Zahra Tells All – Part I

Land of opportunity…

No, of course not. The truth is not in him. If it were he would have explained how he, the first gay Muslim in America married a local woman in Arkansas to jump the Green Card line.

Not asking real questions is a great way to avoid getting real answers…

The Damascus Dodger is featured in a three part interview with Stiskia Kennedy in the Fullerton Observer. It’s an opportunity for the Kennedy Sisters to give the scam artist another of their tongue baths and to avoid anything that resembles the truth about Zahra and his career, a career that resembles a jailbreak more than anything else.

In a recent discussion, I spoke with Fullerton City Council Member Ahmad Zahra about his role and responsibilities. We engaged in a Q&A session that delved into the challenges and rewards of serving the community at the municipal level. 

Bushala says stop!

First Satkia wants to know how to stand up to influential donors. Suddenly Tony Bushala’s unseen presence fills the room. Zahra’s response? He lies of course. Naturally, Zahra is a profile in courage, standing up to the “special interests” over whom he prevailed in his two elections. This demanded his “wisdom and thick skin.” This history is false, of course. Nobody knew who he was in 2018 and he slipped in past a couple others; naturally he ignores the facts of his 2022 run when his victory was not won on any issues, but by spending $120,000. And then there was his recruitment of Tony Castro, the dummy Latino candidate who the OC Dems set up to take votes away from Oscar Valadez. Oops.

Stikia follows up with campaign finance. Zahra complains about political action committees and the poor plight of the “community-focused” candidate (presumably just like him). No questions are asked or answered about Zahra’s big campaign donors, just as the Kennedy Sisters never bothered to ask who gave money to Cannabis Kitty Jaramillo in 2024, and what they hoped to get out of it. The cannabis workers’ PAC gave $60,000 to help Cannabis Kitty, but that’s not the sort of mean, nasty PAC Zahra has in mind.

Malo, indeed…

Zahra says his opponents spent more than he did and he still won in 2022. That’s a lie, too, but he knows the Sisters won’t check him on it. Dredging up another Fullerton Boohoo gripe about Mr. Bushala, Zahra bemoans the fact that donations can be returned so that councilmembers can vote on the donor’s project. This is reference to Councilwoman Jamie Valencia’s return of money to Bushala before the vote on the stupid Walk on Wilshire in which Bushala had no legal interest. That return wasn’t even necessary per state law so why is this a problem?

What, me lie?

Staksia’s last question is about ranked choice voting about which her interlocutor knows nothing and doesn’t care. He wants to curb “unethical practices” by PACs, saying nothing about the fraudulent candidates Tony Castro and Scott Markowitz whom his party set up so their pals like Zahra and Jaramillo could get elected in Fullerton. And that betrays Zahra’s true feelings about the community he pretends to love so much.

The Nuisance

At last Tuesday’s Fullerton City Council meeting three gentlemen got up to speak about problems they’re having with the Union Pacific Railroad, specifically, the lack of policing along the unused line just south of Imperial Highway.

It seems that members of the homeless “community” have taken up residence along the unused right-of-way with the attendant trespass, trash, peeping-tommery, and even fornication. The residents are sick of it and the railroad has been uncooperative, they say. The situation even made the news.

The speakers at the meeting were quick to thank Nick Dunlap and Fred Jung and the Fullerton PD for their help and numerous calls for police help. Can the City persuade the railroad to do something?

The giant railroad corporation issued a canned and useless response; possibly responding only because a lawsuit maybe be coming.

Since the line (according to reports) hasn’t been used for between twelve and seventeen years, you have to wonder what the UP has in mind. This track is the remnant of the UP line that came northward from Anaheim past the Hunt Wesson plant, know as the “Basta Crossing” and north through La Habra. The line south of the Basta Crossing was abandoned and sold off long a go. Obviously lots of people see the remaining portion as having potential for a rec trail.

