Walk on Wilshire Dead. For Now.
I say for now because in Fullerton nothing truly goes away if staff wants something. And boy did they want the wasteful, little-used, annoying road blockage.
Still, for the present, staff has been directed to open the street.

At last night’s City Council meeting, no majority was present to keep the embarrassing WoW on life support, let alone expand it to Malden. On a 2-2 vote no positive action could be taken. Now businesses and residents who used to use Wilshire to get to and from Harbor Boulevard will be able to do it again.
But oh Sweet Baby Jebus, how the crowd gave it a go. Dozens of speakers cheered for the dumb idea, almost none of whom had any skin in the game, as they say. The nonsense went way over the top, including some who actually said businesses were going to be hurt if the street was opened! The only businesses supporting this were not even located on Wilshire.
My God, their descriptions of this 200ft kiddie chalk surface were rhapsodic. The Garden of Eden. Central Park. Golden Gate Park, doncha know. Cars are frightening. So fun to get off the sidewalk. Peaceful and serene. Back to nature, even!
Naturally a few of the speakers were vitriolic. One, a ill-tempered shrew named Karen Lloreda questioned the integrity of Jamie Valencia for taking campaign money from bad people. Lloreda didn’t bother share with the public that she was an endorser of Kitty Jaramillo, the woman Valencia defeated to become a councilmember, so I’ll do it here.

Diane Vena, another Jaramillo supporter (and supporter of the felonious Republican candidate Scott Markowitz) showed up to take the usual moral high ground, too, adding some unintended irony to the goings on.

Then there was this acolyte of Ahmad Zahra, a perpetually angry little person spilling her overflow of venom at council meetings in a rapid-fire succession of aspersions. She claimed to be a business owner (of course no details forthcoming) and asserted that opening Wilshire would be detrimental to business! It seems that if your heart is in the right place you can make any claim you want.

Of course the younger Kennedy sister, Skasia showed up to support the stupid, and yammer about something so far above her head she might as well have been discoursing on astrophysics.

We learned three things last night. Jamie Valencia and Fred Jung can demonstrate commonsense in the face of angry, histrionic boohoodom. We also learned that Councilmember Shana Charles appears to be the mastermind behind keeping Wilshire blocked off. Her closing statement was a litany of her special academic qualifications as an urban planner and a public heath expert of some sort. And in retrospect one gets the idea that it was she who rounded up speakers to attend the meetings last year, too. Her completely callous attitude toward Wilshire businesses may come back to haunt her. If Charles thinks she gets to tell businesses whether they are doing well enough to satisfy her, and expects them to buy it, she’s got another think coming.
We also learned that Sunaya Thomas, Fullerton’s was willing to let the Council believe that $50,000 to $250,000 was a price range for closing the block, when in reality it was just the possible cost of the design side of stuff. Zahra jumped at the chance to waste $50K up front and let staff come back for more, a typical, incompetent attitude.

And finally let’s give another nod to Fred Jung, whose suggestion to close down the whole block gummed up the works, but good.
And let’s celebrate for ourselves. At least for now the taxpayers of Fullerton dodged another losing lawsuit that was surely headed our way.
I love how these people clamor about how “the majority” wants this or that. They are evidently unaware of the concept of tyranny of the majority, opposition to which is at the heart representative democracy.
None of those pro-walk people had anything to lose except some symbolic fuck you to cars.
And nobody mentioned the 2 acres of urban open space a few hundred feet away – the Downtown Plaza, perfect for “kiddie” chalk drawing on the pavement. There’s even trees and a fountain, all bought and paid for already.
Great point. Stupid symbolic issues for them is all. Somebody dared to question the common sense and consequences of ideas that just aren’t thought through. They know what’s best.
Cars and people who drive paid for the street.
” unaware of the concept of tyranny of the majority”
Which has fuck all to do with this case.
Gee, maybe because the dopey WoWites kept bragging about all their support and their majority opinion that others must follow, yakkity-yak, with zero concern for businesses and property owners who DO have skin in the game.
Ironically this was wrong. None of the thousands of people who used to use Wilshire for business or convenience every day had their opinions solicited and DID NOT sign the idiot petition and will be better off now.
But they don’t count because Shana Charles, the public health expert and two incompetent staff members suckered a few dozen people to show up and babble nonsense in public.
Put a fork in it Johnny. This turkey is fully cooked.
Thank you! Finally!
This thing is some sort of mutant shapeshifter….it will come back again in the future in some other Earthy form, i.e., like a “pocket park” next time. We can always count on Fullerton being Fullerton.
100% correct. That’s history.
You guys are ghouls and should be treated like the plague on society of which you are.
