How AI Is Helping Government Companies in Stockton Cut Costs and Improve Efficiency

Stockton's RISE program (Revitalizing and Improving Stockton through Education) is pairing an education-first enforcement model with City Detect's PASS AI to help the city move from complaint-driven responses to proactive, data-driven code enforcement across Stockton, California; vehicle-mounted cameras scan streets at driving speeds and PASS AI flags blight - tens of thousands of issues were identified in early weeks and the system generated roughly 2,000 compliance notices to encourage voluntary fixes.

The tech widens reach while stretched teams (six officer vacancies in code enforcement) focus on verification and repeat offenders, and municipal leaders can use the geocoded results to target cleanups and public works pilots.

For staff or managers who need practical AI skills to run or evaluate programs like this, City Detect's case study explains the model and AI Essentials for Work bootcamp - practical AI skills and prompt-writing for the workplace offers hands-on training to make these pilots operationally effective.

“Even if I was fully staffed, I don't believe we'd be able to identify the number of issues that are out there.” - Almarosa Vargas, Police Services Manager for Code Enforcement

PASS AI runs on vehicle-mounted Data Collection Units (DCUs) that silently sweep Stockton's neighborhoods, photographing streets at driving speeds (City Detect says the system analyzes images taken at up to 55 mph) and turning those street-level photos into geocoded detections in a web app; officers or managers can then review ranked blight indicators - everything from overgrown lawns and peeling paint to vehicles on unapproved surfaces - and the workflow automatically generates an education-first notice with a photo and resources when escalation is appropriate.

The approach scales routine observation across nine code-enforcement trucks and gives understaffed teams a way to triage hot spots: a brief pilot found thousands of issues (RecordNet logged more than 4,000 detections across 2,000+ locations in one short run), while the City Detect PASS AI case study explains how detections are categorized and mapped for targeted outreach and public-works pilots.

This combination of fast, sidewalk-level imagery and an audit trail in the web app turns what was once complaint-driven guesswork into verifiable, prioritized action - so instead of sending staff on aimless patrols, the city gets a precise map of where a single truck's camera already spotted a problem that can be fixed, often before it becomes a costly enforcement case (City Detect PASS AI Stockton case study detailing proactive code enforcement, RecordNet coverage of Stockton's AI and camera code enforcement pilot).

“Even if I was fully staffed, I don't believe we'd be able to identify the number of issues that are out there.” - Almarosa Vargas, Police Services Manager for Code Enforcement

Stockton's RISE workflow moves rapidly from camera sweep to community-first action: vehicle-mounted Data Collection Units feed thousands of street-level photos into City Detect's PASS AI (the system analyzes images at driving speeds up to 55 mph), detections are geocoded and ranked in a web app, and code officers review hits before an automatically generated, education-first notice is mailed - complete with a photo, the code citation, and links to city services - so outreach emphasizes how to fix the problem rather than immediate fines.

That triage model scaled instantly in early runs - mapping tens of thousands of issues (more than 29,000 total detections reported) while producing roughly 2,000 compliance notices - and gives understaffed teams a precise, parcel-level playbook for targeting repeat offenders or routing Public Works cleanups.

For program details see the City Detect PASS AI Stockton case study and RecordNet's coverage of the pilot, which both describe the verification step, the six-month grace period before enforcement, and how the web app turns raw images into prioritized, actionable cases; the result is a practical, education-led workflow that nudges 80% of recipients toward voluntary compliance while freeing officers to focus on high-priority work.

“Even if I was fully staffed, I don't believe we'd be able to identify the number of issues that are out there.” - Almarosa Vargas, Police Services Manager for Code Enforcement

Early results from Stockton's widely cited guaranteed-income pilot offer a useful counterpoint to the cautionary headlines about tech pilots: the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) - a locally led California program that delivered $500 per month to a targeted group of residents - recorded clear early wins for household stability and wellbeing, including higher rates of full‑time employment (recipients obtained full‑time work at more than twice the rate of non‑recipients), sharper reductions in anxiety and depression, and better ability to pay unexpected bills; qualitative stories from recipients - from paying off debt to gaining the confidence to pursue better jobs - underscore benefits that standard aggregates can miss.