Is the ROW legally abandoned through disuse? Not yet. That’s up to an arcane Federal agency called the Surface Transportation Board.  Have prescriptive easements been established where bikers have created an informal parallel trail? I don’t know, and I’m not sure the railroad would even care despite liability issues.

The Money Game

Money is the mother’s milk of politics – the famous phrase shamelessly coined by Jesse Unruh, former California politician and fixer.

And nowhere is this more true than in Orange County, where Supervisorial districts include 600,000 residents and getting people out to vote (for you) requires lots of investment in media of one kind or another. Setting aside independent political action committees, the politician’s own expenditure is critical.

Since our own District 4 Supervisorial job is up for election in 2026 (the senile and corrupt Doug “Bud” Chaffee being termed out) it is timely, on the verge of a primary campaign, to see how much money the various candidates have raised, and how much they have on hand.

The second half of 2025 finance statements for the D4 candidates are now viewable on line. The results of July-December fundraising are interesting.

That’s Mayor Jung to you…

The big cash leader is Fullerton’s own Mayor, Fred Jung. He raised a whopping $145,000 bucks in the second half of 2025, and had a cash balance of $354,000. He’d have more but spent almost 50K in 2025 mostly on campaign consultants. That’s a lot of money.

Little fish, big pond…

Connor Traut the eager office hopper from Buena Park; the carpetbagger who lusts after politcal office, raised $64,000 and has $225,000 in the bank. Of course $100,000 of that was shifted from his existing campaign account, a move he sleazily pretended was a real 24 hour fundraising effort.

Tim Shaw

Tim Shaw, the only Republican in the race raised $60,000 and has $69,000 on hand.

Rosie addresses the Boys in the Back (of the) Room; Will they hear her?

The final candidate who I am aware of is Rose Espinosa from La Habra. She raised a paltry $14K, but thanks to one of those personal loans politicians make to themselves, in this case $150,000, she’s got a $160,000 total.

The primary election is June 2nd, so a tsunami of political outreach will probably be starting in a month or so. What are the prospects for these free spenders?

Won’t look you in the eye while you’re trashing him…

Fullerton is in the 4th Supervisorial District, in fact, it is the largest city completely within the boundary of the district. Three of the last four D4 Supervisors have been on the Fullerton City Council. This gives Fred Jung a natural edge over candidates from Fullerton’s much smaller neighbors like Buena Park and La Habra. Jung, however has no help from a political party, if in fact that means much anymore. He is now registered NPP – no political party preference. His record of defying the kooks in Fullerton will help, not hurt him with conservatives and independents.

Catch and release?

Connor Traut is the nebbish candidate of the Democrat establishment and has all the usual endorsement from the same people endorsing the thief Paulette Chaffee for NOCCCD board. He has a lot of money on hand, but only 63% of what Jung has stockpiled. Being an elected in Buena Park isn’t much of a help since it is historically apathetic in politics and he moved there just to get into a municipal office.

The Village People just called…

Tim Shaw, the only Republican running, has zero hope of being elected. He came close seven years ago, but the district has become even more Democrat and less Republican. He is a member of the whackadoodle and opaque OC Board of Education. That will get him some charter school lobby money as a sop. He might do well enough to make a run-off in November by coming in second, but he can’t win in a general election. In 2022 two Democrats made the runoff. Shaw has no path to victory.

Her garage door won’t open…

Rose Espinoza, another Democrat, has no foreseeable path, either. All the Dems are behind Traut, for what that’s worth, and Espinosa has no name ID outside of small La Habra, where getting elected doesn’t seem all that difficult. Still, as the only woman in the election she’s got that going for her. But she hasn’t raised much money. But she is willing to risk her own dough, apparently, and that says something. Something sort of Paulette Chaffee-esque. She has run for Supervisor two or three time previously way out of the money.

Anaheim Flatlands

The OC 4th District Supervisor election is likely going to be won in the flatlands of Anaheim where none of the above candidates is very well known. There are lots of Latino voters in these precincts and that might help Espinosa. There could be the better part of 25,000 to 30,000 votes there. Large, but not enough to help an Anaheimer do well. At this late date I can’t think of any who could or would try to run.

