San Joaquin County leaders gathered at Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca earlier this month for their annual State of the County report card to 830,000 residents.
There was a quick overview of the basic subjects.
* The $3 billion spending plan in place represents the county’s 13th consecutive balanced budget.
* San Joaquin General Hospital earned professional kudos from a national organization for its maternity care and in 2025 handled 1,997 births, conducted 7,667 surgeries, and handled 4,107 trauma cases.
* San Joaquin was the first county to declare a golden mussel emergency, a sign of continued vigilance with Delta concerns given two-thirds of the Delta is within the county, its key role for local agriculture, and the fact 27 million Californians depend on the water that passes through it, as do millions of acres of farmland.
* The county is preparing for the impacts of H.R. 1 — also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — that will reduce money available for Medi-Cal patients, hospital support, behavioral health, and clinic payments.
* Statistics show the sheriff’s department and district attorney’s office are protecting the public plus steps have been taken to expand efforts to reduce recidivism.
* The district attorney opened a South County office in Lathrop staffed by 38 employees.
* Unsheltered homeless in the rural areas of the county is down 47 percent and sheltered homeless is up 16 percent showing various county initiatives to treat homelessness with compassion and accountability are working.
* Some 379 miles of county roads have been resurfaced.
* The $242 million SJ Be Well campus designed to treat 8,000 people annually that have behavioral health issues and will have 170,000 square feet of facilities including 250 beds for transitional housing is on target for completion in French Camp next year.
* Day in and day out the county’s 8,000 plus employees are doing their jobs whether it is in public safety, human services, parks, public works, and more.
* San Joaquin continues to grow as California’s — and the nation’s — seventh largest farm county with agricultural production growing by 6.6 percent in 2024 to $3.3 billion.
The list goes on and on.
But Board of Supervisors Chair Sonny Dhaliwal made it clear while the county is working diligently to build infrastructure to accommodate growth and work with the private sector on economic initiatives to create more jobs so families can thrive, weaving the social and support fabric of communities is just as important.
“San Joaquin County is powered by people who care deeply about their community,” said Dhaliwal, who represents Manteca, Lathrop, French Camp, the Delta, and northwest Stockton on the board.
At the State of the County session, officials also chose to honor the Thomas Toy Community Center in Manteca as an example of that philosophy by bestowing the non-profit with the Growing Greatness Award.
Launched two years ago in a two-story building on the southeast corner of Yosemite and Fremont avenues and remodeled to serve teens in a 21st century world, the free drop-in center is a haven on any given weekday for 60 to 90 youth.
It is also growing its membership by roughly five teens a week.
Thomas Toy Center Executive Director Amy Butler noted she has seen teens go from self-harm to developing self-worth; isolation to conversing comfortably with others; and being unsure of themselves to building confidence.
Butler noted a wide variety of endeavors ranging from art, music, dance, and exercise programs to a “teen cave” as well as café where teens can hang out safely has helped change lives.
Butler said the efforts of volunteers have helped teens “realize they are capable of doing things they never imagined.”
Dhaliwal noted the county’s goal is to grow beyond just adding people.
Supporting efforts such as the Thomas Toy Community Center as well as leveraging services the county offers are helping the county do just that.
Dhaliwal added San Joaquin County’s diversity is its strength.
And while stressing creating opportunities for families to grow is a top San Joaquin County goal, protecting the environment is also key.
“We are protecting our agricultural heritage and our precious Delta as well as preparing for the future,” Dhaliwal said.
The theme of this year’s State of the County was “United in Service, Focused on the Future.”
