The Dog Ate My Homework
Fullerton is supposed to have its budgets wrapped up by the end of June. That’s when fiscal years end and new ones begin. It’s in the Municipal Code.
But not this year. So a resolution was needed to keep the gears of government grinding in Fullerton at current levels so that “essential services” be maintained. At the June 16th meeting the City Council passed the appropriate resolution authorizing the continuation of the process into July. Here’s the casual explanation of what’s going on::
“Staff continues to evaluate revenue projections, expenditure estimates including cost containment and deficit reduction strategies, capital improvement requirements, reserve levels, organizational needs and other fiscal considerations as part of the FY 2026-27 budget development process.”
Permit me to translate the double talk: “a complete absence of leadership has stalled the process and nobody in City Hall has the remotest idea how to deal with the massive, impending budget shortfall except by taxation.”
We have seen over the past year the revitalization of the footling Budget Sustainability Committee that accomplished exactly nothing. Zero. Zip. Well, not quite nothing, because its members reflected the positions of those that appointed them. Dunlap’s appointee voted against all tax proposals offered up. Jung and Valencia’s appointees supported a half-cent special infrastructure tax, but not a general sales tax. Zahra and Charles’ appointees rejected a special sales tax and pushed for the one cent general sales tax.
One committee member suggested privatizing the Water Utility; another suggested borrowing from the deep pockets of the new (or old) waste hauler. Another idea was creating a business district to pay for the Downtown Fullerton deficit. Innovative concepts for a City on the edge of insolvency that got no traction. T he committee how disastrous budget cuts would be to the public, especially to the hallowed halls of “public safety” that sucks up the lion’s share of the budget. Service levels, donchaknow.
I don’t recall anybody discussing mandatory salary reductions. Maybe I missed it.
Which leaves the City with no viable tax path forward even getting one on the November ballot. Other revenue generating ideas went nowhere, including selling off real estate, particularly that where Water Fund activities are going on. Other ideas, such as selling the boutique hotel site aren’t practical because Council and staff and City Attorney have led to humiliation and fraud on the property and has seen it tied up in dispute.
Even as Fullerton’s “leaders” fiddled away their time, new information about huge accounting errors revealed the situation was even more dire than previously imagined.
It would be dereliction not to remind Friends that our illustrious City Council actually agreed to hire a bunch of ambulance drivers on credit and a dozen new “firefighters” at the behest of the their union even as the budget crisis loomed on the near horizon.
The stall has been brutal to watch. Complete failure of leadership. Fullerton should just disincorporate and let some other entity run it.
Levitt was weak and the new one is just a retread jalopy running on fumes.
Maybe we need an elected executive mayor.
Say, whatever happened to that charter idea?
Agreed. Redraw the map to include six districts and directly elect a mayor. At least we’d get rid off the rotational mayor policy.
Fullerton doesn’t need six districts. Just four. Bring back the Charter idea!!
Terrible idea. There are no competent leaders willing to run for office in Fullerton. Everyone who runs is a political hack or pseudo-business person with no real track record of success. Fullerton is doomed.
“Say, whatever happened to that charter idea?”
It disappeared from the radar, alright. And that’s worth a post!
UA, check the new post.
Fullerton voters get what they deserve when they blindly vote for candidates endorsed by the public safety unions. As council members, these candidates will sell out the public’s budget to throw money at police and firefighters every time. Those voters shouldn’t complain when other services are cut to find raises for police and fire.
How about we place a special tax on the ballot to fund police and fire only and see how they goes down on Election Day.
Not a bad idea – but I would never go for it except to maintain current cops/EMS and put the money elsewhere. Even then I have to wonder why the City managers are so lame, the parks people so incompetent and the public works people so expensive.
Oh, I forgot. We only hire the best of the best. Like the community development liar and the finance nitwit.
I haven’t heard much about a sales tax coming from the city council. Doubt there’ll be one this year without 3 of them agreeing on anything except Zahra can’t be mayor. Mayor wannabe Zahra continues to undermine any tax with his increasingly divorced from reality POV. He helped break it with blind, unfunded raises for the precious employees every year, except COVID, for his entire time on council, but it is Jung’s fault because he’s mayor. Kennedy klan, Elijah, the bike lady eye chick, failed real estate agent Sarah Harmon, and bike parade guy who loves food Tim Johnson, all give Zahra deference because they have a mystical belief in him. No one bothers to ask Ahmad why he voted for unfunded pay raises that will bankrupt the city, and how he plans on fixing it.