The Strange Tale of the Missing and Reappearing Bushala “Puff Piece.”

Here’s a strange story reported on the Orange Juice blog last week by Vern Nelson.

Miaad the correspondent.

It seems that a post was published on the Fullerton Observer site in early January – a letter to the Observer Sisters from Miaad Bushala, niece of Tony Bushala. Her letter was all about how a Fullerton cop stopped her father, Albert, for rolling through a stop sign. Albert rolled down his window with the light of Christmas kindness in his eyes. The policeman, Officer Levin warned him about the dangers of such incautious motoring.

Patrolman Levin

Officer Levin, under the influence of Yuletide kindness, and captivated by the kind quality in Mr. Bushala’s demeanor, did not cite the careless driver. Instead of a ticket, he kindly handed the wayward motorist a $10 gift certificate to a coffee place.

Cookies and dough…

Subsequently, all of Mr. Bushala’s family appeared at police HQ on Christmas Eve with a plate of cookies, and a check for $10,000!

But then Ms. Miaad’s post quickly vanished from the Fullerton Observer blog, only to reappear virtually unchanged a few days later as an attempted news story in the Orange County Register, courtesy of Claire Wang. Most peculiar, no?

And finally, a few days ago, the very same story made its way back into the Observer, this time offered up under the byline of someone named David Spargur, who now cites the Register as a source!

How odd.

Satkia Kennedy on the job…

Vern Nelson noticed the switcheroo and contacted the Kennedy Sisterhood to find out why the original “letter” from the daughter about her papa’s kind generosity to the Fullerton Police Department was deleted. Nelson tells us that the story was removed at the request of Miaad herself who, upon further reflection, thought the thing appeared a little self-serving. That’s the narrative as told by Sitka Kennedy, anyhow.

And yet somehow the incurious OC Register got the tale, and for some reason decided to treat the donation as unquestionable philanthropy, and hence newsworthy; once the Register ran their bit the Kennedys obviously decided that it was okay to publish a redo. How come?

One observer, FJC teacher Jodi Balma, mentioned the Register article on Facebook. She called it a “strange puff piece” and reminded her friends that “Bushala” has lots of business with the Fullerton government at contentious meetings. This frequent Voice of OC “expert” had obviously mistaken Albert for his brother, Tony!

Jodi Balma knows a lot more than you do…

But Jodi, like the proverbial blind porcine, had unknowingly stumbled upon a truffle! As Vern Nelson reminds us, Albert Bushala owns numerous properties in downtown Fullerton that have nightclubs, and that he and his tenants have lots of business before the City Planning Commission that can use the kind assistance of a friendly police department.

Albert Bushala

Informed sources tell us that Albert Bushala currently has a Conditional Use Permit submitted to operate an events venue in the 100 block of West Commonwealth that will have a liquor license. Proposed hours of operation? 6am to 2pm.

Fullerton Childish

Lately we have been treated to a small band of “activists” at City Council meetings behaving poorly, insulting folks, catcalling and loudly showing their displeasure. This is rude behavior for grown-ups, and there is something else going on: demanding that you get your way and that oppositional forces must be bad, evil, in fact. It goes beyond politics and enters the realm of child psychology.

The latest example is an “opinion” essay appearing in the Kennedy Sisters’ Fullerton Observer. It was supposedly written by a person named Kevin Curriston, under the sensational headline “City Council steamrolls constituent views.”

As an aside, FFFF has encountered Mr. Curriston previously, although his identity was a mystery. In fact, some of us assumed he was a homeless individual rounded up by Sitkas Kennedy to support the Trail to Nowhere.

I replicate Curriston’s editorial below, wherein he attempts to justify the theme of his headline.

Kevin Curriston

I attended and spoke at the Fullerton City Council meeting on December 16,  2025. On the agenda was the question of whether to adhere to the custom of a fair rotation of mayoral selection, or to continue allowing council members to nominate and elect someone by simple majority vote.

