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a private grant . “ The idea of doing something different , it ’ s always going to be met with criticism ,” Tubbs says . “ I just count it as part of the calculus that there ’ s nothing you ’ ll ever do where everyone agrees with it .”
Stockton ’ s gun homicide rate ( about 13 per 100,000 residents ) was in the top 20 nationally , and more than twice the California state average for 20 years . After implementing Advance Peace , Stockton experienced a 40 percent reduction from 2017 in firearm assaults causing injury or death in 2018 . ( Sacramento and Richmond are also engaged in similar programs .) Tubbs calls the reduction “ incredibly important .”
Changing a city ’ s image
As mayor , Tubbs got results , and he has evidence to prove it . He wanted to prove he was more than charisma and Stanford-incubated connections and that progressive ideas can pay off on the bottom line . “ During COVID-19 , we laid off no staff , made no cuts , no service cuts ,” Tubbs says .
Six years after filing for bankruptcy , Truth in Accounting in 2018 ranked Stockton as the second most fiscally solvent city among the 75 most populated cities in the nation . In January 2020 , it rated Stockton sixth and gave it a “ B ” for its fiscal health .
Tubbs has studied leadership . He has a master ’ s degree in policy , organization and leadership studies from Stanford ’ s Graduate School of Education , where he also earned his bachelor ’ s degree . “ I realized that the folks at Stanford were smart , but they weren ’ t necessarily that much smarter than the people I grew up with ,” Tubbs says . “ But they ’ ve had vastly different resources , vastly different investments and vastly different opportunities that led to vastly different outcomes .” He hopes offering Stockton residents components of those resources and investments will positively affect their outcomes as well .
Tubbs seems well-suited for going against the grain or simply charting his own course . It could be his generational observance that the people who have been in charge clearly neither have all the answers nor in some cases are they even asking the right questions . “ I ’ m sure I ’ ll continue to work on the issues of equity of justice , of basic human dignity ,” Tubbs says . ” Whether that ’ s in the government sector or the private sector or bits of both , I haven ’ t quite decided .”
Political consultant Steve Maviglio sees the loss as a political life lesson Tubbs will grow from . “ I still think the sky ’ s the limit for Michael ,” Maviglio says . “ The guy has enormous talent and potential — he ’ d be an asset to anyone in government or maybe in the foundation world , where he could do a lot of good for somebody who has a lot of money to dispense and put into an effective program .”
Tubbs ’ memoir , “ The Deeper the Roots ,” is being published by Flatiron Books in August , and it will be an Oprah ’ s Book Club selection . “ It ’ s about everything ,” Tubbs says . “ My college days , what brought me back to Stockton , running for mayor , being mayor , what was it like to be mayor during 2020 . My vision for the future .”
Losing the election wasn ’ t the worst thing that could have happened to Tubbs . Many think it simply pushes his timeline forward by four years . He doesn ’ t feel any pressure to make a move just yet . “ What ’ s next for me in terms of being the youngest ex-mayor in ( Stockton ’ s ) history ?” Tubbs asks . “ I ’ m really open to options and opportunities .”
Marcus Crowder is a Northern California-based writer . For 17 years , he was the theater critic at The Sacramento Bee . His work has appeared in Alta , American Theatre , Sactown , Diablo , San Francisco Chronicle and 7x7 . On Twitter @ marcuscrowder .
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