Bushala Brothers, Inc. has submitted an Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application to Fullerton’s Planning Department for the development of a restaurant on the unused Santa Fe Depot loading dock.
Now
The loading dock has been empty for decades. It was the object of an earlier City history of property acquisition. The western half the space was leased to BBI in the early 1990s, when the eastern portion was not yet owned by the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency. After the City acquired the portion east of Pomona Avenue, they declined to consolidate the lease of the entire loading dock until the past few years under City Manager Eric Levitt.
Friends will recall that the revised depot lease that now included the loading dock adjacent to the Bushala leasehold was the subject of a cooked-up controversy last summer by “Dr.” Ahmad Zahra and the Kennedy Sisters of the Fullerton Observer, a “controversy” brushed aside by the council majority who recognized the potential for this unused structure.
So the loading dock is on its way to becoming a new downtown Fullerton venue that will enliven the depot area within the Transportation Center.
After review by City staff the application will ultimately be submitted to the Planning Commission for approval.
A Friend just sent over this snippet from a Fullerton Observer “article” about tomorrow’s Fullerton City Council meeting.
“Despite the limited agenda, the meeting is expected to draw public comments regarding the recent selection of the Mayor, the treatment of public commentary, issues surrounding ICE, and the City’s response to violations related to CalPERS.”
Why write about news when you can try to make your own! (Photo by Julie Leopo/Voice of OC)
Once again Skitka Kennedy and her sister Sharon seem intent on generating news rather than just reporting it. Of course this totally unethical stab at troublemaking is nothing new for these people. They love certain intangible abstractions, and if some proposal seems to scratch that itch, then so be it, no matter how fucking stupid it is.
Just tell me what to say and I’ll say it…
First, let’s examine the first sentence. The meeting is “expected to draw public comments…” Says who? Says somebody hoping that somebody will read this and maybe go; either that or remind the usual disagreeable claque that their presence is needed to disrupt the business of the city.
And then there’s the script
That’s Mayor Jung to you, Sanka…
First, selection of Mayor, an issue decided a month ago and that has no relevance to anything anymore. The treatment of public commentary is really funny.
I demand stuff…
Treatment of public commentary? For some reason these fools seem to believe that they actually deserve respect as they berate members of the City Council. Look me in the eye, the Canadian green card holder demands! Sure these nincompoops have a right to speak; but there’s no requirement on the part of the City Council to give them a nickel’s worth of attention, or to adjourn meetings in honor of them.
And the ICE issue: giving $200,000 to undocumented persons for legal and living expenses, money taken from everybody to salve the moral sensibilities of a few. The decision not to fund this irresponsible idea was taken in November and isn’t going to change. Still, hope springs eternal in the cross-wired world of Fullerton Boohoo.
So young, so lively, so impressionable…
Finally the CalPERS “response” issue, yeah, an issue nobody has even talked about except for one opinion screed written by the the sweet young Elijah Manassero, soi-disant “investigative reporter” for the Kennedy Sisters.
FFFF, however, did publish a post about a possible Closed Session leak by “Dr.” Ahmad Zahra to the tender Elijah, and how the potentially illegal matter had been referred to the District Attorney. Will anybody from the balcony step up to the podium chatter about this, besides the delicate fleur Manassero? I doubt it.
I don’t spark up doobs any more, but back in the. Hey that explains a lot about my career trajectory.
The Fullerton Observer and its proprietors will never change. When you are on a messianic mission of goodness and light, you are unable to draw a distinction between objectivity and fantasy so long as the fantasy rings your bell. It’s an all too common trait in the less educated, and is a complete disqualifier for someone calling himself a journalist.
A new year, and for Fullerton, lingering problems remain a municipal embarrassment, except that the people in charge don’t seemed particularly inclined to terminate them.
Formerly a public sidewalk
The seven year-old boutique hotel has lots of current actors’ fingerprints on it. And then there’s the decades old case of the hijacked sidewalk on Commonwealth and Harbor, heisted by the Florentine Crime Family in 2002, who put a permanent structure on it, attached to a building they didn’t even own. It has never been returned.
Zahra Congratulates Marovic (in green cap) for his lawsuit…against us.
The current owner of the adjacent structure and the business in it, Mario Marovic, made a deal with the City in 2022 to remove the offending structure.
Marovic reneged on the agreement, and boy he reneged hard. The demotion was to start in March 2023 and be done by that July. Nothing started except that Marovic filed some sort of claim and lawsuit against the City for some made up reason, and the the whole mess disappeared into the usual mists of Closed Session.