About 75 citizens showed up to speak, all but one pushing for a fair rotation of the mayor and advocating for Ahmad Zahra or the current Mayor Pro Tem, Dr. Shana Charles, both for their continued presence in community events and caring, responsive attitudes.

Fred Jung was personally ostracized and insulted every which way to Friday, and accused of not even making eye contact with his detractors when they addressed him.  It was pointed out that he wanted to retain the position of Fullerton Mayor on his resume simply for his objective of running in 2026 for Orange County Supervisor. If we have anything to do with it, and can overcome a well-bankrolled political machine, that won’t happen.

Councilman Nick Dunlap spoke at the end and said the same thing: 40 people who show up to every City Council meeting to protest do not represent the voters of Fullerton.  He did not support rotating representation of all districts in Fullerton.  It was one town, with one set of interests.

Councilwoman Jamie Valencia nominated Fred Jung, and Valencia, Nick Dunlap, and Fred Jung re-voted for Jung as Mayor, shutting out Mayor Pro Temp Shana Charles completely in favor of Dunlap as Mayor Pro Tem. This will be the 4th time he’s been mayor in 6 years.  It is not a level playing field in any way!

Fullerton City Council has become Fred Jung’s well-oiled political machine that does not care about constituent concerns or views – only about their own cronyism and career ambitions.  It was pointed out that neighboring Buena Park adheres to a mayoral rotation policy, and mayoral elections in the City Council are done in minutes.  Fullerton is attracting attention all across the county for its contentious decision-making, totally steamrolling the will of its constituents.

Aloha

An editorial is all about opinion, and the opinions presented in this statement perfectly parallel those of Fullerton Boohoo, Militant Division, and can be seen in the drama, emotion, and exaggeration of a typical child. We can forget about the misstatement of facts other than to observe the inflation of numbers and time are concomitant with the infantile imagination.

Here we see the usual conflation of what someone wants with what is righteous and proper. That’s not so unusual in political presentation. But the next step is more pernicious; the assumption that what you want is what everybody wants and just as importantly, what everybody needs. We’ve seen it over and over again when the small cluster of agitators at City Council meetings profess to speak “for the people,” on issues of which the vast majority of Fullerton’s citizens and taxpayers are unaware. This is the self-centered thinking of a center-of-the-universe child, and a particularly irresponsible mindset for adults making big, expensive decisions. Yet, this is the essence of the Fullerton Childish perspective.

Curriston reminds us that Fullerton Childish is offended by Nick Dunlap’s rational observation that 40 people do not constitute “voters” and that getting elected means representing everybody. This attitude is vilified by Fullerton Childish because it often means the pet projects of their darlings, Ahmad Zahra and Shana Charles are subject to at least a little scrutiny.

It doesn’t seem to occur to poor Kevin that maybe he should consider why a majority of his colleagues refuse to make Zahra Mayor. Like his immigration fraud, his battery and vandalism case, his filing a false police report against a councilmember, his going to Sacramento behind the Council’s back, his persistent and colorful recreation of the truth, and even his latest pretense of being “out of the state” for some mythical employment.

Ultimately, the mayor rotation fantasy isn’t really about fairness or democracy or any other abstraction for Fullerton Childish. It’s about the denial of the gratification that validation that your worldview provides. Whining and crying about unfairness. Truth is neither here nor there; rational examination of facts is not an option. Opposition is evil. If it can’t be found, it must be concocted.

The Great Disappearing Zahra and the 2026 Aftermath

Syrian proverb: Clothes maketh the man…

Five days have passed since “Dr.” Ahmad Zahra, the Syrian immigrant fraud announced he would not run for re-election to the Fullerton City Council.

Silence is golden. Sometimes…

Crickets from the Fullerton Observer, whose sisters Sanka and Sharon have republished every utterance of Zahra, and who published his plagiarized articles without apology, have said nothing.

