A Stockton grandfather who gave his life trying to save his 13-year-old grandson from a burning home has been awarded one of North America’s highest honors for civilian heroism. Jose Villalta, 68, of Stockton, was named a recipient of the Carnegie Medal for heroism in the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission’s September 21 announcement. The medal is awarded to people in the United States and Canada who place themselves in extraordinary danger while saving, or attempting to save, the lives of others.

The San Joaquin Regional Transit District's Board of Directors has appointed Eric Williams as Chief Executive Officer, effective Sept. 18, after he served as acting CEO and chief operating officer.

Nearly a century after one of American theater’s most daring plays first challenged audiences, Machinal is coming home to the city of its playwright’s birth. Beginning October 9, Delta Drama at San Joaquin Delta College will present Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal, an expressionist drama inspired by a notorious 1920s murder case and centered on a woman struggling to find freedom in a world that seems determined to control her. Performances will continue through October 18 at the Al Muller Studio Theatre on Delta College’s Stockton campus.

One of the most influential horror films ever made is about to get a new voice in Stockton, and that voice will come from a full symphony orchestra. On Sunday, October 18, the Stockton Symphony will transform Atherton Auditorium into an old-fashioned movie palace for its Halloween Spooktacular: Silent Movie: Nosferatu, pairing the landmark silent film with a newly imagined full-length orchestral score by composer and guest conductor Kermit Poling. The performance begins at 2:30 p.m.

A November 5K in Stockton is asking participants to run for something larger than a finish-line medal. The Her Fall Forward 5K, scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 2026, will bring runners and walkers together to support women and girls while raising money to help local women and children's shelters provide necessities to families in need. The race begins at 8 a.m. at 5250 Cosumnes Drive in Stockton.

Downtown Stockton will trade business suits for superhero capes, princess dresses and plenty of Halloween costumes when Monster Mash 2026 takes over Courthouse Plaza on Friday, October 30.

A night of dining, music and philanthropy in Stockton will also offer something the public has never seen before: the first look inside the planned expansion of the World of Wonders Science Museum.

From safer sidewalks and downtown bike improvements to a $500,000 redevelopment grant and new efforts to fill critical public safety jobs, here is what Stockton residents should know from September 1 through September 15, 2026.