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The Stockton City Council approved an $8 million grant to tackle violence and recidivism.
STOCKTON, Calif. — The Stockton City Council unanimously approved an $8 million state grant Tuesday night aimed at reducing violence and recidivism, even as city leaders pushed back against claims from a Texas-based nonprofit that said it helped broker a temporary gang ceasefire after November’s deadly mass shooting.
The funding will expand the city’s violence prevention work through the REDIRECT — Restorative Engagement and Diversion through Incarceration Reduction, Care & Treatment — project. The grant is funded by Proposition 47 and will pay for behavioral health services, reentry support and outreach for teens and adults considered at high risk of violence or incarceration.
“It is sad what happened, but this is the sort of work that prevents further and future tragedies from taking place in our city,” one speaker said during public comment.
Mayor Christina Fugazi said the grant focuses on giving people a chance to change direction.
“It’s never too late to take a different path,” Fugazi said.
The REDIRECT project includes partnerships with Friends Outside, which will focus on reentry services for adults ages 18 to 35, including employment readiness and transitional housing. San Joaquin County Behavioral Health will provide addiction and mental health services, while the Public Defender’s Office will manage assessments for program eligibility. The grant runs from Oct. 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029.
During discussion of the grant, attention shifted to the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation, also known as Uvalde Foundation for Kids, Texas-based nonprofit that claimed it helped broker a temporary gang ceasefire following November’s deadly mass shooting. The organization said it intended to participate in public comment at the meeting but did not show up.
“I encourage and implore council to ignore that white noise, it is weird,” another speaker said during public comment.
The city of Stockton and San Joaquin County told ABC10 they were not contacted by the foundation and could not verify the ceasefire.
Speaking with ABC10, Fugazi questioned both the timing and motivation of the group’s claims.
“It just bothers me to know and that somebody wants to take advantage of a tragedy that happened in Stockton,” Fugazi said.
The mayor went further, suggesting the organization may have been drawn to Stockton because of the $8 million grant, an assertion the foundation refuted in an earlier news release.
“I do think it’s a scam. I think it’s a money grab,” Fugazi said.
The foundation has publicly referenced Vice Mayor Jason Lee as a potential ally. Lee said during the meeting he had never heard of the organization and explained why he had not responded to media requests.
“I didn’t return any calls because I feel like that headline bypassed all the good work being done,” Lee said.
City leaders emphasized the grant is focused on long-term solutions already rooted in Stockton and keeping violence prevention efforts local and accountable.
After the meeting, ABC10 reached out to the foundation about why it did not appear. In a statement, the foundation said it “explicitly concedes the validity of the current lack of trust.” The group said its “ultimatum to the city is a call for structural & moral commitment, not a political threat or a request for funding for our programs.”
Youth Peace and Justice Foundation’s Full statement:
“The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation (YPJF) issued a formal statement this evening, addressing the skepticism surrounding its intervention in Stockton and clarifying the strategic rationale behind its “street-first” approach, silent truce arrangements and the January 15th ultimatum.
– The Foundation explicitly concedes the validity of the current lack of trust. We recognize for an outside organization to enter a community during a period of intense trauma, skepticism is natural. We observed this same phenomenon following our involvement in the Uvalde, Texas tragedy, the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, and in countless other incidents where we have stood with grieving families across the nation. Many call it “parachuting,” or “interference.” We call it, simply, love….
We acknowledge that our decision to operate in strategic silence—intended to protect the safety of the “Peace Summit” participants—broke standard Group Violence Intervention (GVI) protocol, which typically prioritizes institutional partnerships before field work.
We also maintain that while the details of our operations were not explicitly known by city leaders or law enforcement, this deviation from the norm was intentional: Our goal was to establish street-level relationships first.
While we welcome building relationships with the Cities and residents we are active in, our presence and mission and success will not be dictated by political approval.
Yes, we are controversial at times, “inserting,” ourselves at times where city boundaries say we do not belong. Perhaps our human boundaries have different borders and our organization will operate from such first. It should not matter who comes to the table for our children but that they come.
And, following the shooting frankly, there was a huge mistrust in the city itself whose job is to protect its residents. Our initial decisions are well were further driven by direct feedback from those at our confidential meeting, who cited a long history of “broken promises” and a lack of meaningful support from the city in the past. We believe that in a crisis of this magnitude, the trust of those directly involved in the violence is the only foundation upon which a lasting truce can be built.
The Foundation wishes to clarify additionally that our ultimatum to the City is a call for structural & moral commitment, not a political threat or a request for funding for our programs.
While the City has focused on securing an $8 million grant, we believe money without a moral policy attachment is a temporary fix. Our ultimatum demands that the City match the courage of the “peace drivers” on the street and those whose lives have been shattered by gun violence recently and over the years; by committing to a policy that prioritizes intervention over bureaucracy. The city disagrees with our assesment. They have that right.
To further clarify, the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation has never, nor will it ever, ask the City of Stockton or its residents for funding. We are not here to compete for a $8 million REDIRECT grant. Trust should be earned through results, not purchased with taxpayer dollars. Our work is entirely self-funded. We expect no financial support from this community until—and only if—the results of our work are proven on the streets and felt by the families of Stockton.
Despite the Mayor’s obvious aggression at this point, we admire her enthusiasm. This level of intensity for Stockton’s safety is exactly what the city has needed since the tragedy on November 29. We thank the Mayor for her “warm” and public welcome, as it has amplified the conversation around the urgent need for a permanent peace.
As we monitor the streets during this active 21-day truce, seek out our permanent location in the city, our plans remain unchanged and our hope for ongoing peace and the ongoing truce continues.
As we journey through the holidays, the Foundation will begin the process of establishing a permanent presence in Stockton through our Anchorpoint Hubs, planned for opening in 2026. These hubs will provide long-term trauma support and youth advocacy, independent of the political cycle. We will continue to push the agenda of peace first, before policy, and radical love before procedure.
We remain, as always, in service to the children of Stockton. Happy Holidays.”
WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | Stockton leaders question Texas nonprofit’s role after deadly mass shooting
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