Manteca · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Manteca public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Sedan Annexation Project — 305 new homes
An annexation and prezoning proposal at 9715 Sedan Avenue was set for hearing continuation.
MTSSA Labor Agreement and Salary Schedules
Two unions representing over 200 employees said the city's 2% offers fall below inflation and cited unpaid 2008-era wage sacrifices. The city manager says 17 meetings have occurred and a deal is near.
Measure Q use and oversight questions
The three-quarter-cent sales tax approved in 2024 is keeping the city from making operational cuts and is funding big projects like the new police headquarters and Fire Station Six. Staff plans a 17-year bond for facilities and is pursuing grants to stretch Measure Q dollars further.
Firefighter paramedic (ALS) program
With a $952,000 federal grant covering 90% of the cost, Manteca will train ten firefighter paramedics over two years — aiming for a paramedic on every apparatus by 2030. ALS care roughly triples cardiac arrest survival rates.
Fire Station Number 6 Land Exchange
The city is swapping a leftover three-quarters-acre parcel at McKinley and Bronson for two acres at Joshua Street and Woodward to build the sixth fire station. A resident questioned the site selection process and why the school site is being reduced.
Speed lumps on Crom Street
Residents pushed for 25 mph on Chrome Street near Stella Brockman school; state law required 30 mph based on crash data. The 30 mph limit now qualifies the street for speed lumps, which residents plan to petition for.
$65 Million Lease Revenue Bond Issuance
The authority authorized up to $65 million in lease revenue bonds to bankroll city capital improvements. The bonds earned a AA- rating from S&P, keeping borrowing costs low, and will be repaid by June 2045 alongside Measure Q's sunset.
Safe routes to school along Yosemite Avenue (PSS project)
The school district says the 164-unit PSS project puts students within walking distance of two schools but with no safe pedestrian route on busy Yosemite Avenue, and the developer opted out of the district's facilities mitigation program. The developer says it will pay mandated state fees and is working with the district on a solution; the city's Airport Way widening is years out (2032).
Downtown-area development hearings postponed
Four significant projects — two apartment complexes and two annexations — were pushed to October 15, delaying any decision on housing growth and city boundaries.
Fueling Stations Zoning Standards (ZTA 26-62)
A resident objected to a proposed gas station on Pillsbury Road, saying it's too close to homes and that 700 residents signed a petition against it. She asked the council to direct commercial uses to major corridors like South Main, Union or Airport instead.
ADA sidewalk and curb ramp compliance
A longtime resident catalogued roughly 35 alleged ADA Title II violations and threatened formal grievances, citing sidewalks, park equipment and the golf course.
WQCF Solar and Battery Energy Storage Project
Floating solar panels and battery storage on the treatment plant ponds aim to cut ~$2.5M/year in PG&E costs, with $17M–$27M projected savings over 20 years. Bills won't drop, but future rate hikes should be smaller.
School capacity and development fees
Vice Mayor Lackey pressed on whether the 44-unit Wawona project would add 80-plus kids to already crowded schools. The developer said MUSD wanted the project to join a 35-year CFD costing over $1 million, which it declined, but it will pay all state-mandated school fees.
Flock Camera Expansion
Six new park cameras passed 4-1, but the debate highlighted bigger questions about surveillance, data retention and who decides future camera installs. A police presentation on Flock policy is due September 1.
Wawona Apartments entitlements
A 44-unit, four-story apartment project near South Airport Way needs a general plan amendment, rezone, and other approvals. Neighbors worry about well contamination, one emergency access point, parking, and a tall building next to one- and two-acre lots. The council gave the developer until September to work things out with residents.
Fueling Station Moratorium and Zoning Standards
The city froze new gas station applications for 45 days and introduced permanent rules: stations only in CMU and general commercial zones, conditional use permits, 500-foot separation between stations, and 300-foot setbacks from residential. This was driven largely by the proposed station at 1840 Pillsbury Road surrounded by homes.
Yosemite Mixed Use Conversion (Batch GPA Site 5)
About 21 acres near Yosemite and Airport Way get unified Commercial Mixed Use zoning, opening the door to future commercial and residential development up to roughly 520 units.
Batch GPA Sites 1 through 4 — General Plan Amendment and Rezone
Four parcels could get new land use designations and zoning, opening the door for new development. This shapes where housing and commercial growth lands in Manteca.
Low Barrier Navigation Center at 555 Industrial Park Drive
A donated air-conditioned kennel removes the biggest barrier — pets — keeping homeless residents out of the 555 Industrial Park shelter; ribbon cutting September 9.
Fire Station No. 6 Design
The city was set to hire RRM Design Group for up to $554,054 to design a new Fire Station No. 6 — a step toward expanding fire coverage as Manteca grows.
Manteca Transit Fixed-Route Redesign
The four-route bus system gets replaced with five simpler, more direct routes starting October 1, with earlier 5:30 a.m. service and a new early ACE train connection. Council praised expanded school and senior access.
Tara Park Elementary site and school land redesignation
Residents fear the city is shrinking the future Tara Park Elementary site and giving leftover land to a high-density apartment developer instead of returning it to the school district. Staff says the action only aligns zoning maps and any land deal was between MUSD and a private party, not the city.
Safety incident near golf course baseball diamond
Commissioner Mendoza described a man apparently on drugs threatening children near a baseball diamond by the golf course and asked the city to secure the area.
Fire and EMS dispatching agreement with Stockton
The council was asked to approve a five-year agreement for the City of Stockton to dispatch Manteca's fire and medical calls.
60-acre Community Park and Stormwater Basin Acquisition
The city was set to consider buying roughly 60 acres from RAFF 2, LLC for a future community park and a stormwater basin. It would be one of the larger park acquisitions in recent years, paid from park impact fee funds.
