PETITION

Support Family and Relationship Structure Nondiscrimination Ordinances in
Stockton

We, the undersigned residents and allies of Stockton, California, call upon our city council to adopt comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinances that protect all families and relationships, regardless of their structure. These ordinances would add family or relationship structure as protected categories in our cities civil rights codes, ensuring equal treatment under the law for all residents.

Why This Matters

Our community is diverse, and our laws must reflect that reality. Today, many California families face discrimination simply because they don’t fit traditional definitions of family. This includes:

Multi-partner and multi-parent families
Single parents by choice
Multi-generational households
Blended and step-families
Consensually non-monogamous relationships
Asexual and aromantic individuals and relationships

Without explicit protections, these families face discrimination in housing, employment, healthcare, education, and access to city services. Recent surveys show that in California, three out of five people in non-traditional relationship structures report experiencing discrimination in at least one area of their lives.

What Were Asking

We ask Stockton to follow the leadership of Berkeley and Oakland, which adopted similar ordinances in 2024, and Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts, which passed these protections in 2023. The proposed ordinances would:

Prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, business establishments, and city services based on family or relationship structure

Allow individuals to seek civil remedies if their rights are violated

Align with California's recent legislative progress, including the Family Caregiver Anti-Discrimination Act (AB 524) and the Paid Family Leave for Chosen Family Act (AB 518)

Require no additional city staff or budget resources

California is Leading the Way

California has already recognized that families come in many forms. State legislation now protects family caregivers from workplace discrimination and extends paid family leave to chosen family members. As Assembly member Buffy Wicks stated, Who we count as members of our family and choose to care for includes so many more Californians than what our current laws recognize.

Stockton has an opportunity to build on this momentum and ensure that all residents—regardless of how they structure their families or relationships—can live authentically, access essential services, and participate fully in civic life without fear of discrimination.

The Impact of These Protections

These ordinances would provide critical protections to thousands of Stockton residents.

Research shows:

Only 18% of U.S. households resemble the traditional nuclear family model
A record 20% of Americans now live in multi-generational households
One in three home purchases involves co-buyers who aren't married
4-5% of American adults are in consensually non-monogamous relationships
One in five adults will be in a consensually non-monogamous relationship at some point in their lives.

Cities that have implemented these protections report positive community responses, straightforward implementation, and no negative budgetary impacts. Most importantly, they send a clear message: all families deserve dignity, respect, and equal protection under the law.

Our Call to Action

We urge the Stockton City Council to:

Adopt comprehensive family and relationship structure nondiscrimination ordinances

Amend existing civil rights codes to explicitly include ;family or relationship structure as protected categories

Ensure all residents can access housing, employment, services, and opportunities without discrimination

Demonstrate leadership in protecting diverse families and relationships
Every family deserves the freedom to live openly and honestly. Every relationship built on love, consent, and mutual care deserves respect. By adopting these ordinances, Stockton can ensure that no resident faces discrimination simply because their family doesn't fit outdated norms.

We call on our city councils to act swiftly and decisively to protect all families. The time for inclusive legislation is now.