.7 (9.8)	41.9 (5.5)	37.2 (2.9)	48.29 (9.06)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.74 (69.6)	2.54 (64.5)	2.12 (53.8)	0.98 (24.9)	0.53 (13.5)	0.08 (2)	0 (0)	0.01 (0.3)	0.29 (7.4)	0.81 (20.6)	1.69 (42.9)	2.22 (56.4)	14.03 (356.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	9.5	9.2	8.9	5.0	2.7	1.0	0.2	0.2	1.1	3.3	6.8	9.0	56.9
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	3,679		—
1870	10,066		173.6%
1880	10,282		2.1%
1890	14,424		40.3%
1900	17,506		21.4%
1910	23,253		32.8%
1920	40,296		73.3%
1930	47,963		19.0%
1940	54,714		14.1%
1950	70,853		29.5%
1960	86,321		21.8%
1970	109,963		27.4%
1980	148,283		34.8%
1990	210,943		42.3%
2000	243,771		15.6%
2010	291,707		19.7%
Est. 2014	302,389		3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 US Census

The 2010 United States Census reported that Stockton had a population of 291,707. The population density was 4,505.0 people per square mile (1,739.4/km²). The racial makeup of Stockton was 108,044 (37.0%) White, 35,548 (12.2%) African American, 3,086 (1.1%) Native American, 62,716 (21.5%) Asian (7.2% Filipino, 3.5% Cambodian, 2.1% Vietnamese, 2.0% Hmong, 1.8% Chinese, 1.6% Indian, 1.0% Laotian, 0.6% Pakistani, 0.5% Japanese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Thai), 1,822 (0.6%) Pacific Islander (0.2% Fijian, 0.2% Samoan, 0.1% Tongan, 0.1% Guamanian), 60,332 (20.7%) from other races, and 20,159 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 117,590 persons (40.3%). 35.7% of Stockton's population is of Mexican descent, and 0.6% Puerto Rican. Non-Hispanic Whites were 22.9% of the population in 2010, down from 57.1% in 1980.

The Census reported that 285,973 people (98.0% of the population) lived in households, 3,896 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,838 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 90,605 households, out of which 41,033 (45.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41,481 (45.8%) were heterosexual married couples living together, 17,140 (18.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 7,157 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 7,123 (7.9%) unmarried heterosexual partnerships, and 720 (0.8%) same-sex married or registered domestic partnerships. 19,484 households (21.5%) were made up of individuals and 7,185 (7.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16. There were 65,778 families (72.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.69.

The population was spread out with 87,338 people (29.9%) under the age of 18, 34,126 people (11.7%) aged 18 to 24, 76,691 people (26.3%) aged 25 to 44, 64,300 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 29,252 people (10.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.8 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

There were 99,637 housing units at an average density of 1,538.7 per square mile (594.1/km²), of which 46,738 (51.6%) were owner-occupied, and 43,867 (48.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%. 146,235 people (50.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 139,738 people (47.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000 US Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 243,771 people, 78,556 households, and 56,167 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,720.4/km² (4,455.7/mi²). There were 82,042 housing units at an average density of 579.0/km² (1,499.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.26% White, 11.25% African American, 1.12% Native American, 19.90% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 17.31% from other races, and 6.76% from two or more races. 32.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 78,556 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.59.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,453, and the median income for a family was $40,434. Males had a median income of $35,181 versus $26,602 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,405. 23.9% of the population and 18.9% of families were below the poverty line. 32.8% of those under the age of 18 and 11.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Negative rankings

Due to a number of socio-economic problems, Stockton has been subject to a series of negative national rankings:

• In a 2010 Gallup poll, Stockton was tied with Montgomery, Alabama for the most obese metro area in the US with an obesity rate of 34.6 percent.
• In the February 2012 issue of Forbes, the magazine ranked Stockton the eighth most miserable US city, largely as a result of the steep drop in home values and high unemployment.
• In 2012 the National Insurance Crime Bureau ranked Stockton seventh in auto theft rate per capita in the US.
• In 2012, Stockton was ranked as the tenth most dangerous city in America and the second most dangerous in California (behind Oakland).
• In 2013, Stockton was ranked as the third least literate city in the U.S. in a study by Central Connecticut State University, with less than 17% of adults holding a college degree, and ABC.com ranked the city as the third least literate of all U.S. cities with a population of more than 250,000 behind Bakersfield, California, and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Top employers

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	San Joaquin County	5,938
2	Stockton Unified School District	4,000
3	St. Joseph’s Medical Center	2,230
4	OG Packing	2,001
5	California Division of Juvenile Justice	1,492
6	Diamond Foods	1,467
7	City of Stockton	1,425
8	Dameron Hospital	1,200
9	North California Youth Center	1,000
10	University of the Pacific	966

Culture

Performing arts

The Fox California Theater.

