With a total of $35 million in funding through the TCC program, Stockton Rising partners are implementing 10 unique projects and three transformative plans to realize the community’s vision for transforming South Stockton. The transformative plans are one of the defining elements of the TCC model, and ensure that TCC investments meaningfully engage residents in the implementation process, provide opportunities for economic mobility, and minimize the risk of gentrification and displacement of existing residents and businesses.
Projects
Miner Avenue Complete Streets Improvement
Lead Partner: City of Stockton
Description: Completed in 2022, this project transformed a 10-block auto-dominated thoroughfare along Miner Avenue, between Center and Aurora Streets, into a marquee “complete street.” The street was redesigned to serve the mobility needs of all users, regardless of travel mode. The improvements were intended to encourage safe biking, walking, and other active alternatives to using cars, thereby reducing vehicle-related greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollutants. Urban greening was also a hallmark of the project and was intended to further the aforementioned environmental benefits. In addition, mobility connections were part of the project, with links to the Downtown Transit Center, Robert Cabral Rail Station, schools, and parks.
Accomplishments:
- 22,318 square feet of permeable surfaces added and impermeable surfaces removed
- 20,003 linear feet (3.8 miles) of street painted with new striping
- 20,000 square feet of vegetation planted
- 3,960 linear feet (0.75 street miles) of pedestrian pathways added
- 117 trees planted
- 39 wheelchair ramps added
- 33 streetlights added
- 15 benches added
- 14 bike racks added
- 12 trash receptacles added
- 7 traffic signals upgraded to include video detection of travelers of all modes
Climate Careers Energy
Lead Partner: Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
Description: This project trains and employs local youth to install energy efficiency measures at no cost to low-income households. Efficient products include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), refrigerators, water heater blankets, and smart thermostats. Benefiting households are also educated on best practices to conserve energy.
Accomplishments:
- 4,762 LED installed (3,529 in single-family and 1,233 in multi-family properties)
- 690 unique households served by the project (408 in single-family and 282 in multi-family properties)
- 561 smart power strips installed (359 in single-family and 202 in multi-family properties)
- 30 refrigerators replaced (18 in single-family and 12 in multi-family properties)
- 16 water heater blankets installed (all single-family properties)
Climate Careers Water
Lead Partner: Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
Description: This project trains and employs local youth to install water efficiency measures at no cost to low-income households. Efficient measures include kitchen and bathroom aerators, low-flow shower heads, dishwashers, and toilets. Benefiting households are also educated on best practices to conserve water.
Accomplishments:
- 776 bathroom aerators installed (523 in single-family and 253 in multi-family properties)
- 564 unique households served by the project (375 in single-family and 189 in multi-family properties)
- 432 shower heads replaced (313 single-family and 119 multi-family properties)
- 433 kitchen aerators installed (299 in single-family and 134 in multi-family properties)
- 123 toilets replaced (60 in single-family and 63 in multi-family properties)
- 48 dishwashers installed (47 in single-family and 1 in a multi-family property)
Edible Education at Home
Lead Partner: Edible Schoolyard Project
Description: This project provides 50 families with free boxes of organic produce weekly for 30 months. The produce is procured vis-a-vis community-supported agriculture (CSA), a farming model in which local farmers send seasonal produce directly to consumers. The project also provides teaching on how to grow and prepare healthy food. Educational programming includes printed materials, a phone-in hotline with a live educator, and gardening and cooking demonstrations.
Accomplishments:
- 12,440 educational materials printed and disseminated
- 8,120 boxes of seasonal organic produce delivered (15 to 20 pounds each)
- 140 cooking workbooks distributed to families
- 25 online cooking classes taught to students in grades K-8 (37 to 44 students reached in each class)
- 24 field trips with cooking and/or gardening demonstrations provided to students in grades K-12 (762 students engaged in total)
- 8 online gardening classes taught to students in grades K-8 (35 to 37 students reached in each class)
Stockton Energy for All Single-Family
Lead Partner: GRID Alternatives
Description: This project provides low-income households in owner-occupied, single-family homes with access to rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) power, all at no cost. The project also provides paid job training opportunities for residents to learn the basics of installing rooftop solar PV systems.
Accomplishments:
- 82 solar PV systems installed on single-family homes, totaling 240 kW-DC in capacity
- 21 roofs repaired on single-family homes to make them solar-ready
- 14 electrical service panels upgraded on single-family homes to make them solar-ready
Stockton Energy for All Multi-Family
Lead Partner: GRID Alternatives
Description: This project provides low-income households in multi-family homes with access to rooftop solar photovoltaic power, all at no cost. To target low-income households, the project is prioritizing installation sites at affordable housing developments.
