Stockton Citizens Frustrated With City's Deficit

STOCKTON (CBS13) - People are frustrated. They want to know why their city is looking at filing for bankruptcy and how they are going to combat crime in their neighborhoods.

Someone broke into Jola Bortner's home Tuesday. Stockton crime scene investigators just finished dusting for fingerprints.

"I was sick to my stomach all day and I didn't sleep very well last night," Bortner said. And for me, it makes me nervous.

She's concerned about the safety in her city after being one of the latest victims of criminal activity.

And at Wednesday's town hall meeting hosted by Stockton's Mayor Ann Johnston, others shared her same sentiment.

Mark Pasqualicchio attended the meeting and says his two-year-old daughter found a bullet slug in their driveway and he wants to see more police on patrol.

"We have a vested interest to see the city thrive. I think this city has so much potential, but I don't think we have the capable people running it right now," said Pasqualicchio.

Of the 100 people in the room, many criticized city leadership for not only the rise in violent crime, but also the financial crisis.

Everyone was demanding answers as to why the city is in such a budget mess, and looking at the possibility of filing for bankruptcy along with a $24 million deficit.

"When we came into office we inherited a real mess, most of those things before we came into office," said Johnston. "What we are trying to do is fix the mess, we really are the fixers.