In the meantime, Marovic has continued to benefit from the add-on as an integral part of his bar – Mickey’s Irish Pub for three years, and counting.
Meet the new proprietor, same as the old proprietor…
According to the deal rumor, Marovic was supposed to start removing the addition this month, January 2026. If there was a behind the scenes agreement, it should have been made public, although the City lawyers would proclaim the lawsuits pending until the removal is complete, and therefore not subject to public airing in public. Of course that would make no practical difference, but that’s the way it is – secrecy for secrecy’s sake.
Still there, after all these years…
I can’t see Marovic settling anything, stalling has been so fun; but maybe his legal bills are costing him more than revenue from the dozen chairs within the “bump out.” It would be nice to see Fullerton play hardball with this scofflaw, but it probably won’t happen. If the add-on actually does go away, I bet the taxpayers get stuck with the legal bill.
In the meantime the small contingent of “transparency” whiners at City Council meeting, the Fullerton Observer and their tender young investigative reporter Sweet Elijah Manassero don’t seem at all curious about this twenty four year-old scandal. I wonder why.
Yesterday our young and lively friend, sweet Elijah Manaserro published an article on the Fullerton Observer blog. I call it an article because it isn’t a news story – almost devoid of journalistic content – it is really an opinion essay.
Out of the blue our tender sprout decided to elevate an issue completely off the radar – illicit cannabis dispensaries. And he shares the turmoil caused by these unlicensed, unregulated stores. “Whack-a-mole” he calls it, and dramatically claims the cost of enforcement is “staggering.” Of course the cost isn’t staggering at all, but when you are acting on behalf of a huge, monied interest, hyperbole is okay, I guess.
Green means green. One way or another…
Where the green shoot Elijah is going with this is clear. It’s same logic and language used by the Fullerton Observer and by “Dr.” Ahmad Zahra in the past to promote legal dispensaries. Since Fullerton can’t control the illegal activity, we might as well make it okay.
The good folks behind the legal dispensary push – the Dope Lobby – have been trying for years to get this use legalized in Fullerton, and it looks like they’re still hard at work – through the Observer and the green sprig Manaserro, the Zahra acolyte and possibly closed session confidante.
Always look for the union label…
This issue is not peanuts to the Dope Lobby, which consists of two elements: the lobbyists for actual dispensary companies, and the local grocery store workers union who represent dues paying cannabis store workers.
Smoke it down, Kitty…
A year ago the grocery workers local union UFCW 324, no doubt supported by the lobbyists behind the scenes, pumped a staggering $60,000 via the national HQ into a political action committee to get “Cannabis Kitty” Jaramillo elected to represent Fullerton’s 4th District. That effort failed, but the cash motivation endures.
The UFCW PAC paid $4000 to Andre Charles, husband of councilperson Shana Charles, to do some sort of work for the Team Jaramillo campaign; we can assume, I think, that Charles is certain to support a new cannabis ordinance, given her personal economic connection. This means that the Dope Lobby is still just one vote away from getting their majority in 2026 and a revitalized dope zone map.
Still don’t see connections? Guess who Zahra picked to be his representative on the so-called Sustainable Budget Committee?
Not a lobbyist, I tells ya…
Zahra chose Derek Smith, that’s who. He’s The government lobbyist for the cannabis workers a fact that has never excited young Elijah’s curiosity.
But now back to our fragile fleur of an “investigative reporter,” Manassero. He claims (dramatically, of course) that the illegal dispensaries have been “near schools” but conveniently doesn’t say which ones. The few addresses he cites to bolster his essay are no where near any schools. Of course in his dissertation he fails to mention that the previous dope ordinance, passed in the last hours of 2020, before a new council was sworn in, permitted dispensaries within 101 feet of our homes.
Finally, and inevitably, callow young Manaserro directs attention to the real issue: the budgetary benefits of cannabis sales taxes. This has always been a big motivator for MJ support in City Hall, given the fact that general sales tax increases, like 2020s Measure S, are difficult to pass. The proposed special sales taxes discussed last year need a two thirds majority to pass.
I don’t spark up doobs any more, but back in the day…hey that explains a lot about my life’s trajectory.
Here’s my prediction: as spring 2026 advances, we will see Fullerton Boohoo, Fullerton Angry, Fullerton Childish, and Fullerton Fun begin to advocate for legal cannabis stores, and harass the council majority to implement a new ordinance. As the August ballot deadline approaches we’ll hear even more racket from these people.
