San Pablo, CA — a small, working-class city just 2.6 square miles wide, located on unceded Ohlone territory — is being transformed into a regional hub for policing. Without meaningful input from the community, city officials are spending $47 million to build a 42,000-square-foot regional police training complex, featuring:

• a 20-lane indoor shooting range
• Infrared saunas, sleep pods, and a gym
• a drone command center and launch pad
• a VR use-of-force simulator, SWAT & K-9 spaces
• A gym, two classrooms, and expansive office space
• Just 0.6% of this facility is allocated to mental or behavioral health — yet that sliver is what the city points to when defending the project.

In a city of just 30,000 people, this would be San Pablo’s fourth police facility — including a training center we funded in 2019 with many of these same features.

Where is the money coming from?

1. $30.47M in lease revenue bonds — This is a 30 year bond that didn't require voter approval, and is a type of loan that siphons revenue away from libraries, senior centers, and future services to pay down the debt. 
2. $10.43M directly from San Pablo’s general fund — money that could have gone toward housing, youth programs, and community health
3. $4.35M from COVID-19 relief funds under the title of "revenue loss", despite residents identifying health care, small business grants, and essential services as top priorities.

What we were promised...

The land — known as the Circle S site — was set to be "The Avenue", a mixed-use development envisioned to include:

• Affordable housing
• Restored creekways and public green space
• Indigenous commemoration/land acknowledgement
• Retail shops and community infrastructure

Instead — directly across from City Hall, beside the public library, WIC office, and health center —  the city authorized a regional police hub and gun range, prioritizing luxury amenities for local law enforcement over community amenities.

We call on the San Pablo City Council to:

• Establish a data-informed and community-led Ad Hoc Task Force to evaluate: (1) the effectiveness of the proposed current use, (2) impact assessment on the surrounding community, and (3) community-informed alternatives. 
• Pause all construction immediately and convene accessible town halls for meaningful community input.
• Repurpose this facility as a public resource hub that reflects the priorities of San Pablo residents.
• Enact a Sunshine Ordinance to guarantee transparency, oversight, and public accountability moving forward.
• Acknowledge this as both a regional and intergenerational issue — Police departments from Richmond, Pinole, Hercules, and Santa Rosa have already signed usage agreements. If this facility is intended to serve the region for the next 30 years, then residents across city lines and across generations have the right to decide how it is governed and used.

This isn’t just a local fight — it’s a Bay Area-wide investment. San Pablo — “The City of New Directions” — invite you in demanding more for the region. We’re not just saying "STOP COP CITY" (Bay Area) — we’re ALSO saying:

• "Repurpose, Reallocate, Reclaim...COP CAMPUS"
• "Our Debt. Our Decision. Our Budget. Our Building. Our Funds. Our Future. "
• "Our City. Our Say. We Wont Back Down, We Won't Go Away."
• "A Regional Facility, A Regional Fight!"
  

Take Action With Us...

• ✍️ Sign and share this petition: change.org/stop-cop-campus 
• 📬 Email City Council: Got 1 Minute? Send a pre-written message or write your own to oppose the facility and demand it be reimagined for community care: http://stopcopcitybayarea.com/email
• 🌐 Join us at virtual town halls, movie nights, strategy sessions, canvasses & more: stopcopcitybayarea.com/events
• 📢 WE'RE ON TOUR!! Invite us to speak or table at your business, cafe, church, community/political group, etc! www.stopcopcitybayarea.com/tour
• ✉️ Contact Us: contact@stopcopcitybayarea.com
• 📢 Follow Us: @stopcopcitybayarea
• 📌 Hashtags: #StopCopCampus #StopCopCityBayArea #ReclaimTheBay