Music

• Stockton Symphony is the third-oldest professional orchestra in California (founded in 1926), after the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
• University of the Pacific is known for its music conservatory and for being the home of the Brubeck Institute, named after Dave Brubeck, a Pacific alumnus and jazz piano legend. The institute maintains an archive of Brubeck's work and offers a fellowship program for young musicians. The Brubeck Institute Jazz Quartet is composed of Pacific students and tours widely.
• San Joaquin Delta College has a growing jazz program and is home to several official and unofficial jazz bands composed of Delta and Pacific students and faculty. Christian Life College offers Associate and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Christian Music.

Stockton hosts several live music venues, including:

• Stockton Arena, which is home to several sports teams, and has hosted nationally known entertainers such as Gwen Stefani, Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne, Josh Groban, Carrie Underwood and Bob Dylan. The annual Apollo Night talent show draws about 1,500 people to the Stockton Civic Memorial Auditorium (1925) to watch performances by aspiring Northern California musicians.

Theatre

The Bob Hope Theatre, formerly known as the Fox California Theatre in downtown Stockton, built in 1930, is one of several movie palaces in the Central Valley. Bob Hope often came to Stockton to visit close friend and billionaire tycoon Alex Spanos, who donated much of the money to revitalize the theater after Hope's death. The University of the Pacific Faye Spanos Concert Hall often hosts public performances, as does the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium. The Warren Atherton Auditorium at the Delta Center for the Arts on the campus of the San Joaquin Delta College is a 1,456-seat theater with a 60-foot (18 m) proscenium and full grid system. The Stockton Empire Theater is an art deco movie theater that has been revitalized as a venue for live music.

Founded in 1951, the Stockton Civic Theatre offers an annual series of musicals, comedies and dramas. It maintains a 300-seat theater in the Venetian Bridges neighborhood. The company also hosts the annual Willie awards for the local performing arts.

Other performing arts organizations and venues include:

• Stockton Opera
• Faye Spanos Concert Hall at the University of the Pacific
• Tillie Lewis Theatre at the Community Delta College
• KUDOS Children's Theatre
• Stockton School of Performing Arts
• Stockton Ballet School
• New Dance Company
• Jagged Lines of Imagination Academy
• Stockton Bukkyo Taiko (a Japanese drumming group affiliated with the Stockton Buddhist Temple)

Visual arts

Museums and galleries

Stockton is home to several museums.

• Haggin Museum — the city operated fine arts and history museum was built in Victory Park in 1931. The museum displays 19th and 20th-century works of art and houses local historical exhibits. Stockton boomed as one of the largest cities in California, the third-largest during the years of the Gold Rush and latter 19th century. The Haggin Museum features collections and exhibits related to local Valley history and California history.

In addition to its history galleries, the Haggin Museum displays fine art of late 19th and early 20th century artists such as Jean Béraud, Albert Bierstadt, Rosa Bonheur, William Bouguereau, Paul Gauguin, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Childe Hassam, George Inness, Daniel Ridgway Knight, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jehan-Georges Vibert, and Jules Worms. It also hosts temporary touring exhibitions.owns important works by late 19th and early 20th century artists. Notable among them are paintings by Albert Bierstadt, whose interpretations of the natural grandeur of the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite Valley, and other California landscapes are internationally renowned .

