The city of Stockton is seeking both short- and long-term strategies to address homelessness and housing shortages while navigating rising panhandling and loitering concerns.
Residents and city officials agreed at a recent meeting that current approaches aren’t doing enough as these challenges continue to impact Stockton neighborhoods.
The Stockton city attorney’s office updated the committee on the city’s Aggressive Solicitation, or “panhandling,” ordinance, noting that recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have strengthened free-speech protections. These rulings, including a 2025 Alabama appeals court decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2026, suggest that cities can’t ban people from asking for money. They must instead focus on regulating behavior and aggressive conduct, the city attorney’s office said…