Bay Area

Parents of Slain Teenager File Wrongful Death Suit Against Stockton School District, Former Administrators

The parents of a Stockton teenager who was stabbed to death last year at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School have filed suit against the Stockton Unified School District for failing to adequately ensure the safety of their daughter. Alycia Reynaga, 15, was fatally stabbed April 18, 2022, at the high school after the alleged killer, 52-year-old Anthony Gray, entered the school’s campus through an unlocked and unsupervised gate, according to the lawsuit filed this month by Reynaga’s mother, Monique Vallie, and father, Manuel Reynaga.

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2023

Oakland Post

Alicia "Lala" Reynaga is remembered on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The 15-year-old was killed at Stagg High School. (Victoria Franco via Bay City News)

By Eli Walsh
Bay City News

Alycia Reynaga, 15, was fatally stabbed April 18, 2022, at the high school after the alleged killer, 52-year-old Anthony Gray, entered the school’s campus through an unlocked and unsupervised gate, according to the lawsuit filed this month by Reynaga’s mother, Monique Vallie, and father, Manuel Reynaga.

Reynaga’s parents named the district as a defendant in the lawsuit as well as then-district Superintendent John Ramirez, Jr., Alonzo Stagg High School Principal Brett Toliver and an anonymous group of 100 administrators, teachers, district staff, security personnel and other authority figures employed by the district.

Vallie and Reynaga argue in the lawsuit that district and school employees have the same responsibility as parents for protection and supervision of children while they are at school.

As a result of Alycia Reynaga’s death, her parents allege in the lawsuit that the district, school and relevant employees are liable for negligence and wrongful death.

“In advance of and at the time of Gray’s intrusion onto campus and stabbing of Alycia, each defendant knew or should have known that students, including Alycia, were subject to a foreseeable risk of harm from unauthorized trespassers, but failed to take reasonable steps to adequately protect students, including Alycia, from that risk,” the legal complaint from Vallie and Reynaga alleges.

Vallie and Reynaga allege that Gray, who was not affiliated with the school, parked his car in the school’s south parking lot and exited brandishing a knife.

Gray then allegedly entered the campus through an unlocked gate and chased students and attempted to enter locked doors before stabbing Alycia “multiple times.”

Alycia Reynaga was then taken to San Joaquin County General Hospital where she died from her injuries.

Vallie and Reynaga allege in the complaint that the district failed to take action to increase protection of students after previous violent events at SUSD schools, including a 2019 stabbing of a 14-year-old girl at a school in the district.

The complaint alleges that in April 2021 the district eliminated the position of Emergency Services/School Safety Program Coordinator, which was responsible for overseeing safety drills, education and compliance. That position allegedly remained unfilled as of April 18, 2022.

The complaint also alleges that the Stockton Police Department received more than 30,000 calls regarding SUSD schools over the previous decade, including 83 calls specifically about activity at Alonzo Stagg High School.

A San Joaquin County court said earlier this year that Gray was not mentally competent to stand trial for Reynaga’s death. Gray was charged with multiple crimes in connection with the stabbing, including first-degree murder.

A spokesperson for the district was not immediately available to respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.