THE NEXT CHAPTER drew Yang , who promised $ 1,000 a month to all U . S . citizens over 18 .
Though Tubbs will theoretically have more time to devote to the national project , he ’ s not sure if that ’ s where he ’ s headed . “ The scope of my involvement is dependent on what other options present themselves ,” Tubbs says . “ Whether it will be in ( an ) advisory capacity or a full-time job remains to be seen . I ’ m definitely still committed to that work , though .”
Stockton ’ s inequity issues have never been theoretical for Tubbs , who grew up on the city ’ s rough southside with a teenage mother and without his father , who was incarcerated as a teenager . But he says he did not feel impoverished ; with family support , his mother sent him to a private elementary school , and his grandmother regularly took him to church , instilling a Christian faith that still buoys him . Tubbs pushed himself up and out to Stanford University , attending on a scholarship , gaining promise of a life most of his neighborhood peers couldn ’ t even dream of . While interning at the Obama White House , working with a national coalition of mayors , Tubbs was jolted toward a direction and purpose he feels will be lifelong .
“ The murder of my cousin Daniel James in 2006 really caused me to realize that I felt a calling to come back ( to Stockton ) to stop it and to serve in local government ,” he says . “ I couldn ’ t think of doing anything else .” Speaking at his cousin ’ s funeral clarified Tubbs ’ vision of disrupting the cycle of violence through enabling communities that lacked basic resources .
After graduating from Stanford , he came home and , at 21 , ran for and won a seat on the city council . There he gained a reputation as someone who not only had good ideas but turned them into action .
Community-based initiatives
In many ways , Stockton had little direction to go but up when Tubbs got there . In 2012 , it became the largest city in the U . S .
38 comstocksmag . com | February 2021