Vacant Seat

Stockton, California has it all: rampant crime, rising unemployment, record foreclosures, AND an open seat on its beleaguered city council. In 2012, Stockton became the largest U.S. city EVER to declare bankruptcy (*Detroit took this dubious honor in 2013). A boom-to-bust real estate market, mismanagement by city leaders, and speculative overspending left the city in dire straits