Mobility has to be on a bicycle or on foot. I can’t sexually harass women behind car doors.
Karen Lloreda, of Dana Point City Council, who was recalled had an opinion on Jamie Valencia? The Karen Lloreda who tried to sell Dana Hills High School land to a developer? The Karen Lloreda, realtor and not a very good one? Hey Karen! Go home and get your shinebox!
That’s a very bitter old woman.
“Alright, we’ll go on to our next item, street sweeping…”
The best line I heard all night.
Diane Vena, proponent of fraudulent elections, said a few good lines about fairness and community. Didn’t mention anything about stopping the steal. Not enough oxygen getting to her retired pensioner brain wearing that dumb mask.
Never show that picture of Shana dancing again.
LMAO
The thousands of people that signed the petition to save WoW should have been supporting all of the businesses in the area and telling those businesses that they’re there because of WoW.
I didn’t see one business show up to the meeting in support of WoW. Not one. Not even ones that have parklets on WoW. Curiously absent. Maybe their support was only public facing. If WoW was so good for them, where were they???
I’m surprised Julie Leopo from Voice of OC(EA) didn’t show up to memorialize this affront to Latino Communidad.
The picture of Jabba in Pink burned my eyes.
post a pic of yourself
Killer comeback. Ouch!
I feel a change in the Fullerton winds. Maybe we finally get government accountability.
Slow down. We still have boobs like via the Register, “Walk on Wilshire was a much-needed community gathering space,” said Anjali Tapadia, a Fullerton resident and volunteer with Save Walk on Wilshire, a grassroots movement that advocated to make the street closure permanent.
“There aren’t any other lively community spaces in downtown Fullerton that are open 24 hours a day, that are pedestrianized, that have pretty lighting and that feel safe to walk around,” Tapadia added. “I think when people visit downtown Fullerton now, they’ll be less likely to take a stroll, to come upon new businesses and to run into friends or family.”
Grassroots? Start a grassroots campaign or GoFundMe to fix our worsening streets child!
24 hours a day? Ahahaha. The eye doctor needs better vision.
Every tome one of these people speak they say something dumber than the last one.
That’s just Jung farting in Zahra’s direction.
A street blocked in vain,
Voices loud, but common sense
Opens it again
Obnoxious pink twirl,
Dancing, she shakes the earth’s core,
Grace lost in her folds
Very nice.
Changing winds, just farts,
Empty promises float low,
Blow away with breeze
Minions were many
Confusion was abundant
A beacon of light
You win.
Canadian rolls
Her husband an angry man
Fullerton suffers
Why are these public health advocates – Egleth, Shana, Jaramillo so, um, unconvincing?
It’s their weight. I mean, it’s the weight of H2O.
Closing down a street that has been an integral part of our community for over 100 years to create a Pokemon plaza seems like a short-sighted and unnecessary idea. Especially when there’s a 2 acre Plaza that’s open all day and well lit at night just one block to the east.
It’s frustrating to see a small minority group pushing for this change without considering the impact it will have on the larger community who may not have the time to attend every city council meeting to express their opinions. The voices of hardworking residents who rely on the street for their daily commute or other activities should not be overshadowed by a vocal but disconnected few. It’s important to consider the needs and perspectives of all members of the community before making such significant changes.
This one will not be forgotten and I assure will come back to haunt Charles and Zahra.
Preach!
Well said! Unfortunately, the myopic boohoos don’t get it.
The needs of the few will always outweigh the needs of the many in Fullerton.
It’s just the Fullerton way.
This disaster was a relic from the covid, which no one even cares about anymore. I’m a car driver and so are my neighbors. Maybe you dine outside or your neighbors do. This wasn’t meant to be anything more than temporary. How is opening the street to car traffic the needs of a few? There are a lot more of us than outdoor diners.
Read the FT comment again. I think you are in agreement. The few are the blithering idiots who collected a bunch of signatures from people you could get to sign anything.
Exactly. We feed from the same trough my friend. Who in their right mind would pay $30+ a person to dine in a street amongst hideous orange traffic barriers and exhaust fumes?
Sounds like heaven to me!
NOT!
According to Staff’s Traffic Analysis Report to the City Council, there were ZERO cars driven thru that section of Wilshire on both Friday and Saturday when the $10,000 study was conducted. That confirms that everything the WOW people said is true and Shana was spot on that re-opening the street will cause many businesses to fail just like they did in Brea and Placentia during the pandemic. The Professor is soooo smart. Why would anyone want to reopen the street (other than the evil FFFF’ers who hate children and pedestrians) when there was not one car that drove over the bollards during two whole days? Can’t you understand that the City needs to rent out the street so that Mulberry can put tables and chairs in the way so that pedestrians can zig-zag onto the sidewalks and burn extra calories to stay healthy?
