Friends For Fullerton's Future

February 8, 2025February 8, 2025Boohooism

Sakia Kennedy At It Again

Hardly even pretending to be objective, Kennedy Sister Skasia just unburdened herself of a ridiculous account of how Fullerton, specifically Mayor Fred Jung, failed to declare Rosa Parks Day. Some out-of-towner named Bill Preston got up at the February 4th Council meeting and addressed himself to Mayor Fred Jung for the latter’s lack of a proclamation declaring Rosa Parks Day.

Apparently poor Bill Preston’s “disappointment” left him with a “broken heart” (No I am not kidding), but he hopes to come back next year to present a “Rosa Parks Award – whatever that may be – to the City of Fullerton.

It’s not surprising how this apparent omission was not-so-subtlety elevated into some sort of deliberate offense by Jung himself.

Once we cut out all of Mr. Preston’s hyperbole about Rosa Parks’ influence on world history and his own critical role in honoring her legacy, we are led to this predictable paragraph added to the end by Saksia:

The Mayor’s decision not to honor Parks with a proclamation has sparked a significant discussion about the values of the community and how local governments recognize influential historical figures. This situation raises important questions regarding local authorities’ responsibility in honoring those who have made a significant impact on society, ensuring their contributions are remembered and that their stories continue to inspire future generations.

Very predictable.

Why write about news when you can try to make your own! (Photo by Julie Leopo/Voice of OC)

First we are presented with an unfounded accusation – that Jung himself deliberately decided not to honor Parks, an assertion with no basis in any evidence. Then we are informed that “significant discussion” about community values, etc. has been “sparked;” but evidently not significant enough for Skadia to let us know who exactly has been sparked, and what they are saying. Furthermore, “local authorities” in Skasdia’s opinion, are “responsible” to ensure, yadda, yadda, yadda.

No, honey, local authorities are responsible to pave the damn roads and make sure the street lights work among other local government responsibilities. Honoring heroes with “days” is not on that list, and there’s already way to much of that crap weighing down council meetings.

It’s become apparent that the Kennedy Sisters and their running dogs have made it their mission to attack Jung in any way possible – no matter how fucking stupid, which for them is pretty stupid.

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025A Step in the Right Direction

Time for Fred Jung’s Iron Fist

by Mr. Peabody22 Comments

Yeah. It’s about time. For decades Fullerton’s citizenry have picked up the tab for one bad idea after another. So if Mayor Jung really did say he wanted the City run with an iron fist, let’s get going with the plug pulling.

It’s a total waste of money, but it sure is short…

The Trail to Nowhere

The abysmal Trail to Nowhere, a bad idea that was germinating for 14 years before the grant was finally approved at the end of 2023. City staff has never told the truth about this fiasco, and because of incurious and stupid councilmembers, they never had to. I can simply say that it would accomplish none of things its backers promise, mostly because the wishful thinking behind it was so untruthful from the start. No users, possible contamination, no linkage to anything, no destination at either end. Just a waste of 2.1 million bucks.

Oh, and yeah – the milestones for design submittal to the State and start of construction were blown past 9 months ago and still no status update from anybody.

The Boutique Hotel

The boutique hotel next to the train station started out as just a stupid idea by then Mayor-for-Hire Jennifer Fitzgerald. Then as the likelihood of failure increased, the City kept doubling down on dumb, adding density to density until an appended apartment block raised the density to at least 2.5 times the already dense limit in the Transportation Center Specific Plan. No one seemed to care, because those plans are only occasionally adhered to.

Nobody bothered to ask why useful City property had to be deemed “surplus.” Bruce Whitaker didn’t.

And last we looked the whole thing had been turned over to a couple of con men who paid 1.4 million for a property whose new entitlements made it worth ten times that much. Fullerton, being Fullerton. Those guys haven’t met any of their milestones and must certainly be in default. Not a peep out of City Hall, of course. I’ll bet my last dollar Sunayana Thomas is desperately looking for a new “developer” to assign the mess to, without a backward glance.

The Florentine/Marovic Sidewalk Heist

This 20 year+ scandal is still alive and kicking thanks to the stupid and cowardly attitude of staff/city council toward first, the Florentine Syndicate, and now, a new scofflaw, Mario Marovic. Somehow, the City let Marovic do remodeling construction work on our building on our sidewalk – an illegal trespass if ever there was one. Then the City let him open his newly remodeled place with promises to remove the “pop-out” as a condition of re-opening.

Zahra Congratulates Marovic for his lawsuit…against us.

Naturally, Marovic gave the City a big fuck you on that agreement, as he no doubt planned to do all along. He had six moths to start and nine months to finish. That was two fucking years ago, and Marovic is drawing income from our property the whole time. Nowadays this matter is safely hidden in closed session, where the painful subject of accountability for this quagmire can be safely discussed away from embarrassing public revelation.

Fortunately for the cast of characters involved there are so many culpable people in this story that blame can be diluted to the point where nobody feels the least bit compelled to explain what happened over two plus decades, just so long as the municipal humiliation goes away once and for all.