One of our commenters recently pointed out the “reply” string on a Fullerton Observer post supposedly written by a guy named Kevin Curriston, a chap who doesn’t appear to be the literary type. Some of comments are pretty good. Naturally Sharon, the elder Kennedy Sister, leaps into the breach to validate the theme of the essay. Amy the Angry Little Bird is on hand too, to lend her support.
A guy named Brian calls bullshit on the supposition that 40 public commenters represent anybody but a small percentage of Fullertonions.
That premise is not well-received in Fullerton Boohooville.
I particularly like Brian’s wicked request for Kennedy to share some of Zahra’s vast filmography.
A Mr. Matt Leslie reminds everybody that Zahra’s flipped on his first real decision and in doing so disenfranched a whole bunch of people when he appointed Jan Flory to complete Jesus Quirk-Silva’s term.
Matt LeslieThe author neglects to inform readers that Council member Ahmad Zahra did not attend this important meeting. Although it seems unlikely that other council members would have supported him for mayor, he had the opportunity to support Shana Charles for the position, but was not present to do so.Ed Response: Councilmember Zahra had a work trip out of town so did not attend the meeting.
BrianI see you seem to know a lot about council member Zahra, just what does he do for a living?
Sharon KZahra is a filmmaker. Currently the only Councilmember who doesn’t work is Jung. You can discover this kind of thing through the form 700 financial filings of each Councilmember. – though I notice Valencia has failed to file. Not sure why.
BrianWow, that is fascinating. Can you point me in the direction of some of his work?
AmyDunlap and Jung continue to gaslight the public and delude themselves by saying that public commenters are not representative.Every meeting brings new attendees infuriated by the actions of the majority, but Jung, Dunlap, and Valencia keep telling themselves the public’s voices don’t count. It seems they can’t bring themselves to accept that anyone could possibly disagree with their blatant corruption and repeated defiance of the wishes of the public.
BrianI’d imagine if you took two seconds to step outside your bubble, you may realize that in a town of 140,000+, 30 or 40 people don’t even represent a decimal of a percentage. And just because you comment, it doesn’t make your comments true. Much like this publication and the liberties it takes with the truth all the time.
Sharon KBrian – sounds like you are talking to yourself on that critique. Most people are busy with their lives and don’t pay that much attention. And of course over half of our town’s 140,000 or so residents are children. Others have jobs that interfere with council meeting hours, etc. Some don’t think it is possible to fight city hall. Some are just not interested. Having 40 people show up at a council meeting and speak on an issue is huge. If people didn’t come out we wouldn’t have any trails in town; there would be a polluting flour mill across from Amerige Heights; the toxic park and McColl dump site would not be cleaned up; our museum center would be high rise office building; we wouldn’t have saved FOX or Coyote Hills and much much more. Some politicians – just out for themselves and narrow special interests – can fool people for awhile but eventually the truth of their actions come out
AmyThose who disagree are welcome to attend a city council meeting, but for some reason they have not.Jung received unanimous opposition to his taking of the mayorship at the last meeting. Dozens of public comments unanimously supported creating a fund for immigrant support against ICE raids and kidnappings. Dozens still attended to beg city council not to kill the Walk on Wilshire – twice; the paltry number of voices in opposition were those financially aligned with Jung and Bushala. If opposition exists, it has yet to show up to city council meetings.
BrianLike I said, just because you comment, doesn’t make your comments true. With this statement you proved my point again. Full of inaccuracies. Do better.
AmyI don’t see how, but okay. I’m sure you know best.
Matt LeslieAmy, I opposed Walk on Wilshire for several reasons, not because I was “aligned” with anyone. Please be careful not to be dismissive of the concerns of those with opinions contrary to your own.
AmyI fully respect your right to your opinion, but I do disagree that the bollards – comparable to those used on nearly every trail in OC – were an actual impediment to cyclists traversing the Walk on Wilshire and merited removal of the whole thing. I definitely wouldn’t go so far as to say any opinion I disagree with is invalid. That would be absurd. But the argument seemed so ridiculous as to be disingenuous to me. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it.That said, as one of the fewer than 10 detractors, you’re certaintly entitled to your opinion. I hope the dismantling of the Walk on Wilshire that so many enjoyed brought you great happiness and satisfaction.
FrankStep out of your bubble pal.