• Reynolds Gallery, and Horton Gallery — the University of the Pacific Reynolds Gallery, and the San Joaquin Delta College Horton Gallery, both feature contemporary work by students and local and nationally known artists.
• Children's Museum of Stockton — housed in a former warehouse in the Downtown Waterfront District, featuring many interactive displays.
• Elsie May Goodwin Gallery — operated by the Stockton Art League.
• Filipino American National Historical Society had proposed the construction of the National Pinoy Museum in the Little Manila district. The museum would be dedicated to the history of Filipino Americans. Stockton historically had one of the largest populations of Filipino immigrants and U.S. citizens in the United States. In 2015, the museum opened after two decades of planning.
• Tidewater Art Gallery — featuring the works of local artists
• Stockton Field Aviation Museum — sponsored by the Aeronautical Education Foundation, featuring WWII era memorabilia.
• Murals — depicting the city's history decorate the exteriors of many downtown buildings.

Stockton Arts Commission

The Stockton Arts Commission, a division of city government, oversees a city endowment fund that provides grants to local artists and arts and cultural organizations. It sponsors the annual arts awards, a writing contest and the arts and crafts show at the Asparagus Festival. The commission also serves as an advocate and information clearinghouse for the arts and cultural community.

Stockton public art projects include:

• Kinetic sculptures on the South and North Shores of the Stockton Channel, Downtown (2008–2009); “Airbourne”—a 32-foot-high (9.8 m) kinetic sculpture, brushed stainless steel, at the North Point by Moto Ohtake, Santa Cruz; A group of five stainless steel and aluminum kinetic sculptures on the South Point by Mark White, Santa Fe, NM.
• Stainless steel and bronze images imbedded in the Downtown Stockton walkways (2004–2009)—designed and installed by Dan Snyder, Berkeley. Stockton’s first public/private public art partnership commissioned by Guaranty Bank, Weber Avenue, Hunter Street, San Joaquin Street, and Downtown Marina.
• Water creature elements incorporated in stair railings, bicycle racks, and light poles (2009)—designed by Wayne Chabre, Walla Walla, WA, Downtown Marina.
• Stockton Rising (2006)—a concrete with bronze sculpture by Scott Donahue between the Stockton Arena and the Lexington Plaza Hotel.
• Stockton Arena parking garage entryway feature (2005)—a collage by Napa artist Gordon Huether featuring 22,000 Mattell toy cars, Fremont Street.
• Ed Coy Garage Installation (2005)—medallions and a LED lit column by David Griggs on the Edward "Ed" Coy Garage, N. Hunter Street.
• Downtown's Maintenance Hole Covers (2004)—by local artist Molly Toberer. The covers depict 17 unique designs representing topics such as Work, Taste Grow, Invent and others. The designs carry unique aesthetic legacy of the American 1930’s style.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Statue (2004)—a bronze statue by Rafael Arrieta-Eskarzaga on the east side of the MLK Square, El Dorado Street.
• Memorial to Mexican Braceros (2002)—bronze, cement and masonry sculpture by Rafael Arrieta-Eskarzaga, McLeods Park, Fremont Street.
• Fire Fighter Memorial (1998)—a bronze sculpture, McLeods Park, Fremont Street.
• Ethnic Diversity Sculpture (1989)—a sculpted concrete post by Eric Lee on the corner of San Joaquin Street and Weber Avenue.
• Confucius Monument—13 and a half foot high pagoda-like monument of red and green tile was a gift to the City of Stockton from the Chinese Community for the bi-centennial celebration.

In 2005, the Downtown Stockton Alliance began sponsoring a monthly art walk during the summer. The event features local artists exhibiting their work at downtown businesses and galleries as well as in some otherwise vacant storefronts. Musicians also perform throughout downtown as part of the event.

With over 77,000 trees, the City of Stockton has been labeled Tree City USA some 30 times according to Arborday.org.

Stockton has over 275 restaurants ranging in variety reflective to the population demographics. A mix of American, African American, BBQ, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Greek, Italian, Mexican and Vietnamese restaurants are abundant in the community reflecting the cities' diverse culture. Cantonese restaurant On Lock Sam still exists and dates back to 1895.