Other over inflated things…

They’ve published a dozen other articles – even one about some woman on Dorothy Lane who has become addicted to putting blow-up figures in her front yard. But not a solitary word about their Hero quitting in 2026.

How come?

Many people are saying it’s because Fullerton Boohoo doesn’t have a District 5 replacement plan yet, and the Observer crowd doesn’t want any surprise ordinary citizens running in next year’s election, so they’re keeping it quiet.

This doesn’t make a lot of sense since very few people in D5 read the Observer. However, common sense is a rare commodity in the precincts of Fullerton Boohoo.

A star is born?

Still, it could be true – that they are getting all the usual OC Dem endorsements in place for the first term school board member Vanessa Estrella, the candidate created for Sharon Quirk and her husband Jesus Quirk-Silva, and only plan to talk about Zahra leaving when she has a party central endorsed replacement in place. Then there’s the worthless politician endorsements to line up: you know, Lou Correa, Josh Newman, the Quirks, Tony Umberg (I forget his first name), the unions, etc., etc.; the ones that ushered Cannabis Kitty over the goal line – in second place. Oops.

In any case, there already is a candidate in running, a man who has already run a close campaign, and who would have won in 2022 except that the Usual Crowd of Dems created a fake Latino candidate by the name of Tony Castro, whom nobody has seen since 2022.

If they do run this Estrella person next year they might rerun the phony Latino dude scam of 2022; or, they might try the phony white guy candidate strategy they rolled out in 2024. They might do both. But 2026 isn’t 2024. Markowitz got pinched by the DA for perjury, and his handlers have cause for pause.

I’m not talking…

That includes Ajay Mojan the dirty little bastard involved in each earlier scam. And it certainly includes the Dems who collected Scott Markowitz’s signatures for him. Was that Aaruni Thakur? Was it Andre Charles, husband of the otiose windbag, Shana Charles? The self-righteous Diane Vena knows, and so does her confessor, Sharon Kennedy – of the Fullerton Observer.

There may be a reluctance for this rogues gallery to keep creating phony candidates to push their own ideologues, now that every candidate will be subjugated to a decency smell test.

Shouldn’t We Have Been Paying Them?

Yesterday my FFFF colleague Disillusioned Ex-Hippy wrote a post about some nonsense written in the Fullerton Observer by the young and lively Elijah Manassero. It was about the mean and corrupt City of Fullerton victimizing and abusing the restaurant, Les Amis. So I went to the website to see how ridiculous it really was. Tender bud Elijah didn’t disappoint. What a load of bullshit.

The best part really needs to be highlighted for its sheer stupidity. And by best, I mean funniest. Get this:

Outdoor dining is rarely a profit center. It brings extra costs for staff, heaters, maintenance, and, in Les Amis’ case, live musicians. Restaurants maintain patios to beautify downtown, attract foot traffic, and create a sense of community. “Our patio is our thank you to the community,” Montecristo said.

Giving back to the community…

Why, Les Amis is a veritable charity! According to Mrs. Jinan Montecristo, proprietor, their patio didn’t make them any money. Really, it was there as a gift from her to us. And when someone makes you a present of something you don’t charge them rent for the space where their good and kindly philanthropy is going on. In fact, I’m surprised the saucy young stem Elijah didn’t suggest that the taxpayers should have been paying Les Amis all along for their sacrifices for the community!

And the year’s not even over!

And remember this: Sharon Quirk doesn’t hand out Woman of the Year trophies like party favors for party givers. Oh, wait.

All this thinking can give a youngster a headache.

We can forgive tender Elijah for misusing the term “profit center” because he is probably studying sociology and left wing political thought in some diploma mill, somewhere. Still, the idea that restaurants operate outdoor patios as a gift to their communities is so profoundly stupid as to make us suspect young sprout Manassero’s sincerity about any of this.

It’s hard to believe that even he really believes the nonsense he wrote, or even supposes he can sell this tripe to the readers of the Fullerton Observer. Still, he wrote it and they published it; so maybe they really are that oblivious to reality.

