South Stockton

South Stockton is located in Northern California in the San Joaquin valley. South Stockton’s small cityscapes include a mix of industrial complexes and farmland, and contain a history of mining. The city is very diverse and supports communities of several minorities, including Black people, Asians and Pacific Islanders, with a majority of the population being Hispanic. This diversity is the base for South Stockton’s amazing food and rich culture within the city, however disparities can be easily seen based on differences in race.

CalEnviroScreen data highlights differences within Stockton, where Southern areas experience higher environmental risks. South Stockton faces a high pollution burden and is ranked in the top 94th percentile for health and environmental risks and hazards. In addition, South Stockton communities experience high rates of asthma and unemployment. These same areas experience high exposure rates to diesel particulate matter, lead, and high rates of poverty. Residents of other regions in Stockton arguably have a better quality of life compared to residents of South Stockton, given they have lower rates of asthma, less general exposure to pollutants and lower unemployment rates. The map to the right displays the city limits of Stockton in deep blue, with the EJP area of South Stockton noted in a thicker black outline. To see more, expand the map.

South Stockton is approximately 64.8 square miles with 3.1 square miles being water. The true boundaries of "South" Stockton has been a subject of local debate, but is known to contain approximately 68,991 residents. Although the region is mostly industrial, approximately 76% of the population is within a 10-minute walk from one of Stockton’s 66 parks, but only 21 parks reside in South Stockton specifically. South Stockton has also been a historically mineral-rich area, allowing for a mining industry.

The City of Stockton was incorporated on July 23, 1850. It was originally used as an inland seaport, as it’s in the Bay Area. Stockton has a foothold in the industries of transportation for major brands like Amazon and in the agricultural industry, with varieties of produce and a multibillion dollar earning. It is an older city and is made up of both older homes and suburban spaces.

The population for the entire city of Stockton is predominantly white and English-speaking, but 42% identify as Spanish-speaking. The population is 12% Black, 20% Asian and 32% White. However, in South Stockton the demographics look much different. Approximately 60% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, 16% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, and 7% White and 8% Black. South Stockton is a college town with several schools and museums, but is also known for it's high crime rate, where the chances of being a victim of a violent crime are 1 in 85 and the chances of being affected by property crime is 1 in 34.

The map below highlights the spatial distribution of race and ethnicity in Stockton, with the EJP area of South Stockton outlined in thicker black. Predominantly Hispanic and Latino populations are represented in red, predominantly White populations are represented in yellow, and predominantly Asian populations are represented in blue. Click any census tract on the map below to find out more specifics about race and ethnicity in each area.

The goal of the Transformative Climate Communities program is to motivate disadvantaged communities and help address environmental injustices by using grants to improve conditions of healthcare, housing, public transit, and other areas. It was implemented in 2016 and is focused on communities that fall in the top 25th percentile for environmental justice indicators. The two maps below indicate which areas in Stockton have received both TCC implementation and planning amounts. Click to learn about specific projects and awarded amounts.

Transformative Climate Communities addresses the significant topic of urban greening, which refers to how much access a community has to ‘green spaces.’ This is necessary to alleviate issues like health risk and air quality. Urban greening is acted upon by South Stockon’s Urban Forest Renovation Project. This program set a goal of planting 1,750 trees around residential areas, but has only reached 152. The project cannot yet be described as successful in that there have been no updates on its progress since 2023, before its estimated date of completion.

The TCC program addresses the issue of water-energy efficiency by providing residents access to knowledge and property improvement services through the Rising Sun Center for Opportunity project. And while the Rising Run program was only introduced in 2023, it's progress is already clearly visible in that 200 households have received improvement services ranging from energy efficient power strips, lightbulbs, refrigerators, and more. The program is projected to reach it's set goal in the future.

City Climate Action Plans are developed with the goal of reducing the amount and harmful effects of GHG emissions. In South Stockton, it was done with the intent of reducing emissions resulting from the aforementioned factors (commercial/agricultural industries, combustion, etc). Stockton’s CAP addresses two notable issues of waste and air quality.

Through the Increased Waste Diversion system, the city was able to encourage residents to separate their waste, resulting in less combustion and therefore less emissions. While this program was successful upon its implementation, with a 64% decrease in combusted waste, there has been no updated information on it since 2018.

South Stockton’s Climate Action Plan has addressed the topic of air quality in its implementation of programs that raise awareness and get residents involved. The Green-Up Stockton Ordinance was introduced to allow residents access to knowledge about energy efficiency and gave them the tools to ‘assess’ their own habits. This effort was successful in that it helped to reduce emissions by ~17%.

Stockton is a vibrant city with a rich history, but the burdens of the city are unequally distributed. South Stockton–compared to the rest of the region–shoulders the most burdens regarding pollutants, hazards, lack of funding, lack of capital flow, unemployment, and more. The crime, asthma, cardiovascular, and unemployment rates are all much higher compared to surrounding areas. The intersection of all these harmful components has historically separated an entire community of people living in South Stockton from living healthier and more productive lives. In this way, the crossovers of freeways through this area represent a physical barrier between the residents of South Stockton and those of the Northern region. Children, pregnant, and elderly individuals are the most vulnerable to environmental hazards in this community. In an effort to solve some of these issues, South Stockton has enlisted a Climate Action Plan and the Transformative Climate Communities program. Both help to get residents involved and educated about environmental justice, ultimately leading to the improvement of these issues.

Initiatives need to be put in place to protect residents of South Stockton. Given the extent of environmental injustice felt by this community, there needs to be an active and engaged conversation with residents to better understand their needs. Because there is a very large homeless population throughout South Stockton, there needs to be an effort to provide resources for individuals who are below the poverty line, as well as borderline or currently homeless individuals. Programs to help keep the area clean of debris and trash should be funded to prevent the spread of illness among the homeless and residents of the area.