Stockton City Council District 1 race: Q&A with Sol Jobrack

Sol Jobrack is running for a second term as the District 1 representative on Stockton City Council. He is being challenged but teacher Michele Padilla for the seat.

Who is Sol Jobrack

Age: 40

Party Affiliation: nonpartisan

Occupation: Planner with San Joaquin County Community Development

Experience on community and/or municipal agencies.

I have spent the last four years on the City Council representing District 1 where I have served on several boards including audit, legislative, water and homeless task force committees. I have also served on the San Joaquin Council of Governments as chair for one year and as a member for three years as well as serving as a planning commissioner for Stockton for four years. Other experiences include working for the San Joaquin Assessor office as a senior appraiser, volunteering as a coach for local youth soccer and basketball, and umpiring for local little league.

Below is an edited version of a questionnaire completed by candidates.

Do you consider yourself politically conservative, moderate or liberal? And why?

I consider myself a moderate that works well with everyone. Over the past four years I have been able to work with and garner the support of all local unions as well as the development community. I typically work with my peers on all type of issues and feel I am able to listen to all sides and work towards resolutions that benefit everyone at the table.

Why are you running for office?

I am running for office because my family and I are invested in this community. I have spent most of my life in the community. Specifically, in District 1. My wife is a school teacher with Stockton Unified School District . It is so important to us and to myself that I continue the amazing work we (the council) have done for the past four years. I want to continue to set our community up on a path of prosperity, financial health, and an all around family city. So far, I have been involved in improving every park in the city, funded public art, dedicated funds to pubic pools and Pixie Woods to improve existing amenities, put extra general fund revenues into our reserve funds improving our financial health through our long term finance plan, increased business licenses year over year, and decreased permit issuance times by 33%.

Why do you consider yourself the best candidate?

I consider myself the best candidate because of my experience and values. I have proven that I can work with all of my peers on the council and every level of government to get things done. I also have a strong pulse on the needs and wants of my district and the community through meeting with my constituents during office hours, listening to public comments, and being involved in community town halls. In addition, I am a common sense, integrity driven council member that has no problem speaking up when I do not agree. I have garnered a wide range of support including all labor unions, public safety unions and the development community.

Top five issues in this race

• Crime
• homelessness
• economic development
• jobs
• Quality of life

What is the best way to handle the city’s homeless problem?

The best way to handle the city’s homeless problem is to focus on funding community based organizations that offer low barrier beds and shelters, increase the number of beds to accommodate the unsheltered population, increase the number of transitional housing rooms and then to enforce anti-camping laws. We can also continue to work with our partners at the County to offer services and rehabilitation.

Public safety and police retention go hand in hand, at least on the surface. What can be done to increase both and without overburdening the city’s finances?

We can work to make our department more attractive and comparable to other agencies. We have started this by recently approving a contract with public safety. We can also support the new Police Chief and his mission to improve morale and look at innovative solutions for recruiting new officers.

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Final statement

A majority of the last four years of my time on the council have been unprecedented. Shortly after being elected, we began navigating the Covid-19 pandemic. The circumstances shifted the priorities of the council. However, we did not slow down. We banned together to continue to address community needs by increasing both market and affordable housing, gave grants to small businesses, helped to increase capacity of community based organizations, improved our parks, and combated illegal dumping. We did all this and still maintained being one of the most financially stable cities in the country. I am proud of the work we have done and am excited for the community to see what is to come in the next 12-18 months.