Lifestyle

'Stockton on My Mind' shows mayor's hopes for ailing city

Posted August 07, 2020 7:00 am

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS

In this image released by HBO, Mayor Michael Tubbs speaks to high school students in Stockton, Calif., in a scene from the documentary "Stockton On My Mind." The film dives into the dreams of an unlikely mayor, who became the community's youngest and first Black mayor in 2016, and who defied odds to lead his impoverished, Central California city. (HBO via AP) The Associated Press

Walk into the Stockton, Calfornia, city offices and you might hear Drake's 'œGod's Plan'ť coming from the mayor's office. There, Mayor Michael Tubbs could be bobbing his head to the lyrics, 'œI can't do this one my own, ayy, no, ayy.'ť Outside those walls sits one of the poorest, least literate communities in the nation.

And yet there's nowhere else this 30-year-old Stanford University graduate would rather find himself, even amid the hate and ridicule critics throw at him.

'œStockton on My Mind,'ť a new HBO documentary available to stream for free beginning Friday, dives into the dreams of this unlikely mayor who defied odds in 2016 to lead his impoverished city. The son of a single mother and a father serving time in prison, Tubbs defeated Republican incumbent Anthony Silva to become the community's youngest and first Black mayor. That same night Donald Trump shocked the nation and won the presidency.

Tubbs immediately shot to national stardom among depressed liberals who sought new, bold ideas to fight poverty, violence and educational inequality. And it was those bold ideas that garnered praise and scorn.

Soon after taking office, the film illustrates how Tubbs attracted private funds to experiment with a basic income plan that critics dismissively called 'œfree money'ť for the poor. He organized former prison inmates to keep peace among gangs and got more private donations to provide scholarships to the city's poor high school students. It's all about empowering others to 'œupset the setup,'ť he explained.

'œIt's interesting. It feels like we've been moving forward while the country is moving backward,'ť Tubbs told The Associated Press on a recent weekday after taking a COVID-19 test. (It was negative.) 'œWe're definitely not perfect. We have a lot of work to do.'ť

In the film, Tubbs must also focus on his marriage to Albuquerque, New Mexico-born scholar Anna Malaika Nti-Asare-Tubb and their new baby. And he has unresolved matters with his father, Michael Tubbs Sr., a former gang member, some called a 'œmonster,'ť who is trying to connect with his son.

Initially, the mayor turned down director Marc Levin's offer to follow him around to document his life during his time in the city council. But then Tubbs agreed after Levin vowed he wanted to make a film not just about a young mayor but about a city seeking a comeback.

Besides Tubbs, 'œStockton on My Mind'ť looks into the life of Raymond Aguilar, a man who served more than two decades in prison and now works with at-risk communities to deter violent crime. It also shows the work of Jasmine Dellafosse, a community organizer and activist who helps youth avoid the court system.

The documentary is the latest in new line of films that look into the works of insurgent candidates of color in the age of Trump. The 2019 Netflix film 'œKnock Down the House'ť by Rachel Lears, for example, examines the campaigns of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive candidates who challenge incumbents.

'œStockton on My Mind'ť will stream free on HBO until Sept. 21.

___

Associated Press journalist Russell Contreras is a member of the AP's Race and Ethnicity Team. Follow Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras

FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2019, file photo, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs talks about a program to give $500 to 125 people who earn at or below the city's median household income of $46,033 during an interview in Stockton, Calif. A new HBO documentary dives into the dreams of the unlikely mayor who defied odds to lead his impoverished, Central California city. 'Stockton on My Mind' follows Tubbs, who became the community's youngest and first Black mayor in 2016. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2019, file photo, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs talks about a program to give $500 to 125 people who earn at or below the city's median household income of $46,033 during an interview in Stockton, Calif. 'Stockton on My Mind,' a new HBO documentary, dives into the dreams of this unlikely mayor who defied odds in 2016 to lead his impoverished, Central California city. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2012, file photo, a banner proclaiming Stockton as an All-America city hangs from city hall in Stockton, Calif. Stockton was once known as the foreclosure capital of the country and for one of the nation's largest municipal bankruptcies. The new HBO documentary "Stockton on My Mind" drives into the dreams of an unlikely mayor, Michael Stubbs, as he works to battle poverty and inequality in the city. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File) The Associated Press

In this image released by HBO, Mayor Michael Tubbs, center, with students Isaiah Evans, left, and Joy Almendarez in Stockton, Calif., in a scene from the documentary "Stockton On My Mind." The film dives into the dreams of an unlikely mayor, who became the community's youngest and first Black mayor in 2016, and who defied odds to lead his impoverished, Central California city. (HBO via AP) The Associated Press

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