El Concilio CEO says families were towed, cited during Cinco de Mayo festival; city hears concerns

During general public comment at the May 12 Stockton City Council meeting, Jose Rodriguez, CEO of El Concilio California, urged the council to consider whether recent law enforcement activity around the Cinco de Mayo festival aligned with Stockton's stated values. Rodriguez said he had documented what he described as "targeted law enforcement activity" on May 2–3: families being stopped, cars towed, citations issued and, in some cases, arrests, despite there being no street shows connected to the festival. He cited third‑party reporting of more than 140 impounds, 1,500 stops and 1,200 citations and said the cost to retrieve a vehicle can range from $400 to $2,000, inflicting immediate hardship on low-income families.

"A compassionate city does not speak of dignity while humiliating families in one of the poorest sections of town," Rodriguez said, arguing the practices undermine trust between residents and government. He said the festival is an important community celebration and that law enforcement activity there should have supported, not disrupted, families and small businesses.

There was no full administrative response on the record to Rodriguez's claims during the meeting. Mayor Fugazi and councilmembers did not counter the account during public comment; later in the meeting staff and chiefs discussed police staffing and enforcement more broadly in the context of budget and public safety items. Council did not take an immediate action in response to the allegation but the remarks were entered on the record and will inform future oversight and public safety discussions.