Sharon KBrian – if you are talking to me – you are right — I guessed that there are way more children than there are at least according to the stats I just looked up that say there are only 32,000 children under 18 in Fullerton. But when you are figuring out percentages of people think about the fact that – according to the OC Registrar of Voters – only 7,432 voted for Jung; 9,546 for Dunlap and 3,489 for Valencia in the last election. That certainly does not make a majority. Some of those who voted for Jung, Dunlap are among those who have come to council and said they were unhappy with their votes on various things and felt fooled when the vote to keep Walk on Wilshire open – turned into an expansion suggested by the two – and then that vote was postponed until after the election and both Jung and Dunlap proceeded to vote no. Really the point is that we residents of town want a fun place to live that we are proud of where people want to visit and small businesses can thrive. Dulling it down by reducing unique features, curtailing music, outdoor patios, walking paths, safe bike paths, etc does not make our town attractive to anyone. And everything turns into a big fight with residents begging for good decisions. And I am not alone in really hating their recent decision to not help residents targeted by ICE and other weird unfair decisions like not following fair rotation so every district gets chance to have their representative as mayor.
Matt LeslieAnd, by the way, if you want to talk about steamrolling over public opinion go watch the videos of Ahmad Zahra’s first council meetings in 2018. Dr. Zahra first voiced support for a special election to fill a vacant council seat, a position in line with nearly all public speakers on the issue during meetings. But he quickly changed his position entirely, aligning himself with a council majority who disregarded expressed public opinion in favor of an election and instead voted to appoint a someone to the vacant seat.Zahra’s swing vote to appoint a council member instead of holding an election disenfranchised an entire district of the city, instead foisting upon them an unelected representative for the two full years remaining in the council term. This decision was of much greater significance, in my opinion, than choosing a mayor from among sitting council members (something the appointed council member got to do). Where was the concern for “the public” then?
Yesterday I published a post about City Attorney Dick Jones saying the Fullerton City Council had voted in Closed Session to ask the District Attorney to investigate a possible leak of confidential information to the Fullerton Observer.
Zahra misses another bus…
I methodically eliminated all possible subjects except one – “Dr.” Ahmad Zahra, the pathological pathologist, known manipulator of the Fullerton Observer Kennedy Sisters, as well as the author of the above-mentioned “story,” green sprout Elijah Manassero.
So young, so lively, so impressionable…
I can’t say if Zahra broke the law by revealing closed session stuff to his tender young protégé, but I do know he missed the meeting completely. The ever-incurious Siskia Kennedy says he was “out of the state on business,” an odd statement given Zahra’s lack of employment, as noted in his Form 700s. Was it because he didn’t want to vote to have himself investigated?
Anyway, here’s the video again, highlighting the Jones statement and Zahra’s MIA.
The Fullerton Observer has published a photo montage of the big ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday. Almost all the principle creators of this “treasure,” were there, although I didn’t see any pictures of Councilmembers Nick Dunlap and Jamie Valencia who voted for it. But photo-op hound Ahmad Zahra was there, and so was Shana Charles, presumably talking up the virtues of public health; even Sharon Quirk showed up to celebrate the proud accomplishment and take credit for the $1,780,000 the State of California contributed to this achievement. About 50 people were there if you don’t count politicians and City employees.
Pure joy was experienced by all!
High on life. Future users will also be high.
But skeptics that we are here at FFFF, we sent out one of our white van boys after the morning hoopla was over. William Wallace captured the sprit of the trail on opening day – a pleasant Saturday afternoon. Perfect for recreation.
See what $2,300,000 (and more, I’m sure) gets you in the way of an urban intervention, Fullerton-style.
Not a soul in sight looking west.
What did Shana have to say about the concertina wire?
Asphalt aroma is good for the lungs, they say…
Not a soul in sight looking east.
Sandbags show grade bust with unlucky neighbor.
A tree grows in Brooklyn?
Hope springs eternal…
More nasty security wire. Is this trail safe? Don’t ask.
“Dr.” Ahmad Zahra, the immigration fraud, battery and vandalism perp, and false police report submitter, that’s who. He’s craved the title for five years and his record of attacking and insulting and questioning the morality of his colleagues has kept him from getting it.
The Council appointment vote is coming up next Tuesday and one thing I will bet on is that the Dubious Doctor from Damascus will not get the job, no matter how many boohoos show up to wail and gnash their at the horror of the injustice.
Gloves are so Nineteenth Century…
Obviously, Fred Jung, our current front man, wants the exalted title since he’s running for County Supervisor.
Look at me!
And then there’s the otiose, self-important windbag Shana Charles. She is (inexplicably) our current Mayor Pro Tem; she might nominate her running buddy Zahra for Mayor, but will be perfectly happy to receive the Mayor title for herself. Can she get three votes? Only if she gets nominated and Nick Dunlap goes along with it, like he did when he bafflingly nominated her to be Mayor Pro Tem a year ago. But if he does that he will surely incur the wrath of the powerful Lincoln Club, a big money Republican outfit that has supposedly endorsed Jung.
