Statement on the City of Stockton’s Withdrawal from Federal Grant Litigation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2026
Contact: Stockton Democrats Together | info@stocktondems.org
Stockton Democrats Together is deeply concerned by the City of Stockton’s decision to withdraw from two federal lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s conditions on federal grants, and by how that decision was made and disclosed.
The Trump administration has tied money Congress already approved, for police crisis training, emergency preparedness, clean water, public health, and housing, to demands that cities assist federal immigration enforcement and abandon policies on diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity (Court Order, July 9, 2026; Stocktonia, Oct. 2, 2026). That is coercion, and on July 9, a federal court blocked those conditions for Stockton and the other plaintiffs, finding they likely violate the Constitution. The same order barred federal agencies from refusing to process a city’s grants because it was part of the lawsuit (Court Order).
Those protections existed for the people who can least afford to lose them: immigrant and refugee families, LGBTQ+ residents, households that rely on federally funded housing, and neighbors in mental health crisis. The City itself told the federal court that losing a $500,000 grant for police crisis-response training would put officers and residents at risk. It also said losing $4.27 million in water infrastructure funding would limit clean water access for the City’s most vulnerable communities (Court Order). The City understood what was at stake.
Within weeks of the court’s ruling, the City Council directed its attorneys in closed session to withdraw. After a July 21 closed session where both lawsuits were discussed, the public was told no reportable action had been taken (Stocktonia). Residents learned of the decision on September 29, more than two months later. They found out through a press release from the Mayor’s office that closed with a message to the President: “Stockton is Ready!” (Office of Mayor Christina Fugazi, press release, Sept. 29, 2026)
It appears the City has traded protections a federal court secured for Stockton’s most vulnerable residents for the hope of future federal dollars. The City has not identified those dollars and acknowledges it cannot guarantee them (Stocktonia). We recognize that Stockton faces real budget pressures and real public safety needs. But a city is measured by how it protects those with the least power, and federal funding should never come at the price of turning local government into an arm of federal immigration enforcement.
Stockton residents deserve answers. We call on the Mayor and City Council to:
Disclose the terms of any negotiation or agreement with the federal government connected to the withdrawal, and identify the federal officials involved.
Report how each councilmember voted on the decision to withdraw.
Disclose the current status of the crisis-response training and water grants, and any conditions the City has accepted to keep them.
Disclose whether Stockton applied for the Department of Justice’s Model Cities Initiative, which requires applicants to certify immigration-related conditions (Stocktonia), and what the City certified.
Commit publicly that Stockton will not accept any federal grant condition that conflicts with California law, including the California Values Act, or that targets residents based on immigration status or gender identity.
Place this decision on an open-session agenda so residents can be heard.
Stockton Democrats Together will not let this decision pass quietly. The City made a choice with serious consequences for its most vulnerable residents, made it behind closed doors, and told the public only after it could no longer be undone. A press release is not accountability, and “Stockton is Ready” is not an answer.
Until the City discloses what was negotiated, who decided, and what it has agreed to, we will keep asking: at every Council meeting, through every public records request, and at the ballot box. Stockton’s leaders answer to the people of Stockton, not to an administration in Washington that is using federal dollars to target our neighbors.
“Stockton had a court order protecting our most vulnerable neighbors, and our leaders walked away from it behind closed doors,” said David Sengthay, President of Stockton Democrats Together. “That is not putting Stockton first. Our immigrant families, our LGBTQ+ neighbors, and residents in crisis deserved leaders who would stand with them, not leaders who would give up their protections for grants the City cannot even name. We expect answers, and we will not stop asking until we get them.”
Stockton Democrats Together is a chartered affiliate club of the San Joaquin County Democratic Central Committee and the California Democratic Party.
PO Box 4311 · Stockton, CA 95204
info@stocktondems.org · stocktondems.org
