Stockton opens long-awaited new city hall, but chamber beam steals the spotlight

It's a new era for Stockton as the new City Hall officially hosted its first City Council meeting Tuesday night.

The public got its first look inside the new council chambers, including one feature that's already drawing attention: a large structural support beam in the middle of the room.

A city spokesperson said removing the beam during the renovation would have added more than $1 million to the project's cost, so officials decided to leave it in place.

Richard Sepulveda found himself sitting directly behind it.

"Well, we sat right behind the pole, and we realized we couldn't see anything," Sepulveda said. "I was thinking it, but I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to be Negative Nancy, I guess."

The opening of the new Stockton City Hall has been a decade in the making.

"It's been a long time coming," Mayor Christina Fugazi said.

The city purchased the former office building in 2017 to replace its century-old City Hall.

The projected cost of $25 million has more than tripled after delays due in part to the coronavirus pandemic.

Civic leader Bishop Dwight Williams is hopeful the new look will mean a new era for a city coming off a grand jury report blasting the council for dysfunction.

After a surge in homicides during June, the city has recorded 18 killings so far this year — keeping pace with last year's total.

"We're the tenth-largest city in the state of California," Williams said. "Stockton is not a minor player. It's a major player in California, and so we'll have major problems, major challenges."

For city leaders, the new City Hall represents a new home for public business and civic debate.

Just don't expect everyone to want the seat behind the beam.