Stockton Town Hall to unite civilians, city officials in search for solutions

Stockton Town Hall to unite civilians, city officials in search for solutions
Submitted by Linda Park, Community Web Producer

STOCKTON, CA - Disheartening topics about Stockton run as regular headlines on the morning and evening news. It is therefore a common belief that there are limited solutions to the city's problems. Many Stockton residents have questions they want answered and are seeking solutions to the challenges facing their city.

On Sept. 27 at 7:00 p.m. in Long Theatre at University of the Pacific, ABC News 10 Sacramento will host "Stockton in Crisis, Searching for Solutions," a free town hall forum open to the public.

The town hall will present a six-party panel featuring, mayor Ann Johnston, district attorney James Willett, Deputy Chief of Police Rick Salsedo, Eberhardt School of Business professor and director of University of the Pacific's Business Forecasting Center Jeff Michaels, as well as Pastor Glenn R. Shields, community representative and religious advocate. These individuals will comment on the issues facing the city of Stockton, and provide feedback to questions posed by the audience.

"This is News 10's commitment to Stockton," explains Gina Villarreal, segment producer with News 10. "The goal of the town hall is to provide an open dialogue with city officials and key community constituents in order to offer solutions to Stockton."

"Higher education institutions have a responsibility to their students and community to provide forums of discussion," said Ted Leland, University of the Pacific vice president of external relations. "This type of event allows the University to join the dialogue and establish a neutral setting for a constructive conversation about the city's weaknesses."

News 10 will be integrating audience and online questions throughout the Town Hall, allowing community members an opportunity to have their comments and concerns addressed directly by Town Hall participants.

Reporters Tim Daly, Cristina Mendonsa, and Dale Schornack will broadcast live from the forum, and Leigh Paynter will be monitoring a live webcast of the event, fielding questions and comments from online viewers.

For those interested in attending the event in person, please request a ticket on news10.net, or call 916-441-2345 (Limit 4 RSVP's per person).

News10/KXTV