Central Trunk Sewer Project
A nearly $7 million sewer trunk line project in northwestern Manteca was up for environmental clearance and contract award, part of the backbone sewer system for the area.
Fueling station development policy
Manteca has 33 gas stations with up to 10 more entitled or in planning — well above the state average. Council is moving toward a 45-day emergency moratorium while staff rewrites zoning to keep car-centric uses out of residential neighborhoods.
District 4 street conditions
A young District 4 homeowner spoke twice, saying his neighborhood's roads are full of deep potholes and cracks while other districts get skate parks and splash pads. Council members pointed to the Yosemite Avenue project and past work on Lathrop Road and Main Street, and Morowit invited him to tour the area together.
New Manteca Police Station at 682 S. Main Street
The city's first new police headquarters since 1976 cleared its site plan review. It's designed for 121 current staff with growth capacity to 130 officers, includes solar fleet canopies, and a community room doubling as an emergency operations center. Groundbreaking is targeted for late summer 2026 with an 18-month build.
2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan
Manteca's required five-year water plan projects demand out to 2050 and concludes the city can meet it even through five consecutive drought years. The plan keeps the city eligible for state and federal grants and includes six shortage levels with escalating response actions. New state rules are pushing indoor use toward 55 gallons per person per day.
Capital Improvement Program General Plan Conformity
The city's five-year infrastructure wish list — 256 projects totaling roughly $690 million, mostly water, sewer and roads — was found consistent with the 2043 General Plan. Actual funding decisions belong to the City Council.
Measure M Public Safety Sales Tax Financial Oversight
The oversight committee reviewed financial reports, trends, and five-year forecasts for the Measure M sales tax, ensuring tax dollars are properly tracked and allocated to local police and fire services.
Street Takeovers and Traffic Enforcement
A council member raised nightly 'donut' racing near Elm and Argonaut that has one resident afraid to leave her house. The police chief explained residents should call dispatch and safely capture video, and said extra patrols have been assigned to the area during peak times.
Wastewater treatment plant UV and ammonia treatment upgrades
The city is upgrading its wastewater plant's ultraviolet disinfection system and adding ammonia sidestream treatment — the last two projects needed for full compliance with its discharge permit. Construction is estimated around $20 million by 2028, funded through sewer capacity fees, fund balance and bond proceeds.
Proposed Walmart relocation to Atherton Drive and Main Street
Several residents voiced strong opposition to moving Walmart to the corner of Atherton and Main, citing traffic near the freeway exit, effects on home values, and skepticism that relocating the store fixes existing safety problems like loitering. Staff confirmed the project is only at the preliminary application stage with a formal application, environmental review and hearings still at least a year out.
4-C Ranch Residential Annexation & Subdivision
The council advanced annexation and planning for 68 new single-family homes on East Louise Avenue. This project expands city limits and adds single-family housing inventory.
Union Ranch Commercial Development (Tractor Supply & Dutch Bros)
A new 4.43-acre commercial project featuring a Tractor Supply and a Dutch Bros drive-through coffee shop will bring new retail and jobs to North Union Road. The council approved the required specific plan amendments, use permits, and site plan.
Government building impact fee increase
New development will pay more per square foot to fund civic facilities like the $86M police headquarters, library, and animal shelter. Council says Measure Q closes the funding gap; developers' group had concerns but staff adjusted the study.
Airport Way Widening Project
The city awarded a nearly $2 million engineering contract to design the Airport Way Widening Project from Daniels Street to Waterfall Way.
Park hours ordinance
The council gave final adoption to an ordinance changing park hours under Chapter 12.12 of the municipal code.
Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update
First update since 2016 — a roadmap for a rec center, aquatics facility, pickleball, amphitheater and more, roughly $930M in needs through 2040. Adoption doesn't obligate spending; each project still needs its own design and funding.
Downtown Specific Plan
The city is spending nearly $1M on a comprehensive downtown blueprint covering land use, streetscape, the ACE transit center relocation, and the Bedquarters site at Yosemite and Main. Council members say this plan is different from past efforts because it includes enforceable development standards and comes after forming a downtown district.
Measure Q Financial Status Review
The city finally delivered its annual financial audit on time with a clean opinion, after years of being behind. Audit adjustments dropped from over 100 to 15, and the city regained a double-A credit rating that saves ratepayers on debt.
Woodward Avenue closure hurting local businesses
A local business told the council the Woodward Avenue closure has cost businesses significant money with no reopening date posted. Staff said a four-way stop interim solution could open within two weeks pending railroad and state approvals.
Staffing Fire Station 6 with SAFER grant firefighters
Nine new federally funded firefighters will staff an engine company serving southwest Manteca, where response times hit nearly nine minutes versus the six-minute-20-second national standard. The grant covers most costs for three years, but the city must fund the positions permanently starting in year four, likely from Measure Q.
Veteran Housing Tiny Homes Installation
A county behavioral health grant of up to $281,000 will buy and install tiny homes at The Way Veteran Village, with residents getting five years of county mental health services and paid rent — at no cost to the general fund.
Mossdale flood risk reduction project
The $400 million Mossdale levee project reached a milestone with its draft EIR released; construction is planned for 2027-2028. It would raise protection from 100-year to 200-year levels for southwest Manteca and Lathrop.
Downtown revitalization via Bedquarters purchase
The city is buying the historic 1913 IOOF building at Yosemite and Main for $1.2 million to become a downtown anchor — possibly a food hall or public market. The downtown specific plan will shape what goes in, and murals and the building's history are slated for protection.
Utility Rate Increase
Your water and sewer bills are going up in Manteca for the first time in nearly a decade and a half! The city says it's to pay for essential upgrades and keep up with rising costs.