“There are a lot more of us than outdoor diners.”
And plenty of places for you to drive and park.
Plain and simple… you’re the one being entitled. It was a small segment of one street.
But $$$ won. Not residents.
Good thing some one with real skin in the game laid down some skin. Something you will NEVER do.
I’m having trouble understanding your reasoning, John R. Hogerhius If you and your group think it’s so important to meet up in DTF to do whatever it is you’re doing, why not use the 2-acre Museum Plaza that’s just one block to the east? It seems like a much more suitable space.
I’m genuinely curious about your perspective on this situation. Other than to meet on WOW to play Pokemon and chalk the street, from where I stand, it seems like a huge misstep to take over an entire public street . I’d appreciate an explanation on what motivates this decision, and wonder what’s driving the actions behind it. Frankly, it appears like your group has evolved into something resembling a cult with the Kennedy Sisters acting as the leaders. It seems like you’re too caught up in the cult to see it for yourself, but I’d be interested to hear your take, if you have one, other than the Observers canned talking point to blame Mr. Bushala for leading the charge. And what he did was nothing out of the ordinary. Every city across America did the same thing post-covid. He said it several times even offered a compromise.
Keep in mind, not just his tenants suffered from the loss of through traffic effecting his tenants businesses, but effecting other several businesses on Wilshire. Not to mention the inconvenience this street closure caused to many nearby residents, truck deliveries, police pursuits, paramedic response times, as well as to all the other surrounding businesses alike.
Do not clutter the discussion with commonsense.
Yes we are in fact suffering the ripple effects of fauci evil experiment.
I was a bit disturbed by Doc Charles whimsically remarks regarding the cigar shop. Who are you to decide? It’s legal. The owners pay for licenses, permits and taxes. Just because it doesn’t fit in your world vision and moral superiority, doesn’t give you the right to judge a small business and its owners.
Self-righteous progressives like Charles don’t care about the rights of others. They are about control and inflicting their particular ideological preferences on everyone. A flaccid maniacal tyrant is tucked inside the skull of every person like “Dr.” Charles.
The comment section of the trashy Observer is all of 5 people circlejerking over the importance of pedestrian access. The sob stories are embarrassing.
Never fear!
They will have something new to bitch about soon.
Indeed they will. And Diane Vena shall lead them.
Fuck pedestrians. They walk all over everyone.
Observer Kittlen writes,
“Dunlap left the discussion to avoid a conflict of interest accusation because his father owns one of the buildings where Walk on Wilshire is. By doing so, and with Valencia being Jung’s new bestie, there was no way Zahra and Charles could get a third vote to save the walk. It was dead the last time it came up before council, but they wanted to wait and see who got voted into district 4. Instead of a woman who fought for the masses, they got Valencia, who accepted money from known problematic donors who unfairly have power within city council.
The citizens wanted the walk to stay as it was. The less than handful business owners wanted it closed. Guess who won? It’s the old Golden Rule: Them that’s got the gold makes the rules.
Expect protests to come.”
Protests? Sounds like a threat. I don’t think Jung & Jamie will like that. Keep pissing them off and see how many of your begs and pleas are answered. Or try something new and donate money from unproblematic donors.
Expect protests to come.
Imagine the pressure these people could put on city hall if they actually were fighting for something that mattered.
You think for these types it would be a prerequisite. But no, they want to fight for a closed section of street so they can scribble on it with chalk.
It really tells you all you need to know about them.
This goes to lack of judgment. The camp followers couldn’t see how unimportant it was to keep the street closed.
When you stop and think about real problems that go unnoticed by the Kennedy Sisters and their ilk you get the sense of overarching dumbness.
I can’t believe this is such an issue. As much as I and many others like/prefer dining outside in nice weather, it doesn’t justify closing a public street and making already difficult parking/navigation worse. Also, until recently I was a building owner in the area, and one of the reasons I sold was because parking for my tenants and their customers was super bad and getting worse. People being unable to park or to easily navigate across Harbor results in lower building values and lower rents. Glad to be rid of the property. The parking structure is not a reasonable distance from the businesses in that area, and while 6 parking spaces isn’t much, when the navigation issues are stacked on top of the loss of spaces it’s a frustrating experience. All this for outdoor dining which is occupied maybe 3 hours of each day (being generous) yet the street closure is 24 hours a day.
” it doesn’t justify closing a public street”
Why not? Seemed fine.
“and making already difficult parking/navigation worse.”