Festivals

Stockton hosts many annual festivals celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the city, they include:

• San Joaquin Children's Film Festival
• San Joaquin International Film Festival (February)
• Chinese New Year's Parade and Festival (February/March)
• St. Patrick's Day and Shamrock Run (March)
• Great Stockton Asparagus Dine Out (April)
• Stockton Asparagus Festival — annual Asparagus food festival (April)
• Brubeck Jazz Festival (April)
• Earth Day Festival (April)
• Cambodian New Year (April)
• Annual Nagar Kirtan, Sikh Parade (April)
• Boat Parade for the Opening of Yachting Season (April)
• Cinco de Mayo Parade and Festival (May)
• Zion Academy's Reclaim (May)
• Jewish Food Fair (June)
• Juneteenth Day Celebration (June)
• Stockton Obon Bazaar (July)
• Colombian Independence Day Festival (July)
• Taste of San Joaquin and West Coast BBQ Championships
• Filipino Barrio Fiesta (August)
• Stockton Beer Week (August)
• Stockton Pride (August)
• Christian Spirit Festival (September)
• The Record's Family Day at the Park (Sept)
• Stockton Restaurant Week (September)
• Black Family Day (September)
• San Joaquin County Coastal Cleanup Day (September)
• Greek Festival (September) First weekend after Labor Day
• Festa Italiana: Tutti In Piazza (September)
• Stocktoberfest, Beer and Brats Festival on the Waterfront (October)
• Hmong New Year (November)
• Stockton Festival of Lights and Boat Parade (December)

Shopping

The city of Stockton has two shopping malls, located adjacent to each other: Weberstown Mall and Sherwood Mall.

Sports

Stockton is home to several minor league franchises:

• Stockton Heat—(AHL hockey team; affiliate of the Calgary Flames)
• Stockton Ports—(High-A California League baseball team; affiliate of the Oakland Athletics)

The Stockton Ports Baseball Team play their home games at Banner Island Ballpark, a 5,000 seat facility built for the team in downtown Stockton. The Ports played their home games at Billy Hebert Field from 1953-2004. The Ports have been a single A team in Stockton since 1946 in the California Minor Leagues. Stockton has minor league baseball dating back to 1886. The Ports have produced 244 Major League players including Gary Sheffield, Dan Plesac, Doug Jones, Pat Listach, and Stockton's own Dallas Braden among others. The Ports have eleven championships and are currently the A class team for the Oakland Athletics. The Ports had the best win-loss percentage in all Minor League Baseball in the 1980s.

A 10,000 seat arena, Stockton Arena, located in Downtown Stockton, opened in December 2005 and was the home of the Stockton Thunder professional hockey team (ECHL) for 10 years. The team has moved to the East Coast in a realignment of the American Hockey League and the Arena is now the home of the Stockton Heat, a venture and affiliate of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.

Stockton is home to the oldest NASCAR certified race track West of the Mississippi. The Stockton 99 Speedway opened in 1947 and is a quarter mile oval paved track with grandstands that can accommodate 5,000 spectators.

Stockton's designation for Little League Baseball is District 8, which has 12 leagues of teams within the city. Stockton also has several softball leagues including Stockton Girls Softball Association, and Port City Softball League, each having several hundred members.

Rowing Regatta featuring Junior, Collegiate and Master Level Rowing & Sculling Competition is organized by the University of the Pacific annually on the Stockton's Deep Water Channel. Teams from throughout Northern California compete in this Olympic sport which is also the oldest collegiate sport in the United States.

Stockton hosts a wide variety of sports events every year: from resident hockey, baseball and soccer games through basketball at the University of the Pacific and at the Stockton Arena; golf championships at two 18-hole courses and a Par 3 Executive Course; rowing, sailing and fishing on the Delta and the Stockton Channel; martial arts and cage fighting. There are four public golf courses open year round, Van Buskirk, Swenson, and The Reserve at Spanos Park and Elkhorn Golf Course. Private courses include The Stockton Golf & Country Club, Oakmoore, and Brookside Golf & Country Club.

Stockton is one of a handful of cities that lays claim to being the inspiration for Casey at the Bat. The University of the Pacific was the summer home of the San Francisco 49ers Summer Training Camp from 1998 through 2002.

Stockton also is the base of UFC fighters Nick and Nate Diaz, Nick being one of the top welterweights in the UFC and the former WEC and Strikeforce Welterweight champion and Nate currently one of the top UFC lightweights. Both brothers are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts under Cesar Gracie and operate a school in Stockton which teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu to children and youth.

Parks

Pixie Woods

The City of Stockton has a small children's amusement park, Pixie Woods. Pixie Woods opened in 1954 and has since received more than one million visitors.

