By ROBERT RICKMAN

District 5 supervisor

The New Year is more than just a change in the calendar; it’s a blank canvas, a fresh chapter waiting to be written. It’s a time to dream boldly, to set new goals, and to take steps, no matter how small, toward the future we envision. I am honored to serve as your County Supervisor, and I would like to take this moment to share some of the many accomplishments we had as a county in 2024.

Fiscal Optimization

The fiscal state of our County is as strong as ever. Among our most important priorities is delivering a Structurally Balanced Budget.

 We sustained our Standard & Poor’s (S&P) underlying credit rating of San Joaquin County’s 2017 Certificate of Participation of AA-, with a stable outlook. The improved S&P credit rating demonstrates the County’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.

San Joaquin County received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for our 2024-2025 Adopted Budget.

Quality of Life

As a community and society, there are certain support systems, services, and comforts that the County provides, that residents rely on to make day-to-day life better. Highlights include:

• Approved funding for phase two of the South County Regional Park plan.

• Upgraded our voting systems for submitting and processing ballots to ensure secure, efficient, and transparent elections.

• Broke ground on a new Morgue/Medical Examiner Facility and the Dorothy J. Heisler Detention and Program Facility to improve essential services.

• Library budget was increased by $2.5 million to fund improvements at the Escalon and Linden branches, additional staffing at the Escalon and Lathrop branches, as well as an update to the library website and increased subscriptions to digital materials.

• Increased community clean-up events in Tracy and Escalon.

Expanded District 5 funding for local non-profits

$10,000 for the Escalon Senior Fun Bunch, $21,427 for Escalon Strong, $20,000 for Good Samaritan Community Services of San Joaquin, $20,000 for San Joaquin County 4-H Youth and Development Program, $20,000 for San Joaquin AgFest, $3,300 for Escalon Farmington Community Garden Club “Blue Star Memorial” marker, $2,000 for Master Sergeant Richard Pittman Memorial Highway signage, $200 for Port City Patriots, $9,250 for We Are Ripon Operation Resilience Exercise.

Homelessness

Housing is only one component of the overall issue. 

People are experiencing homelessness for a variety of reasons including substance abuse problems and those who have serious mental health issues and lack available resources.

 In the past three years alone, the County invested over $200 million for countywide projects ranging from permanent supportive housing, emergency shelters, responding to calls for service, hospital treatment, and enhanced care management. 

These investments will result in the addition of over 700 new units of permanent supportive housing and an increase of shelter capacity countywide by 166 percent. Highlights include:

• The development of the San Joaquin Be Well Campus. Phase one will include dual diagnosis point of entry, a sobering center, medical detoxification, a psychiatric health facility, and a crisis stabilization unit with a completion date of FY 2025/2026.

• Approved the creation of a Community Assessment, Response and Engagement (CARE) team and program to be headed by the County’s probation department, which aims to quickly connect unhoused individuals with supportive services.

• Reorganization of the Neighborhood Preservation division that oversees homelessness funding and programs. The division will be moved to the Human Services Agency (HSA). 

• Updated the County’s no camping ordinance to allow more effective enforcement of public property in county jurisdiction.

Public Safety

The first priority of government is to keep our citizens safe. I want to thank our first responders for all that they do and the sacrifices they make each day to keep the public and our communities safe. Highlights include:

• Increased funding for local fire districts by $1.1 million annually to cover approximately a quarter of the funding they have lost because of State Proposition 172. 

• Funded over 40 new positions to the District Attorney’s Office.

• Approved $1.5 million to fund the Stockton Takes Action Against Retail Theft Program (STAART) and a security camera grant program. The grant is available countywide. 

• The Board of Supervisors voted to support Proposition 36 and authorized a ballot measure for the November 2024 election, which required drug treatment as a condition of receiving county funded public assistance.  Proposition 36 and the ballot measure were both approved by the voters.

• The District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Unit and Family Justice Center expanded its partnerships and services to South County and is also launching a Human Trafficking Task Force.

• The Sheriff’s Office Sideshow Task Force intercepted planned sideshow events resulting in over 150 individuals being detained and 88 vehicles seized, some containing controlled substances and illegal firearms.

• Increased resources for the Sheriff’s Department, increasing patrol motorcycles for traffic enforcement and a dive team to secure our waterways.

Economic Development

A vital economy keeps our county moving forward, growing, and innovating. Highlights include:

• Gross value of agricultural production for 2023 was more than $3.2 billion. Agricultural commodities were exported to over 90 countries.

• Approved $26,225,000 to fund transformative improvements at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport.

• Stockton Metropolitan Airport to add new weekly flights to Denver starting May 14, 2025.

• Approved $1.2 million to fund, “Shop San Joaquin.” 

• Launched the Façade Enhancement Grant Program in unincorporated areas of the county.

• Creation of the Small Business Local Investment for Financial Thrive (LIFT) Initiative. The LIFT initiative will provide immediate relief to small businesses by reimbursing utility expenses. Grants up to $5,000 will be available in the near future.

• Approved $1,000,000 in matching funds to the University of Pacific (UOP) to build a Center for Small Businesses to serve existing and startup small businesses across the county. 

• Agreement to join Ava Community Energy (AVA). AVA provides electricity generation at competitive rates and power to its customers at lower rates than PG&E.

Water Management and Emergency Response

• County’s Agricultural Commissioner established a Livestock Pass Program in San Joaquin County. The Livestock Pass Program will train and authorize local farmers and ranchers to access and care for commercial livestock during natural disasters and wildfire emergencies. 

• Defeated the Governor’s highly controversial and outrageously expensive Delta Conveyance Project. More specifically, the court’s rejection of the State’s attempt to finance the controversial Delta Tunnel Project with unlimited bond money. 

• The California Department of Water Resources approved the Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Tracy subbasin. 

Advocacy

A lot of our time as Supervisors are spent advocating in Sacramento and Washington D.C. on behalf of San Joaquin County residents on a wide range of issues that concern us all.  Highlights include:

• I brought forward several discussion items to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) to oppose PG&E’s multiple rates increases. In response, the BOS collaborated with local advocates and legislators in support of legislative efforts that would protect our residents; prioritize the objective of reducing energy costs within our legislative platform; officially register opposition to any proposed rate increase; and partner with the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) to support their project in becoming an energy provider.

• Opposed the application by AT&T to end its responsibilities as the Carrier of Last Resort (COLR). COLR requires AT&T to provide landline phone services. The California Public Utilities Commission denied AT&T’s application.