Michael Tubbs

Michael Derrick Tubbs (born August 2, 1990) is an American politician who is currently serving as a special adviser for economic mobility and opportunity for Governor Gavin Newsom. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 79th mayor of Stockton, California from 2017 to 2021, and as a member of the Stockton City Council from the 6th District from 2013 until 2017.

Tubbs was elected mayor in 2016, becoming the youngest mayor in Stockton's history and its first African-American mayor. With his win, he also became the youngest mayor ever of a city with a population greater than 100,000. In 2020, he lost reelection to Kevin Lincoln. After leaving office, he was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as special advisor for economic mobility and opportunity. He is currently a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California in the 2026 election.

Tubbs was born in south Stockton and grew up in poverty. His mother, Racole Dixon, was a teenager at the time of his birth, and his father, also named Michael Tubbs, is serving a third-strike life sentence in prison for kidnapping, drug possession, and robbery. Tubbs has a younger brother named Drevonte.

Tubbs attended Hamilton Middle School. In 2007, while a student at Franklin High School, he won an essay contest sponsored by Alice Walker. His essay about overcoming the mistakes his parents made was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. He criticized his father's "scapegoat mentality" and praised his mother for overcoming adversity.

Tubbs graduated with an International Baccalaureate from Franklin High School in 2008. That July, he was a member of a team of three San Joaquin County teenagers who won a national debate competition in Cincinnati sponsored by the NAACP. They advocated for universal health care, and the debate was followed by a speech by presidential candidate Barack Obama.

He then attended Stanford University on a need-based scholarship, graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and a Master of Arts in Policy, Leadership and Organization Studies. As an undergraduate, he received a Truman Scholarship, and was the joint winner of the university's Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel award for "distinctive and exceptional contributions to . . . the quality of student life." During his time at Stanford, he also served as President of the school's NAACP chapter, and interned at the White House. As a low-income college student, Tubbs was the first in his family to attend college and is a first-generation college student.

Tubbs ran against incumbent Dale Fritchen for Stockton Council District 6 in the November 6, 2012 general election. He won the primary and received a $10,000 campaign donation from Oprah Winfrey after meeting her while she toured the Stanford campus.

Tubbs went on to win the election, receiving 61.7% of the vote, and took office in January 2013 at the age of 22, making him the youngest council member in Stockton history and one of the youngest elected officials in the United States. His candidacy was also the subject of a documentary, True Son, which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.^{[citation needed]}