City government

See also: Government of San Joaquin County, California

As of January 1, 2013, the current mayor of Stockton is Anthony Silva.

City council

The City Council consists of the following members as of January 1, 2013:

• Anthony Silva—Mayor
• Elbert Holman—District 1
• Katherine Miller—District 2
• Paul Canepa—District 3, Vice Mayor
• Moses Zapien—District 4
• Dyane Burgos Medina—District 5
• Michael Tubbs—District 6

The current form of government is a city manager council:

City Department	Director
City Manager	Kurt Wilson
Deputy City Managers	Laurie K. Montes Scott Carney
Administrative Director/CFO	Vanessa Burke
Director Community Development	Steve Chase
Director Human Resources	Teresia Haase
Director Municipal Utilities	Mel Lytle
Director Community Services/Library Services	(Interim) Craig Bronzan
Director Public Works	Gordon Mackay
Fire Chief	Jeff Piechura
Police Chief	Eric Jones
Director of Economic Development	Micah Runner

Stockton is also part of San Joaquin County, for which the government of San Joaquin County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution and law as a general law county. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. The County government is primarily composed of the elected five-member Board of Supervisors and other elected offices including the Sheriff, District Attorney, and Assessor, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Administrator.

Police department

18th century history

The Stockton Police Department was founded on August 14, 1850. The first chief of police was City Marshal W. W. Willoughby. The city marshal was authorized to hire no more than 20 men as day and night policemen. He was required to structure his department with a police captain, an assistant captain and two sergeants. The first station house was located on the corner of Center Street and Market Street. In February 1861, the city council created the position of Chief of Police. His annual salary was $900 and the chief would be elected by the public. On May 6, 1862, George E. Taber was elected the first Chief of Police for the city of Stockton.

In 1886 Stockton police officers were required to wear blue uniforms and a six-point star badge. In October 1889 a new uniform was decided upon by the chief. The uniform frock coat worn by Oakland police officers was cost around $50 or $60 each. The San Francisco style star was chosen as the badge and was made of silver. Each badge cost $5.

By 1907 the department had grown to 18 members, which included the chief, officers and clerks. The population was around 25,000 and the police department handled about 600 cases per year. In 1908 the chief required all police officers to appear for a day of field efficiency testing; this included each officer running 100 yards and a 50-yard revolver practice.

Modern history

On March 1, 2012 Eric Jones was sworn in as Chief of Police. The city cut its police force by more than 20% during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, but voters approved a sales tax on November 5, 2013 that provided funds to hire an additional 120 police officers.

Crime

Amtrak Police cars at the Stockton – San Joaquin Street Station in Stockton, 2012.

Stockton has a reputation being a dangerous place to live. In 2012, the City of Stockton was the 10th most dangerous city in America, reporting 1,417 violent crimes per 100,000 persons, well above the national average, and 22 murders per 100,000 (above the average of 4.7). In 2013, violent crime lessened to 1,230.3 crimes per 100,000 population, making it 19th on the list of the most dangerous cities. Stockton has experienced a high rate of violent crime, reaching a record high of 71 homicides in 2012 before dropping to 32 for all of 2013.

Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones credited 2013’s drop in the murder rate to Operation Ceasefire, a gun violence intervention strategy pioneered in Boston and implemented in Stockton in 2012, combined with a federal gun and narcotics operation.

Cleveland Elementary School shooting

Main article: Cleveland Elementary School shooting (Stockton)

On January 17, 1989, the Stockton Police Department received a threat against Cleveland Elementary School from an unknown person. Later that day, Patrick Purdy, who was later found to be mentally ill, opened fire on the school's playground with a semi-automatic rifle, killing five children, all Cambodian or Vietnamese refugees, and wounding 29 others, and a teacher, before taking his own life. The Cleveland Elementary School shooting received national news coverage and is sometimes referred to as the Cleveland School massacre.

Then-Mayor Barbara Fass' subsequent work on gun control received national attention and sparked nationwide efforts that sought to ban semi-automatic rifles like the one used in the shooting.

Fire department

Up until 2011, The Stockton Fire Department (SFD) was one of only sixty Class 1 Fire Departments in the United States, the highest rating attainable, from the Insurance Services Office, and has held this distinguished title since 1971. The Fire Department currently holds a Class 3 rating due to the reduction of daily Fire Department staffing levels by 25% and the closure of Firehouse 1 and Truck 4. The SFD consists of 12 firehouses that includes 12 Engine Companies and 3 Truck Companies. In 2013 the Fire Department responded to over 38,000 emergency calls for service.