Accomplishments:
- 2 solar PV systems installed at multi-family properties (1 installed at Casa de Oasis, totaling 78 kW-DC in capacity; 1 installed at Crossways Residences I and II, totaling 44.955 kW-DC in capacity)
- 2 additional contracts signed at multi-family properties (Santa Fe Townhomes and Gleason Park Apartments), totaling 178 kW-DC in capacity (79 kW-DC and 99 kW-DC, respectively)
Urban Forest Renovation Project
Lead Partner: City of Stockton
Additional Partners: Little Manila Rising and PUENTES
Description: This project is reversing a decline in tree canopy by planting drought-tolerant trees. Plantings are occurring where trees were lost to natural events (many of which are in the city’s public parks), as well as new locations identified through community engagement. Additionally, the project is hiring and training residents from the project area to assist with planting activities.
Accomplishments:
- 3,278 square feet of drought-tolerant vegetation planted
- 326 trees planted
Decreasing Asthma Within Neighborhoods
Lead Partner: Little Manila Rising
Description: This project brings relief to residents suffering from asthma by distributing kits that improve indoor air quality and reduce exposure to asthma triggers. The kits are accompanied by home visits with education and training on how to use them. In addition to the kits, $100 stipends are also available to help offset increased electricity costs for running air filtration devices.
Accomplishments:
- 58 asthma remediation kits distributed
- 21 site visits conducted
- 9 unique households served
- 8 air purifiers distributed
- 2 stipends distributed to offset increased electricity costs from air purifiers ($100 value)
Hybrid Electric Bus Acquisition
Lead Partner: San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Description: This project will fund the acquisition of one hybrid electric bus to support the frequency expansion along bus route 576. The project will also support the training of transit district staff to maintain the newly purchased bus.
Accomplishments: Implementation Pending
McKinley Park Renovation
Lead Partner: City of Stockton
Description: This project is completely transforming McKinley Park, the largest park in South Stockton (23 acres), from a dilapidated state into a well-resourced public space with the following amenities: a swimming pool, soccer fields, picnic areas, futsal courts, basketball courts, and a baseball field. The project will also add green infrastructure, such as trees and bioswales, to the site.
Accomplishments:
- 100,719 square feet of vegetation added
- 64,437 square feet of surface area added for soccer
- 43,460 linear feet of pedestrian pathways added
- 38,060 square feet of surface area added for basketball
- 28,600 square feet of surface area added for futsal
- 12,663 square feet of surface area added for baseball
- 4,999 square feet of surface area added for swimming
- 980 square feet of picnic shelters added
- 134 trees planted
- 45 pathway lights added
- 3 ADA ramps installed
Plans
Community Engagement Plan
Lead Partner: Public Health Advocates
Additional Partners: Little Manila Rising and Catholic Charities Diocese of Stockton
Description: The Community Engagement Plan creates opportunities for South Stockton residents to participate in local climate action planning, governance, advocacy, and communications. The plan does so through a resident-inclusive grant governance model, leadership development programs, and multiple platforms for residents to dialogue with TCC project partners.
Accomplishments:
- 87 meetings of the various grant governance bodies within Stockton Rising’s collaborative stakeholder structure held, which include resident representation: 33 Workforce Development Working Team meetings, 32 Community Engagement Working Team meetings, 12 Steering Committee meetings, and 10 Community Coalition meetings
- 48 youth graduated Little Manila Rising’s leadership development program, which has spanned three cohorts (the second-to-last two cohorts have had closing celebration events with 25 and 70 individuals at each event)
- 25 residents hired, trained, and deployed as Community Liaisons (also referred to as Climate Leaders)
- 18 informational videos were developed to communicate Stockton Rising implementation milestones and posted to Catholic Charities’ environmental justice YouTube channel
- 8 PhotoVoice walking tours conducted in South Stockton
- 4 residents recruited to serve as voting members within the collaborative stakeholder structure
- 4 resource fairs were held in which Stockton Rising projects and plans were publicized
- 1 summit event (with 91 in attendance) held that highlighted Stockton Rising’s implementation milestones
Conducted outreach for specific TCC-funded projects (see next chapter for more information by project)
Displacement Avoidance Plan
Lead Partner: City of Stockton
Description: The Displacement Avoidance Plan identifies several city policies that can be leveraged to accomplish the following goals in the TCC project area: (1) grow and preserve the supply of affordable housing in the TCC project area; and (2) preserve existing affordable housing stock; and (3) protect the tenure of residents and small businesses already located in the community. Together, these efforts are addressing the indirect effects of TCC investment that could potentially lead to displacement by raising the value of residential and commercial land.
