Former mayor, nonprofits launch ‘Heal Stockton Fund’ as city grapples with grief
Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs has joined several Central Valley and Stockton advocacy and nonprofit groups to launch a community fund to support residents affected by last month’s mass shooting.
“We’re heartbroken at the tragedy that happened here in Stockton. We came together to figure out how we can ensure that we build the infrastructure to reduce the likelihood of things like this happening,” said Tubbs, who spoke Tuesday with The Bee ahead of the fund’s launch.
The Heal Stockton Fund formally launched Wednesday, little more than a week after the Nov. 29 shooting that left four people dead including three children and at least 13 wounded. Sierra Health Foundation, San Joaquin Community Foundation and Tubbs’ Reinvent Stockton Foundation are leading the effort. Initial funders Black Freedom Fund and James McClatchy Foundation are also partners.
The groups committed an initial $100,000 and are calling on individual donors and organizations to contribute.
“The leadership with all of these groups, we’ve been working together for more than a decade, and we said, ‘What can we do?’,” Tubbs said. “We knew we had to work fast.”
Money from the fund will also go toward tackling relocation and rent costs; mental health services and medical care; legal assistance through victim witness resources, said fund organizers.
Organizers in a statement describing the fund’s aim said funding will quickly get into the hands of Stockton nonprofits that provide ongoing and wraparound services such as those deployed during the pandemic.
“When tragedy strikes, our responsibility is to act swiftly and compassionately,” said Chet P. Hewitt, president and CEO of Sierra Health Foundation, in the statement. “The Heal Stockton Fund is about meeting urgent needs while laying the groundwork for long-term solutions to prevent gun violence and support a healthy, thriving region.”
Tubbs said the fund’s pillars will also continue the work of making Stockton safer by investing in and helping to develop more opportunities for communities across the city.
“We want Stockton to be ground zero for violence intervention, for data-informed policing,” Tubbs said, adding that programs to create jobs and reduce substance dependency will also pay dividends toward a safer city.
“Our community is hurting, and this fund is a lifeline for families navigating unimaginable loss and trauma,” said Michael Duffy, CEO of San Joaquin Community Foundation, in the statement. “Together, we can provide immediate relief and build a safer future.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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