Public finances

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city reported a significant deficit with US$443.9 million in revenue and US$485.4 million in expenditures. The report cited US$1,903.5 million in total assets and US$679.9 million in total liabilities, with $203.5 million in cash and investments.

Former Fairfield, California City Manager Kevin O'Rouke was hired as Interim City Manager after the retirement of Palmer, until the Stockton City Council announced that former County of Sonoma Administrator Bob Deis as permanent replacement and who assumed the position in July 2010. Dies had a difficult time while City Manager. He called the last three years and four months an “interesting ride,” making unpopular decisions but was praised by some critics. Deis retired to Santa Rosa, CA. The city council appointed former Deputy City Manager Kurt O. Wilson as interim City Manager in November 1, 2013, and he was made City Manager in January 2014.

Education

Primary and secondary

Burns Tower on the University of the Pacific campus.

Stockton is part of four public school districts: Stockton Unified School District, Lincoln Unified School District, Lodi Unified School District, and Manteca Unified School District. There are more than 40 private elementary and secondary schools, including Saint Mary's High School. Stockton is also home to public charter school systems including Aspire Public Schools, Stockton Collegiate and Venture Academy.

Post-secondary

The University of the Pacific moved to Stockton in 1924 from San Jose. The university is the only private school in the United States with less than 10,000 students enrolled that offers eight different professional schools. It also offers a large number of degree programs relative to its student population. The men's Pacific Tigers basketball team has been in NCAA Tournament nine times. The Tigers have played their home games at the Alex G. Spanos Center since 1982, prior to that playing at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium since 1952. The campus has been used in the filming of a number of Hollywood films (see below), partly due to its likeness to East Coast Ivy League universities.

Also located in Stockton are:

• National University (the second largest private university in the state);
• San Joaquin Delta College, features Distance Learning Education and Internet Classes. Additional sites are being set up to expand access to education in distant locations;
• California State University, Stanislaus established a Stockton campus on the grounds of the former Stockton State Hospital. The hospital was the first state mental institution in California;
• Humphreys College and School of Law (which has its main campus in Stockton and a branch campus in Modesto, California),
• Heald College;
• Kaplan College of Stockton;
• Christian Life College is a private four-year Bible college offering Associate and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Bible and Theology or Christian Music;
• MTI Business College;
• UEI College

Transportation

Stockton is centrally located with access to:

• Port of Stockton — an international deep-water port.
• Amtrak railroad system
• intrastate and interstate freeway systems.
• Stockton Metropolitan Airport

Roads and railways

An Amtrak station in Stockton.

Due to its location at the "crossroads" of the Central Valley and a relatively extensive highway system, Stockton is easily accessible from virtually anywhere in California. Interstate 5 and State Route 99, California's major north-south thoroughfares, pass through the city limits. The east-west highway State Route 4 also passes through the city, providing access to the San Francisco Bay Area as well as the Sierra Nevada and its foothills. Stockton is the western terminus of State Route 26 and State Route 88, which extends to the Nevada border. In addition, Stockton is within an hour of Interstate 80, Interstate 205 and Interstate 580.

Stockton is served by San Joaquin Regional Transit District

Stockton is also connected to the rest of the nation through a network of railways. Amtrak and Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) both make stops in Stockton, with Amtrak providing passenger access to the rest of the nation. Union Pacific and BNSF Railway, the two largest railroad networks in North America both service Stockton and its port via connections with the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad and Central California Traction Company, who provide local and interconnecting services between the various rail lines. Recently, BNSF Railway opened a much needed $150 million intermodal freight transport facility in southeast Stockton, which satisfies long-haul transportation needs.

Air

Stockton Metropolitan Airport, 2006.

Stockton is served by Stockton Metropolitan Airport, located on county land just south of city limits. The airport has been designated a Foreign Trade Zone and is mainly used by manufacturing and agricultural companies for shipping purposes. Since airline deregulation, passenger service has come and gone several times. Domestic service resumed on June 16, 2006 with service to Las Vegas by Allegiant Air. The days of service/number of flights were expanded a few months later due to demand. Air service to Phoenix began in September 2007, but this has since been discontinued.