Accomplishments:
- Executed contract with Enterprise Community Partners to serve as the lead consultant in finalizing the Stockton Rising Displacement Avoidance Plan
- 125 business surveys collected (119 of which reside in zip codes that overlap with the Stockton Rising Project Area) that examined barriers that businesses face to buying, renting, and leasing their properties, and their priorities for interventions that prevent commercial displacement
- 98 resident surveys collected (76 residents reside in zip codes that overlap with the Stockton Rising Project Area) that examined barriers that residents face to securing housing and their priorities for interventions that prevent residential displacement
- 13 informational interviews held with key stakeholders to inform the development of the Displacement Avoidance Plan, including: housing developers, community advocates, and service providers who work directly with residents at risk of eviction or displacement
- 6 outreach events were organized about the planning process for the DAP
- Revised Displacement Avoidance Plan developed and sent to the City of Stockton for approval
Workforce Development and Economic Opportunities Plan
Lead Partner: Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
Additional Partners: GRID Alternatives, Land Together, Little Manila Rising, and San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Description: The Workforce Development Plan and Economic Opportunities Plan delivers a variety of job training opportunities to South Stockton Residents, including: (1) GRID Alternatives’ Solar Installation Basics Training program; (2) the San Joaquin Regional Transit District’s electric bus maintenance mechanic apprenticeship program; (3) Land Together’s vocational gardening and landscaping program; (4) Rising Sun Center for Opportunity’s Climate Careers program that exposes Stockton youth to career pathways in the clean-economy; and (5) the San Joaquin Building Trades Council’s Multi-Craft Curriculum (MC3) pre-apprenticeship program that prepares individuals for jobs in the construction trades; and (6) Little Manila Rising’s urban greening and conservation training program.
Accomplishments:
- 44 youth completed Rising Sun’s energy and water efficiency installation training program
- 19 youth completed Rising Sun’s externship program
- 23 individuals completed GRID Alternatives’ solar installation basics training program (seven of whom were placed in jobs in the solar or allied construction sectors)
- 19 individuals completed Land Together’s vocational gardening and landscaping program
- 19 individuals completed the Multi-craft Core Curriculum (MC3) pre-apprenticeship program (10 program graduates placed in jobs in allied construction sectors by the San Joaquin Building Trades Council)
- 4 adults trained and employed to perform maintenance on electric buses at RTD’s electric bus
Harder to quantify but critical is the leadership and collaboration capacity that will be created in Stockton during the TCC implementation process. This capacity could lay the foundation for many other funding and action-oriented opportunities that leverage the TCC projects and plans to bring additional environmental, health, and economic benefits to Stockton. In addition, lessons learned and best practices from Stockton’s TCC grant could inform local climate action and investments at much broader scales.
Key Accomplishments
Active Transportation
- 3,960 linear feet (0.75 street miles) of pedestrian pathways added
- 2,850 linear feet (0.5 street miles) of Class II bike lanes installed
- 39 wheelchair ramps added
- 33 street lights added
- 7 traffic signals upgraded to include video detection of travelers
Renewable Energy Access
- 82 solar PV installed on properties occupied by low-income households
- 21 roofs repaired
- 14 electrical service panels upgraded
Energy and Water Saving Measures
- 690 households provided energy efficiency upgrades at no cost (LEDs, smart power strips, new refrigerators, and water heater blankets)
- 564 households provided water energy efficiency upgrades at no cost (faucet aerators, low-flow shower heads, new toilets, and dishwashers)
Urban Greenery
- 23,278 square feet of vegetation planted
- 22,318 square feet of impermeable surfaces removed
- 577 trees planted
Healthy Food Access
- 8,120 boxes of seasonal organic produce delivered (15 to 20 pounds each)
- 33 online classes for K-8 students on topics such as healthy cooking and organic gardening
- 24 field trips provided to students in grades K-12
Workforce Development
- 59 individuals trained and employed to assist with tree establishment and maintenance
- 44 youth trained and employed to install energy and water efficiency measures (16 youth then received paid externships at local public interest organizations)
- 23 adults trained and employed to carry out rooftop solar PV installations
- 19 individuals received vocational training in gardening and landscaping before their release from prison and back into Stockton’s workforce
- 19 individuals received paid training within the Multi-craft Core Curriculum pre-apprenticeship program (10 hired by the San Joaquin Building Trades Council in allied construction sectors)
- 4 adults trained and employed to perform maintenance on electric buses
Community Engagement
- 48 youth trained as environmental justice advocates
- 25 residents hired, trained, and deployed as climate leaders
- 8 PhotoVoice walking tours conducted
- 4 resource fairs held in which projects and plans were publicized
- 2 summits event organized to convene community members and project partners to reflect on implementation milestones and learnings
Displacement Avoidance
- 125 business surveys collected; examined barriers that businesses face to buying, renting, and leasing their properties, and their priorities for policies that prevent commercial displacement
- 98 resident surveys collected; examined barriers that residents face to securing housing and their priorities for policies that prevent residential dis- placement
- 13 informational interviews with key stakeholders with expertise on the topic of displacement and policies to address it
Top page photo:
Educational event in March 2022 at the Edible Schoolyard Community Farm in Stockton
Credit: Erin Scott