Independent coverage and research summaries note that many effects were strongest in year one (with some measures, like food security, fading over later years), and that careful design and pairing with existing safety nets matters for scaling.

For a quick, readable overview see the WBUR on SEED and Cities Today's early evaluation recap, while Stanford HAI highlights Stockton as evidence that targeted cash can reduce unemployment and improve emotional wellbeing.

“First thing I thought of is I don't have to work Monday through Sunday anymore… it was nice to be able to, even though I was still doing stuff from home, it was nice to have a breather.” - Vanessa, SEED participant

Stockton's RISE program is already converting street‑level imagery into real budget and time savings: City Detect's PASS AI turns nearly 200,000 images into geocoded, ranked detections so officers spend their limited hours verifying and managing repeat cases instead of chasing every complaint, and early data show an 80% voluntary compliance rate that reduces the need for costly enforcement actions; the City Detect PASS AI case study explains how proactive outreach can improve compliance and cut enforcement overhead (estimates of reduced enforcement costs range from about 6%–15% and proactive engagement can lift compliance up to 14.7%), while short pilots - one five‑day sweep identified over 4,000 violations - illustrate how a single truck can generate a precise map for low‑cost cleanups and targeted outreach (see RecordNet coverage of the pilot) and the city budgets roughly $237,600 in year one to run the program (a figure reported by CBS Sacramento).

The net effect: faster triage, a smaller administrative backlog, smarter Public Works routing, and a visible “map” of problems that helps city managers prioritize neighborhood fixes before they become expensive formal cases.

“Even if I was fully staffed, I don't believe we'd be able to identify the number of issues that are out there.” - Almarosa Vargas, Police Services Manager for Code Enforcement

Staffing shortages are the hard reality behind Stockton's RISE rollout: multiple sources report between six and eight vacancies in the Code Enforcement unit, with one City Detect case study noting just 12 officers covering roughly 65 square miles and 319,500+ residents while local coverage cites about 20 full‑time officers and several open positions - a gap that left enforcement largely complaint‑driven until PASS AI's maps offered scalable triage.

The technology is meant to stretch scarce staff time - turning a five‑day sweep that flagged over 4,000 violations into prioritized, geocoded work lists - but verification, outreach, and repeat‑offender follow‑up still rely on trained officers, recruitment, and attention to pay/benefits as the city tries to refill slots.

Balancing the up‑front cost (roughly $237,600 in year one) against faster detection and an 80% voluntary compliance rate is central to operations planning; for program details see the City Detect PASS AI Stockton case study and RecordNet coverage of the Stockton AI pilot (City Detect PASS AI Stockton case study, RecordNet coverage of the Stockton AI pilot).

“Even if I was fully staffed, I don't believe we'd be able to identify the number of issues that are out there.” - Almarosa Vargas, Police Services Manager for Code Enforcement

Integration with Public Works turns PASS AI detections into action: City Detect's case study describes a 60‑day pilot that routes roadside debris and illegal dumping (tires, mattresses, electronics, appliances, televisions) straight into cleanup workflows and even links detections to Cityworks to create optimized removal routes, so a single camera sweep can instantly become a prioritized work order.

That approach fits Stockton's existing Public Works remit - street maintenance, traffic management, trash pickup - and its roughly 150 full‑ and part‑time staff, giving planners a data layer to align small cleanups with larger CIP projects and bid opportunities for debris removal.

The result is practical cross‑department value: geocoded blight maps that help Public Works schedule crews, let parks and code teams coordinate responses, and turn dozens of individual reports into a single, efficient route rather than ad‑hoc pickups (see the City Detect PASS AI Stockton case study and Stockton Public Works overview for details).

“Even if I was fully staffed, I don't believe we'd be able to identify the number of issues that are out there.” - Almarosa Vargas, Police Services Manager for Code Enforcement

California's emerging AI rules aim to put worker protections front and center - most notably the “No Robo Bosses” proposal (SB 7) that would require written notice before an automated decision system affects pay, firing, or promotions, guarantee a 30‑day appeal window and ban predictive inferences about immigration, health, or thoughts - measures designed to keep a human reviewer in the loop rather than a black‑box algorithm deciding careers.