Anyhow, if you believe this crapola then you must also believe that the City actually did Les Amis a favor by removing their illegal squatting accoutrements. After all, if your thing is a money loser why be in business, big or small?

Zahra Voted To Double Les Amis Rent

The past can be so embarrassing…

Back in June, 2022 the Fullerton City Council voted to raise rents on public property in downtown Fullerton. These spaces are used by adjacent restaurants as outdoor patios. One of the the “yes” votes was none other than “Doctor” Ahmad Zahra, the Damascene Dissimulator.

Zahra-Busted
Time to come clean…..

The rent increases were big, almost doubling the cost to restaurant tenants. Here’s the old and the approved rates, and the incremental difference, from the June 21, 2022 agenda item:

The resolution to establish the new rate structure passed on a 3-1 vote. And Zahra, one of the three votes is now the self-styled “pro-small business” councilman, and is regarded as one of the ringmasters of the Poor Les Amis Club.

Les Amis, you ask? Yes, the restaurant that went years without paying rent and illegally occupied public property, and that recently had its patio stuff removed from public property at public expense.

Yard sale in progress…

A cynic might argue that the big rent increase meant nothing to the rent dodgers at Les Amis since they weren’t going to pay their rent anyhow – just like they been stalling the City for years. Neither Jinan Montecristo, owner of Les Amis, nor her youthful cub, Oliver, even showed up to complain about the new fees.

Here’s the point of this story: this rent increase is now being used by Les Amis and its loyal amis to justify the Montecristos not paying anything in rent for years, even at the old rates, and of squatting on public property without permits or agreements.

Giving truth the middle finger…

I know! Let’s let the harpy-like elder Kennedy Sister, Sharon, another sudden small business sword and shield, share the strategy in a comment on the Fullerton Observer blog:

Sharon K

Why was Les Amis patio torn down by the city before the public meeting scheduled for Dec 2 at which the fairness of outdoor dining fees will be discussed? What was the urgency? Who directed that to happen?

Asking an unintelligent question is an excellent way of avoiding an intelligent answer, especially on a blog where rejection and censorship of truth-tellers eliminates the embarrassing predicament of honest correction.

I wonder how they’ll feel when they learn the that the huge amount of back rent incurred by The Noaccounts of Montecristo is based on the action of their hero, Ahmad Zahra,

Fred Jung Leaves Democrats Becomes NPP. And 4th District Supervisor Update

Gloves are so Nineteenth Century…

FFFF is a little late with this news, but better late than….never mind.

Fullerton’s Mayor, Fred Jung, running for County Supervisor and formerly a registered Democrat, has re-registered as a No Party Preference voter. In other words – an independent.

I see this as a pretty smart move. The Democrat Party leadership in OC – made up of grifters and deadbeats who actually promote useless barnacles like Shana Charles and Ahmad Zahra – had already piled on to the Connor Traut bandwagon.

Jung’s record in Fullerton has been one of generally rejecting the usual liberal Democrat sentimental “who cares if it works so long as it’s expensive” agenda for one of practicality and a modicum of accountability, a stance that put him at odds with the Fullerton Observer/Boohoo criers and moaners and alarmists. As an independent he has the opportunity to connect with the ever-growing independent vote, as well as commonsense Democrats and even some Republicans.

Rosie addresses the Boys in the Back (of the) Room; Will they hear her?

Meantime, another candidate, Democrat Rosie Espinoza from La Habra has put a bunch of money into her campaign account – $150K, it is said. Espinoza is the Mayor and has been on the La Habra City Council for 25 years. This is bad news for fellow La Habran Tim Shaw, a former la Habra councilmember who only had $20K on hand at the end of June and, only scrapped up five grand to lend himself. Now he has to share La Habra name recognition.

Traut, on the right.

If Espinoza decides to actually spend that dough it’s also bad news for nebbish Connor Traut – the Holy Anointed Democrat in the race.

Of course Espinoza, who must be a septuagenarian by now has run for the Supervisor job two or three times already and nose dived.