Hot weather drove few to Stockton’s free cooling centers, city says

Only 56 people used Stockton’s cooling zones during the triple-digit heat wave that hit the city for nine days straight this month, according to attendance numbers provided by a city spokesperson.

From Sept. 1 to Sept. 9, Stockton broiled in daily temperatures that peaked between 104 and 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS warned of heightened risk of heat-related illnesses, local schools postponed sports events, and volunteers distributed water bottles to homeless residents amid the broiling heat.

Too hot to handle:How San Joaquin County is managing the triple-digit heat wave

But during that period, only 56 people attended free cooling zones the city of Stockton set up at the Arnold Rue, Siefert, Stribley and Van Buskirk community centers, according to Connie Cochran, a spokesperson for the city.

‘People are reluctant to leave their homes’

The Van Buskirk Community Center cooling zone saw only two people throughout the nine-day heat wave: one person on Sept. 6 — when the temperature reached 115 degrees, according to the NWS — and one person on Sept. 7, when the heat peaked at 110 degrees. Four people used the Siefert Community Center cooling zone during the nine days, according to Cochran.

At least one cooling zone sat empty every day of the heat wave, attendance numbers show. On Friday, Sept. 9, which the NWS said saw a high of 106 degrees, no one showed up at any of the cooling zones.

“I think people are reluctant to leave their homes, maybe they have pets,” Cochran said. “They might feel they can acclimate.”

Of Stockton’s roughly 320,000 residents, some may have access to air-conditioned homes or workplaces where they can keep cool. But many may not have access to or can afford air conditioning.

And 893 were homeless and without shelter as of January, according to an annual count by the San Joaquin County Continuum of Care.

Homeless residents ‘left with a decision’

“When it would be really hot, I would go to the library,” a former Stockton resident, who said he lived homeless in Mormon Slough and elsewhere in Stockton off and on between 2015 and 2019, said in an interview. He did not want to be named for fear of retaliation by people he had had conflicts with while homeless.

“I’ve seen people that are homeless have air conditioners and generators put in their tent. With the price of gas, it’s kind of iffy on that. (But) usually two or three people would pool their money for the gas” and gather in one tent, he said.

read more:San Joaquin County opens cooling zones amid heat wave, extreme heat precautions

Homeless people experiencing addiction might not use cooling zones because of rules about substance use, he said. “You can’t do your drugs there, you can’t smoke cigarettes, you can’t drink alcohol … when I was active in doing that stuff, I would’ve been like, screw that.”

Some homeless residents create blackout tents, in which light is completely blocked out to keep the tent cooler, he said. The former resident recalled collecting discarded water jugs with other homeless residents to pour into a children’s pool to cool off.

Extreme temperatures typically cause a bump in cases of heatstroke and heat exhaustion, especially among the homeless population, according to Stockton Fire Department Chief Brandon Doolan.

“Your unsheltered population are left with a decision: do I leave all (my) stuff and go to a cooling center for a day, and come back (to find it gone)? Or … grin and bear it?”

Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers business, housing, and land use. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.