Who is Sarah Harmon? That’s a new name.
A loser.
How so?
Sarah is a puppet for Ahmad and Shana.
Recently held a fundraiser for Shana at her home.
If Shana wins she will be a winner. And right now Sheena of the Bungle has no competition with only a month or left for filing. Can’t beat someone with no one.
Jung wants be Mayor but doesn’t need to be held accountable?
He has everything figured out. He just ain’t sharing the news.
Accountable for what dummy? He is 1 of 5 votes. He doesn’t have veto power stupid. He’s not the fucking President of Fullerton.
He’s the Mayor, dummy. For what, 4 out of five years?
He wants a title he can monetize but won’t take responsibility. That’s 4th worth place out of 4. I guess.
Monetize how dumbass? He doesn’t seem too faded by being 4th out of 4. Two others voted for him to be mayor 4 out of 5 years. But you conveniently forget to tell that part because you’re a fucking loser.
You sound like one of the idiots who he doesn’t look at when making comments. LOL
That stupid agenda statement wouldn’t even fool a dummy like Sitka.
we should defund our police, they make up 65% of the budget as it is
The Hero Unions organized crime syndicate and its extortion racket will bankrupt the city. It is inevitable.
They will certainly have had the assistance of council majorities over the years, including Jung, Valencia, Zahra and Charles of the current crop.
True. Spineless, weak, and purchased/owned elected reps are culpable as well.
Hiring those ambulance drivers and more non-firefighters was the worst Fullerton dereliction I can remember. And that’s saying something.
Actually, Galveston was a very well-run city.
Take EMS away from the fire department and contract with a private provider. Shrink the size of the fire department down to the basic minimum and save millions every year. Placentia did it, so can Fullerton.
That should have been the council’s first action. Instead they went public with the ambulance drivers.
More Lego less Grimace
Maybe Jung now knows what accountability is all about.
Same stupid statement. Accountability? For what? Idiot.
Bad roads, budget catastrophe, empty park, trails to nowhere?
Roads have been bad in Fullerton long before Jung was even elected so that is a naive thing to say, He voted to do more road projects, Budget…reasonable. He did vote for city employee pay raises. Empty park? What is that? Trail to nowhere…he didn’t vote for it, He was the only one who didn’t so you are blaming him incorrectly. Get your facts right before making an opinion or talking about accountability.
Sorry, but he DID vote to keep the trail to nowhere alive in the beginning of 2024. And the empty UP Park is his baby, too.
But that’s okay. This blog only defended him because Zahra is worse.
Did he? Do you have record of that vote in 2024?
Agenda Item #15 on January 16th, 2024. 5-0 vote. Read. Weep.
ChatGPT: Fred Jung opposed the project at several key points, although his position evolved over time.
Here’s the timeline:
August 2023: Jung was part of the City Council majority that voted to direct staff to seek using the $1.78 million state Urban Greening grant for a different project instead of Union Pacific Trail Phase II if the state would allow it. Supporters viewed this as effectively stopping or delaying the trail.
January 2024: The council unanimously (5–0) approved an updated concept plan for Phase II. Jung voted in favor of that revised design, which included reserving space along portions of the corridor for potential future development.
May 2025: When the council voted on the construction contract to actually build Phase II, Jung cast the only “no” vote. The contract was approved 4–1 despite his opposition.
Jung said his concerns centered on issues such as the long-term vision for the entire railroad corridor, funding, and obtaining the remaining railroad right-of-way from Union Pacific before proceeding with the trail. Supporters of the project argued those concerns unnecessarily delayed a long-planned trail that already had state funding.
So fuck you. Read. Weep.
Thanks for verifying what I wrote. He voted for it: January 16, 2024.
AND he supported opening the dead park which was dead again on Day Two.
He doesn’t seem to care about how he votes.
P.S. Hiring a bunch of new ambulance drivers an fire slugs? Really and truly, the list goes on and on.
He did kill WoW so I give him some credit for that. But without Bushala pushing him he would have happily gone along.
How do you know Bushala pushed Jung for WoW closure? Did you think to think maybe Jung pushed Bushala?
Hahaha. Comedy gold!
Have no fear. Connor Traut will solve all of Fullerton’s problems once he’s elected Supervisor. His ambulance chasing experience is a perfect cure for all that ails Fullerton.