So, yes. Let the Fullerton Observer sisters and their ilk boohoo about iron fists and poor, intimidated staff. Fullerton has been in need of some accountability, even a tiny bit, for a long, long time.

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025Boohooism

Saska Steps On Own Weenie

by The Fullerton Harpoon36 Comments

Oops. The crack Observer editor Skasia, younger member of the Kennedy Coven, has done it again.

This proud pillar of the 4th Estate decided a recap of the now dismantled Walk on Wilshire public hearing comments was in order, given that the vast majority of them yammered in favor of keeping it.

Therefore it was necessary to regurgitate the usual cut and paste mishmash of what people actually said.

Anti-WoW speaker #7 was one of them. Here’s what The Observer recollects:

7) Layla, identifying herself as the landlord of the Wilshire Promenade called into the council saying ‘The street closure has negatively impacted our tenants, and 88 Cigar Bar, Slice, and ShabuShabu. We as landlords can’t make money – we need to drive through traffic. If it remains as is or is expanded we won’t make it.” (Fullerton Promenade Apartments is one of 252 apartment complexes owned by the largest operator of apartment complexes on the West Coast – the $18.5 billion Essex Property Trust, Inc.)

Notice how at the end the end Skakia appends the obligatory and Observer biased contextual facts, implying that “Layla” represents a conglomerate of massive wealth – suggesting that this vast enterprise can afford to chum a few bucks for the common good of Fullerton Boohoo, because it is so…so something.

The only problem is that “Layla” has absolutely nothing to do with the Promenade Apartment Block, but rather, works for an entity, “Fullerton Promenade,” that owns some buildings on the south side of Wilshire Avenue – precisely whose small business tenants were the most affected by the idiot closure. Layla even named her tenants!

And then there’s the Promenade Apartments

This is exactly the sort of spiteful, inaccurate boobery that characterizes the Fullerton Observer and its crew of incompetent ideologues. I hope Layla isn’t waiting for a correction and apology, because she won’t get either.

February 4, 2025February 4, 2025A Step in the Right Direction

Fred Jung’s Iron Fist

by The Fullerton Harpoon57 Comments

The metaphor of the iron hand in the velvet glove has been attributed to many, including Friend of Fullerton, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Has Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung forgotten about the velvet glove?

Here’s a fun exchange harvested from the hysterical comments at the Fullerton Observer, home of the unbalanced Kennedy Sisters.

I have zero idea who Barbara Steeves is, or if there even is one; but the commenter wants people to believe he/she is privy to what goes on behind closed doors at City Hall. She is challenged by “M” who rightly questions the veracity of her information – if she was there. And naturally Sharon the elder Kennedy sister helpfully interjects, reminding M that Fullerton is a small town, and everybody knows everybody.

I don’t know Fred Jung so I don’t know if this is the kind of phrase he would even utter. But I sure hope it is, and that he said it.

For years Fullerton citizens and taxpayers have picked up the tab for incompetent staff decisions, including foolish lawsuits, lots of money wasted on useless projects all surrounded by unaccountability and complacency. It’s true that all of the disasters and fiascos have been rubber stamped by incurious, stupid, and supine city councils. Nevertheless, city staff is composed, allegedly, by competent professionals who ought to be able to guide the councils away from quagmires, and not create any of their own. But if they could, they obviously don’t want to and don’t care, failure being ignored and even rewarded.

It’s way past time that staff members tell the truth. Our Community Development Director Sunayana Thomas seems incapable of an honest answer to a council question. And then there’s our marble-mouthed lawyer Dick Jones, of the I Can’t Believe It’s A Law Firm, who has doled out the worst legal advice imaginable for 25 years or more.

Here are some random Fullerton issues where an iron fist attitude might have avoided the usual complacency and stupidity:

Laguna Lake leak

Boutique hotel fiasco

Trail to Nowhere

Florentine forgery case

Florentine/Marovic Sidewalk Heist

Walk on Wilshire money pit

Silly Roundabouts

Losing Lawsuit against FFFF

Fraudulent water rate scam

Unneeded elevators at depot bridge

Drunken City Manager cover up

Useless bridge in Hillcrest Park

Incompetent construction of wood stairs in Hillcrest Park

$ 1,000,000 Core and Corridors Specific Plan

Consistently misguided park priorities

Poison Park fiasco

University Heights disaster

The ridiculous Fox Block monster

The Downtown economic sinkhole & noise code violations

Monster apartment blocks without enough parking

Etc., etc., etc.

February 3, 2025February 3, 2025A Step in the Right Direction

Fred Jung Running For County Supervisor

by Disillusioned Ex-Hippy93 Comments

Here’s a video put out by Fullerton Mayor, Fred Jung, announcing a run for 4th District County Supervisor. The winner will replace thankfully (for us) termed-out Doug “Bud” Chaffee, another in a very long line of do-nothing, accomplish-nothing office holders. The primary is in the spring of 2026 – still over a year away. The top two will advance to a November runoff if nobody gets 50% (I think that’s how it works).

The video’s not bad, although it’s sort of low energy.

