Stockton City Council votes to raise the LGBTQ+ flag

A divided Stockton City Council on Tuesday voted to raise the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag in honor of Pride Month. The council vote was 4-to-3. Council member Michele Padilla voted against raising the flag.

"I got a call about the Mexican-American flag, 'Can we hang that for Cinco de Mayo?' My own brother-in-law, 'Hey, I'm a strong Italian here. When are you going to do that for me?,'” she said. “I really, truly don't think we're ready to fly any other flag than the American flag, our city flag, the POW flag."

Vice-Mayor Kimberly Warmsley voted to raise the flag.

“Why not have the Native American flag? Yes, why not have the Juneteenth Flag? And yes, why not have the Pride Flag? Because in this city we embrace diversity over adversity," she said.

Sacramento City Council adopted a resolution at its May 2 meeting to direct the City Manager to fly the Pride Flag at all city facilities with a flagpole. 

“This seemed like a simple symbolic measure,” said Council member Katie Valenzuela about the expansion to buildings beyond City Hall. “But, really, at a time with so much increased hate and bigotry in our community, we feel very strongly that expanding the Pride Flag’s presence across our city, at every public building, is a really important statement for us to be making.”

Later in the May 2 meeting, Sacramento city council member Rick Jennings requested a process be developed to consider requests to raise other flags. The City Manager was directed to return to the council at a later date with a set of recommendations. 

Earlier this month, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors failed to pass a motion to fly the Pride flag above the county's administrative building.