My prediction is a third year of Jung’s mayoralty, a year in which a sales tax increase will be the big issue for Fullerton voters. I see Jamie Valencia appointed Mayor Pro Tem, unless for some reason Dunlap wants that, which seems unlikely.
Am I right?
If I am, expect another one of those self-pity party monologues from Zahra about how his enemies (unnamed) are out to get him and how he has worked valiantly on behalf of the dispossessed untermenschen of District 5. Count on a ten minute discourse with many pained and pregnant pauses as he scans the audience and no one in particular.
Tune in to the Council meeting on December 16th to find out.
The City of Fullerton has decided that the lawn in front of City Hall has to go. Why? It’s obvious. Grass is a symbol of conspicuous waste, consuming scarce water and providing discomfort to people who believe in self-flagellation as a form of moral rectitude.
There used to be a shallow reflecting pool in front of the building that has been modestly covered up to display the right kind of environmental sensibility. The blame is laid at the feet of the Legislature, but no definition of “functional” is forthcoming.
The City has promulgated a call for ideas from the citizenry in a press release a couple of weeks ago. Re-imagine the municipal front yard! A blank slate! A blue sky! Presumably your idea will save water and respect the ecosystem, etc., etc.
I could make the pitch that the reflecting pool, steps and lawn were part of a neo-formal aesthetic that went along with the 1962 building, but that would be a waste of my time and yours. Somebody has decided that the pool and the grass is offensive to modern sensibility, and provides an opportunity to engage the public in a feel-good Kabuki drama.
Don’t ask, don’t tell…
My guess is “Dr.” Shana Charles is an enthusiastic supporter of this. It’s right up her alley. City staff don’t give a rat’s ass about conserving water use – Hell, the City gets its water for free from the Water Fund. When they waste it, they raise our rates. And raising our rates also raises the in-lieu fee charge, which is just sweet icing on the General Fund cake.
The City uses water everywhere – from all the parks to street medians, to all the City facilities, and nobody is keeping track of the waste or the cost. If they are, they sure aren’t reporting it to the public.
The water needed to green the lawn in front of City Hall is a miniscule percentage of overall municipal use.
Okay, let’s put in a cactus garden; or decomposed granite terraces for bocce ball courts. What the Hell. The world is our oyster! The more expensive, the better. No one will ever compare the cost of revision vs. the savings of decreased water use. We’ll charge it all to the Water Fund! We don’t pay the pay the water fees, the suckers do!
You will be taxed…sooner or later!
This is one of those pantomimes in which the ideologues get to exculpate themselves for our sins. City staff knows this; they also know that either way there’s time and material to be wasted. However, conducting a public dog-and-pony show – a public empowerment farce – is irresistible. And since there’s zero accountability, if whatever choice pursued fails, they can bank on the inevitable and costly remediation of what they just did.
No embarrassing questions will be asked or answered.
In case you missed the 2022 District 3 election for Fullerton City Council, here’s a recap of the results.
Our current incumbent, the self-righteous and condescending gas bag, Shana Charles, got far less than 50% of the vote; the remaining votes were spilt pretty evenly between a guy named Johnny Ybarra and Arnel Dino who had been supported by Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung. Charles was supported by the fire brigands who got her elected.
It’s obvious that the turnout was anemic. That’s an ongoing challenge to candidates; or an opportunity – depending on one’s perspective.
Dino ponders his future…
The word on the Fullerton grapevine is that Arnel Dino wants to give it another go in 2026. If true, he has been super low-profile about it. I haven’t heard a peep out of this guy.
I’m a doctor. I will figure it out for you dummies…
One opponent would be Charles – who has announced her decision to continue her fascinating journey of discovery.
Charles is vulnerable among conservatives – Republican or Independent. Her spendthrift stance on shelling out $200,000 for illegal immigrants’ rent and legal help will be a huge detriment. A year from now, the failure of the $2.3 million Trail to Nowhere will be obvious; the Waste on Wilshire fiasco, the boutique hotel disaster, and numerous other boondoggles will no doubt shine prominently as campaign issues.
Spinning, spinning…
Then there’s the $4000 she and her husband got from the dope lobby during the 2024 campaign in District 4. The dead weight of these albatross neckties is going to be heavy – even for an advocate for public health.
There is no doubt that Fullerton Tax Payers for Reform will wage a well-funded and efficient campaign against her, as they did with Cannabis Kitty Jaramillo.