A Jung opponent for the job is the nebbish Connor Traut of Buena Park who announced last year. The poor Troutlet immediately announced a $100,000 fundraising bonanza that turned out to be nothing but a transfer of money form a city council account. Jung is doing the same thing, but has twice as much in the bank – an impressive $200K.

Unlike Thr Troutling, Jung doesn’t have an “endorsements” tab, a sure sign that he holds such silly political circle jerks in low regard.

Both are Democrats, and it sounds like Jung is going after the same demographic that elected Bud Chaffee – conservative Dems and Republicans with no place else to go.

It remains to be seen if the Republicans will even bother to run anybody. Some guy named Vargas from Brea ran before and did poorly. Then there’s Tim Shaw who ran against and lost to Chaffee in 2018. In 2022 two Democrats made the playoffs so there may not even be a Republican horse in the race.

On the Democrat side it’s hard to see any other serious candidates emerging at this point.

February 2, 2025February 3, 2025About Us

Sayonara, Waste on Wilshire

by The Fullerton Harpoon19 Comments

Something that should have been got rid of years ago is finally going. The traffic signals need to be re-activated and the bollards put in storage. Freed from its surly, bureaucrat-woven constraints, Wilshire Avenue can again become what it was up ’til the spring of 2020 – the heart of Downtown Fullerton.

The public health advocates and restaurant experts like Shana Charles will have to find someplace else to do their aerobics and their al fresco dining.

Dancing on the grave of Walk on Wilshire…

Good riddance.

February 2, 2025Behind Closed Doors

Things That Go Nowhere

by The Fullerton Harpoon10 Comments

Fullerton’s obsession with building things that go nowhere is not new, no. The moribund Trail to Nowhere is just the latest manifestation of a compulsion to waste money on stuff that is unnecessary, serves no purpose and in figurative terms, goes nowhere.

We can go all the way back into the 1980s to find perhaps the best example of something in Fullerton that goes nowhere. It’s a graceful concrete bridge that spans Gilbert Avenue near the crest of the West Coyote Hills. It is actually called The “Gilbert St. Bridge to Nowhere” by Google. It’s fenced off at both ends.

Why this bridge was built in the first place is now shrouded in mystery although some old, old timers may be able to remember the intended purpose of the structure. If you know, please comment.

Whatever the reasons were to build a bridge that must have cost millions in real terms, it clearly serves no apparent function at all, never did, and thus merits its name, and a proud pedestal in the Fullerton Things To Nowhere Hall of Shame.

January 31, 2025January 31, 2025Boohooism

Friday Photo Fun

by Mr. Peabody20 Comments

An amused Friend sent in these images of Shawn Nelson swearing in Fred Jung back in December..

You may recall Nelson as a former Fullerton councilmember and then as a County Supervisor where he got even less accomplished than his predecessor Chris Norby. Believe it or not he is now a judge, robes and all.

The best part is Mr. Nelson had to sit through a couple hours of disenfranchised boohooing against Jung while wearing the ridiculous courtroom attire.

January 30, 2025May 15, 2025About Us

Who is Tychoon Tony Bushala and what does he want?

by The Desert Rat28 Comments

Fullerton’s left wing joined with its Old Timey Republican enemies back in the 1990s in a rather unsavory but comical embrace. The sight of Dick Ackerman and Molly McClanahan on stage, debating as pals was a joy for some to see since it corroborated evidence that the two groups were really no longer that different, and the Main Goal was to defend the walls of City Hall from the obnoxious prying eyes of “unknown” outsiders.

18 years later the two groups found themselves again in desperate solidarity as another recall offered a new and unsettling future with unkempt barbarians at the gate.

At the center of both tumults? My old friend Tony Bushala was at the center of the vortex of evil. A fun, self-deprecating video made by a Friend in 2012 was actually stolen by sad sacks Dick Ackerman and Larry Bennett and published on the anti-recall website. You can’t make up this level of Grade A stupidity. Anyhow, here’s the video.

Nowadays, Tony seems once again to be the target of his haters – dipshits that have done an awful lot less for Fullerton than Bushala. These are the remnants of Fullerton Boohooo and a scraggle of uninformed nitwits who actually respond to the delusional Kennedy sisters, Sharon and Saskatoon.

I guarantee he will be smiling when he sees this.

January 29, 2025January 29, 2025About Us

Bushala Exposed, Yet Again

by The Fullerton Harpoon16 Comments

It seems that the name Tony Bushala has once again become a byword for selfish self-interest among a certain segment of Fullertonions. This time it’s the the ultra-liberal boneheads who want to waste public money on stupid make-work boondoggles like the Trail to Nowhere and the idiot Walk on Wilshire, ideas catapulted forward by ideology instead of commonsense.

Pay no attention to the dinosaur behind the curtain…

Last time, it was the the balding Fullerton Republican Establishment that objected to Bushala’s political involvement in creating the 2012 recall. At the time, these sad relics of an earlier epoch claimed that Bushala wanted to buy the City, failing to admit that it would have been an awful lot cheaper to just give the incumbents a few grand and a pat on the head.

At the time, the following video was made. It’s still worth watching 13 years later.