On July 1, 2010, Allegiant Air implemented non-stop service to and from Long Beach, California. With respect to international service, in 2006 Aeromexico had plans to provide flights to and from Guadalajara, Mexico, but the airport's plan to build a customs station at the airport was initially rejected by the customs service. However, the possibility of building this station is currently a continuing matter of negotiation between the airport and the customs service, and Aeromexico has indicated a continuing interest in eventually providing service. Ground transportation is available from Hertz, Enterprise, Yellow Cab and Aurora Limousine.

Seaport

The Port of Stockton is a fully operating seaport approximately 75 nautical miles (86 mi; 139 km) east of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Set on the San Joaquin River, the port operates a 4,200 acres (17 km²) transportation center with berthing space for 17 vessels up to 900 ft in length. As of 2014, the Port of Stockton had 136 tenants and is served by BNSF & UP Railroads. The port also includes 1.1 million square feet (102,000 m²) of dockside transit sheds and shipside rail track and 7.7 million square feet (715,000 m²) of warehousing.

Adjacent to the port is Rough and Ready Island, which served as a World War II–era naval supply base until it was decommissioned during the Base Realignment and Closure process in 1995.

Media

Periodicals

Daily periodicals

• The Record is a daily newspaper

Weekly periodicals

• Bilingual Weekly News publishes a weekly newspaper, in both Spanish and English

Monthly periodicals

• Artifact is a San Joaquin Delta College periodical based in Stockton since December 2006. Writing in all genres, photography and visual media by students, staff and faculty as well as community members are accepted.
• Caravan is a local community arts and events monthly tabloid.
• Poets' Espresso Review is a periodical that has been based in Stockton, mostly distributed by mail, since summer of 2005.
• San Joaquin Magazine is a regional lifestyle magazine covering Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, and Manteca.
• The Central Valley Business Journal is a monthly business tabloid.
• The Downtowner is a free monthly guide to downtown Stockton's events, commerce, real estate, and other cultural and community happenings.

Radio broadcast stations

AM stations

• KCVR 1570: Spanish Adult Hits
• KWG 1230: Catholic, switched formats to News/talk. One of California's oldest running AM radio stations.
• KWSX 1280: Rock and Roll simulcast of KMRQ 96.7 Manteca

In addition, several radio stations from nearby San Francisco, Sacramento and Modesto are receivable in Stockton.

FM stations

• KJOY 99.3: Lite Rock
• KMIX 100.9: Regional Mexican
• KQOD 100.1: Rhythmic Oldies
• KLVS 107.3: Christian
• KATM 103.3: Country
• KUOP 91.3: (Capital Public Radio NPR affiliate)News/Talk and Jazz
• KWIN 97.7: Urban Contemporary
• KHOP 95.1: Rhythmic Contemporary
• KYCC 90.1: Christian
• KLOVE 89.7: Christian
• KRXQ 98.5: Alternative Rock
• The Hawk 104.1: Classic Rock
• KQED-FM 88.5: (NPR affiliate)News/Talk
• KWDC LP 93.5: (NPR) News/Talk and Music Varieties

Television stations

As part of the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto television market, Stockton is primarily served by stations based in Sacramento, but may carry some San Francisco Bay area television stations' airwaves. These are listed below, with the city of license in bold:

• KCRA Channel 3 (NBC affiliate) Sacramento
• KCSO-LD Channel 33 (Telemundo affiliate) Sacramento
• KMAX Channel 31 (The CW O&O) Sacramento
• KOVR Channel 13 (CBS O&O) Stockton
• KQCA Channel 58 (My Network TV affiliate) Sacramento
• KTFK-DT Channel 64 (TeleFutura affiliate) Stockton
• KTNC Channel 42 (Estrella TV affiliate) Concord
• KTXL Channel 40 (Fox affiliate) Sacramento
• KUVS Channel 19 (Univision affiliate) Modesto
• KVIE Channel 6 (PBS affiliate) Sacramento
• KXTV Channel 10 (ABC affiliate) Sacramento
• KSPX-TV Channel 29 (ION Media Networks affiliate) Sacramento
• KRON Channel 4 (My Network TV affiliate) San Francisco
• KQED Channel 9 (PBS affiliate) San Francisco

In popular culture

Comics

• Stan Lee named Stockton the birthplace of the Fantastic Four in 1986, after Joe Field successfully petitioned Marvel Comics to change it from the fictional "Central City".