Supporters argue these guardrails are necessary to prevent discrimination and surprise workforce decisions, while critics warn the mandatory disclosures, audits, appeals, and testing could sharply raise compliance costs for employers and public agencies and even jeopardize the bills' prospects; independent analyses flag potential high price tags for implementation and note related proposals (like AB 1018) would require pre‑use testing of consequential systems.

That tradeoff - stronger transparency and appeal rights versus added fiscal and administrative burden - matters for municipalities weighing AI pilots alongside tight budgets and staffing, and has sparked a high‑stakes debate between labor advocates and business groups in Sacramento (see CalMatters' coverage and Ogletree Deakins' analysis for background).

“The Senate's passage of SB 7 … sends a strong message: The use of AI in the workplace needs human oversight to ensure that California businesses are not operated by robo bosses.” - Sen. Jerry McNerney

Scaling RISE will hinge on two practical moves: build in-place AI skills and anchor the program to community touchpoints so data-driven enforcement becomes useful day-to-day.

Workforce upskilling can lean on localized resources like the Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp syllabus to learn practical AI skills for government teams in Stockton and the Nucamp Writing AI Prompts course materials for government use cases to teach staff how to turn PASS AI maps into prioritized worklists and public-facing dashboards; equipping supervisors with those playbooks makes expansion repeatable across neighborhoods.

Equally important are partnerships with neighborhood institutions - think WelbeHealth's Stockton PACE center (582 East Harding Way), where seniors take art classes, use on-site medical care, and gather for events - which provide concrete venues for outreach, targeted services, and feedback loops so technology-backed cleanups align with real resident needs.

Together, training plus neighborhood anchors create a low-friction blueprint for scaling RISE across Stockton while keeping the program practical, visible, and tied to everyday community life (Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp syllabus, Nucamp Writing AI Prompts course materials for government teams, WelbeHealth Stockton PACE center information and location).

Other California cities looking to replicate Stockton's practical gains should pair a clear governance playbook with hands-on pilots: use state‑level shared tools and procurement pathways to lower costs (the Newsom administration is already offering an AI “e‑check” for faster permitting in Los Angeles), maintain an AI inventory and vendor factsheets so systems are auditable and transparent like San José's public AI register, and adopt San Francisco‑style disclosure and human‑in‑the‑loop rules to protect residents and workers while keeping city staff accountable.

Operationally, that means routing automated detections into Public Works and code‑enforcement workflows, training supervisors to convert geocoded leads into prioritized work orders, and using standardized vendor documentation to spot failure modes early - so the focus stays on fixing problems, not wrestling with black‑box tools.

The payoff is concrete: faster service delivery, lower per‑case enforcement costs, and clearer public communication - plus the ability to scale pilots without sacrificing oversight or trust (and to take advantage of statewide AI resources and partnerships when they're available).

“Bringing AI into permitting will allow us to rebuild faster and safer, reducing costs and turning a process that can take weeks and months into one that can happen in hours or days.” - Rick Caruso, Steadfast LA Chairman

Stockton's experiment shows how narrowly targeted AI can cut costs and speed service delivery without skipping the human step: PASS AI's vehicle-mounted cameras turned a short pilot - one truck flagged more than 4,000 violations in five days - into geocoded maps that helped the city shift from complaint-driven work to education-first outreach, producing roughly 2,000 proactive notices and an 80% voluntary compliance rate; framed against a roughly $237,600 first‑year price tag and code‑enforcement vacancies, the result is a pragmatic tradeoff for California cities weighing tighter budgets and worker shortages.

As coverage from RecordNet Stockton AI cameras code enforcement article and City Detect lays out in its CityDetect Stockton proactive code enforcement case study, the tool amplifies scarce staff time while keeping verification and follow‑up squarely with officers; building those practical skills locally - for example through the Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp registration - makes the program scalable and defensible in California's evolving policy landscape, turning AI into a reliable operational assistant rather than a replacement for judgment or community engagement.

“Even if I was fully staffed, I don't believe we'd be able to identify the number of issues that are out there.” - Almarosa Vargas, Police Services Manager for Code Enforcement