It isn’t, and it didn’t. Some drivers are just maximalist, angry entitled cranks.
You’re a maxilimalist angry entitled crank. Oh and yeah: you knuckleheads lost. Next: the Trail to Nowhere!
JRH = Angriest elf and manatee.
There aren’t enough prunes in the world to relieve his intellectual constipation.
JRH said:
” it doesn’t justify closing a public street”
Why not? Seemed fine.
“and making already difficult parking/navigation worse.”
It isn’t, and it didn’t. Some drivers are just maximalist, angry entitled cranks.
************
Well then, I would like to close the right hand lane of Harbor and build a parklet for my business. If people don’t like it then they can take another route.
As for the difficult parking and navigation, yeah, it’s worse. Driving through the WOW is the most direct way to my home from my old building. You ever try entering Harbor from Wilshire during rush hour because you can’t drive onto Wilshire?
Sound familiar? The city failed to notify any and all property owners on the south side of Wilshire about the proposed street vacation, despite what the city staff report and proposed ordinance suggested. Even the largest property owner on Wilshire, Wilshire Prominade, LLC—who owns 55,000 sq. ft. of retail and office space—never received any communication from the city staff in four years. Not a phone call yet alone a Public Notice about this street closure/vacation. This leads one to believe there may have been intentional wrongdoing on part of city staff, possibly in an effort to placate certain groups while disregarding others. Trying to please everyone by withholding the full truth is a dangerous game, especially when the facts were straightforward.
This situation highlights a fundamental problem from the very beginning. Was it intentional? Let’s hope not. But in the end, both sides invested a lot of personal time, political capital, and money into what they believed was right for the community they represented. I genuinely believe that if Wilshire had been permanently closed, it would have been disastrous for the businesses that made this block one of the most successful and sought-after streets in downtown.
Looking back at history, the situation reminds me of what happened in Pomona in the 1960s. Renowned artist Millard Sheets envisioned a vibrant downtown filled with sculptures, mosaics, and modernist architecture, but that vision failed— not because of Sheets’ work, but because the city’s approach didn’t sustain long-term success. Over time, retailers moved out, followed by beloved local businesses like long term restaurants, cigar lounges, bookstores, retail shops and boutique stores. Despite occasional city-led events, the area fell into disrepair and has struggled to recover its former vibrancy.
It’s a cautionary tale: once-thriving communities can quickly deteriorate if urban planning decisions aren’t made with care and consideration. This experience serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of trying to force an outcome without fully understanding the community’s realistic needs or the long-term impact on the businesses that define it.
Be careful what you wish for, especially when you’re trying to impose ideas that may seem trendy or politically correct, but fail to respect what has worked in the past.
I forgot to mention the most important aspect of Downtown Pomona’s decline onto obscurity. It all started when the city came up with the hair brained idea to vacate 2nd St., to allow only access only to pedestrians, no vehicular traffic.
2nd St. was the heart and soul of DTP’s business district until the City screwed the pooch.
‘The city failed to notify any and all property owners on the south side of Wilshire about the proposed street vacation’….
Sounds familiar. Remember the ‘College Town’ fiasco? The one where CSUF wanted to buy/condemn the shopping centers on the NE and SE corners of State College and Chapman? When questioned about the plan a week or so before the city council meeting, none of the property owners or store managers had heard of the plan.
I guess the city hoped nobody would show up and then could claim that there wasn’t any opposition.
Counting the days!
Basic math problem. You want Walk on Wilshire. You have 2 votes in Ahmad and Shana. You need to minus 1 because Nick won’t vote. You need 3 votes because a 2-2 gets you 0. Yet dipshits like the Fullerton Observer and John R. Hogerhuis (convince the R. stands for remedial) and the bike lady and the Diane Vena old lady and the Karen Lloreda old lady and the Vince Buck old man and the lineup of limo liberals all decide it’s a great idea to berate Jamie and Jung with their communist pressure campaign. This is why Democrats don’t win. Can’t get out of their own way. You lost 2-2=0.
Is it the end of the month yet so this ill-conceived pet project of some staff do gooder when we were all sheltering in place finally is taken apart and goes away for good?
Since Charles criticized a small business owner and customers with such self-righteous scorn, maybe the cigar smokers of the community should all gather at 8Eightyeight on Wilshire to celebrate smokers’ rights. It’s still America. She can take her socialist opinions and stick them you know where. Sunday, February 2 at high noon. I will buy everyone a cigar and we can toast to the street being opened, the parking spaces being free, and the stupidity of Charles.
Only if we can call it Smoke Pow WoW!
Let’s wear matching shirts that say SMOKE POW WOW.
Smoke my peace pipe Shana