Films

A number of motion pictures have been filmed in Stockton. Over the years, filmmakers have used Stockton's waterways to stand in for the Mississippi delta, the surrounding farmland as the American plains and Midwest, and Pacific's campus as an Ivy League college. Some of the movies filmed in Stockton include:

• All the King's Men (1949)
• Always (1989)
• Are We There Yet (1985 film) (1985)
• Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
• The Big Country (1958)
• Big Stan (2007)
• Bird (1988)
• Blind Man Sees First
• Blood Alley (1955)
• Bound for Glory (1976)
• BroadCasting Sunshine: Am in the Am (2010)
• Cape Fear (1962)
• Coast to Coast (1980)
• Cool Hand Luke (1967)
• Coyote (1997)
• Day of Independence (2003)
• Dead Man on Campus (1998)
• Death Machines (1976)
• Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974).
• Dreamscape (1984)
• Fat City (1972), based on Leonard Gardner's acclaimed 1969 novel Fat City. It is set in Stockton in the late 1950s, and was filmed by director John Huston.
• Flubber (1997)
• Friendly Fire (1979)
• Funky Fresh
• Glory Days (1988)
• God's Little Acre (1958)
• High Time (1960)
• Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
• More American Graffiti (1979)
• Oklahoma Crude (1973)
• Porgy and Bess (1959)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Rampage (1988)
• Return Fire/Jungle Wolf II (1988)
• R.P.M. (1970)

• The Sure Thing (1985)
• Valentino's Return (1989)
• The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)

Television

• The 1960s Western TV series The Big Valley was set just outside Stockton.
• The hit FX T.V. show Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014), is set in and outside of Stockton.
• The animated TV show American Dad S9E6 the character Snot's dad dies. Resulting with Stan and friends taking a road trip to the funeral in Stockton.

Awards and recognition

Stockton received an All-America City award from the National Civic League twice, in 1999 and 2004. 2004's award was based on a 60-member delegation's presentation titled "The Dream Lives On!", and featured three community-driven projects: Community Partnership for Families, Downtown Alliance, and the Peace Keeper Program. The 1999 award recognized the Apollo Night Talent and Performing Series, the conversion of the Stockton Developmental Center into an off-campus center for the California State University at Stanislaus, and the LEAP (Let Education Attack Pollution) program.

Sunset magazine named Stockton Best Tree City in the western United States in March 2002, and "Best of the West Food Fest" in March 2000. Stockton contains 49 city, state, and national historical landmarks, dating as far back as 1855.

In February 2009, and again in February 2011, Stockton was named "America's Most Miserable City" by Forbes, reflecting the city's issues with commuting times, violent crime rates, income tax levels, and unemployment rates. Stockton had placed second in this listing in 2008.

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Stockton, California

Stockton was home to the world's first radio disc jockey, Ray Newby. In 1909, at 16 years of age, Newby began regularly playing records on a small transmitter while a student at Herrold College of Engineering and Wireless, located in San Jose, California, under the authority of radio pioneer Charles "Doc" Herrold.

We used popular records at that time, mainly Caruso records, because they were very good and loud; we needed a boost... we started on an experimental basis and then, because this is novel, we stayed on schedule continually without leaving the air at any time from that time on except for a very short time during World War I, when the government required us to remove the antenna... Most of our programming was records, I'll admit, but of course we gave out news as we could obtain it...

— Ray Newby, I've Got a Secret (1965)

Sister cities

Stockton has seven sister cities:

Country	City	Year of Partnership
Japan	Shizuoka	March 9, 1959
Philippines	Iloilo City	August 2, 1965
Mexico	Empalme	September 4, 1973
People's Republic of China	Foshan	April 11, 1988
Italy	Parma	January 13, 1998
Cambodia	Battambang	October 19, 2004
Nigeria	Asaba	June 6, 2006

External links

• Stockton, California at DMOZ
• Stockton, California Official Visitor & Tourist Information
• Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library
• SJCrime.com covers San Joaquin County crime.