Politics
Black Republican Opponent Expected to Defeat Stockton’s Popular Democratic Mayor Michael Tubbs
In 2012, Stockton, California, elected 22-year-old Michael Tubbs to his hometown’s city council.
From that celebrated victory to his 2017 rise to mayor of the Central Valley city, media pundits and Democratic Party insiders have hailed Tubbs, calling him one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars.
Tubbs’s future as a force in the Democratic party still remains almost certain, but on Nov. 3, the 30-year-old Stanford grad suffered an unexpected blow. As of Friday, Nov. 13, Tubbs was trailing Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln in his reelection bid.
Lincoln, who has never held political office, was leading Tubbs by almost 4,000 votes. Lincoln currently has 43,751 votes (55.05%) to Tubbs’s 35,724 votes (44.95%), with more ballots to be counted.
With this loss, Tubbs, the 79th mayor of the seat of San Joaquin County, joins a club of one-term Stockton mayors who couldn’t pull off a run for a second term.
Edward Chavez (2005 – 2008), Ann Johnston (2009 – 2012), and Anthony Silva (2013 – 2016) were all one-term mayors of the San Joaquin River port city.
“Over the last four years we have built a solid foundation towards a better future,” Tubbs said in a written statement. “It is my hope to continue this work as (Stockton’s) mayor. However, before anyone can declare a victory, each and every vote must be counted.”
When he was elected in 2016, Tubbs, then 26, became the youngest mayor in Stockton’s history and the first Black person to claim the seat.
Tubbs’s opponent is also Black. Lincoln’s grandfather, an immigrant from Mexico who came to California and settled in South Stockton, raised his family there and became a United States citizen.
Lincoln, who was born in Stockton, grew up in a U.S. Army family. As a youth, he volunteered at the California Youth Authority where he spoke to and encouraged youth in the juvenile justice system.
For now, Lincoln is excited about his lead, but cautious.
“There are definitely more votes to be counted and we’re definitely not counting our chickens before they hatch,” Lincoln said. “We still feel really good.”
Stockton has a population of 312,697 residents, according to the 2019 U.S. Census. An estimated 35,548 residents (12.2%) of Stockton are African American.
Even as he faces a career-derailing loss, Tubbs can look back on a record full 0f accomplishments and a personal
contact list of heavy hitters. He made both national and California history as the youngest mayor who has led a city with a population of over 100,000 residents.
Fortune magazine honored Tubbs among its 2018 Top “40 under 40,” and he made Forbes’ 2018 list of the “30 Under 30.” He was also celebrated that year among the “Root 100,” that publication’s annual list of influential African American achievers.
The Sacramento Observer, California capital city’s oldest African American-owned newspaper, has also celebrated Tubbs among its own “30 Under 30” award recipients.
Tubbs also has close and longstanding relationships with former U.S. President Barack Obama and entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey. He also served as one of billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s surrogates when the New York businessman was running for president.
HBO released a documentary, “Stockton On My Mind,” featuring Tubbs, then a millennial, who was born to a teenage mother and father who spent some time in prison.
Some political observers say that Tubbs’s perceived star status on the national scene may have distracted him from paying close attention to political priorities at home.
“The mayor may have too much star power and may or may not be sufficiently focused on doing the work in Stockton,” Brian Clark, associate professor of political science at Stockton’s University of Pacific.
Other Stockton residents say Tubbs ran afoul of the will of local voters when he recommended selling one of the city’s 70-year-old golf course to a private operator.
Meanwhile, the national media praised Tubbs for launching the Economic Security Project, the nation’s first municipal-level basic income pilot. About 125 people in high-poverty areas were randomly picked to receive $500 monthly in cash to help with unaffordable expenses.
The program is expected to end in January 2021. Billionaire and Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey donated $3 million to Tubbs’ “universal basic income” program.
As a council member, Tubbs created the Reinvent South Stockton Coalition, championed the creation of the City’s Office of Violence Prevention, and was part of the council that led the city out of bankruptcy as Chair of the Audit and Legislative Committee.
“I tell people from the beginning, whenever you make a change, whenever you push another system, whenever you talk about equity or justice and opportunity for the people, there’s going to be some pushback. I didn’t expect to get 70% of the votes like I did four years ago because I’ve done some things,” Tubbs said on Nov. 3 at BellaVista Rooftop in Stockton.
As for Little, he says, he has always had a desire to serve his country. He joined the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 2001. He was later recruited by the White House Military Office and assigned to Marine One, where he served President George W. Bush.
Following his service in the military, Lincoln worked for one of the nation’s top private security companies for eight years in Silicon Valley.
In 2013, Lincoln resigned from his corporate position to serve his community in Stockton through full-time ministry at a local church.
Both Tubbs and Lincoln said homelessness, public safety, affordable housing, and the city’s economic future were their top priorities.
“I think Stockton is ready for change. I’ve seen that time and time again during this campaign,” Lincoln said. “Stockton is ready for leadership.”
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Bay Area
MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS
San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org
***PRESS RELEASE***
MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS
HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence
San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.
HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.
This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.
“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”
The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.
“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”
The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:
- $42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
- $318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
- $445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
- $6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
- $750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
- $2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence
In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.
“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”
In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.
Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.
Activism
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