The City Clerk provided an update on discussions concerning the reorganization of boards, commissions, and committees, with a particular focus on the Preferred Parking and the Recreation and Cultural Arts subcommittee. The Parks and Recreation team is prepared to move forward after completing their work plan in January, and public comments were encouraged.

Joseph Maldonado, a Parks and Recreation Commissioner, discussed the efforts of an ad hoc committee aimed at improving park effectiveness through an action plan that includes increasing user engagement and providing monthly updates to the Council. He emphasized the importance of public involvement and collaboration among commissioners.

A long-term resident of Fullerton expressed a desire for more meaningful meetings to address critical issues while supporting the Parks and Recreation team’s efforts to manage the city’s parks effectively.

Maureen Milton advocated for maintaining monthly meetings for the Parks and Recreation committee, cautioning that reducing them to every other month could limit community engagement and the sharing of ideas.

Council Member Jamie Valencia proposed combining the Cultural and Arts subcommittee with the Library Department to promote collaboration and relieve the Parks and Recreation Department’s workload. This would ensure that event management remains with the library while Parks and Recreation focuses on recreational activities.

Council Member Nick Dunlap expressed support for returning the Parks Commission to five directly appointed members and is open to potential changes within the Cultural Arts committee, suggesting that it may fit better under the library. Council Member Dr. Ahmad Zahra advocated for maintaining monthly meetings for the Parks and Recreation Commission and proposed establishing an independent Arts Commission due to previous difficulties in coordinating arts efforts. He also suggested rebranding the commission to include “Culture” in its title to better reflect its mission.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shana Charles discussed involving library board members in the cultural arts conversation and suggested forming a collaborative subcommittee to merge efforts between the library and city commissions. Library Board President Sueling Chen expressed a commitment to community collaboration and is open to partnerships with the arts and Parks and Recreation.

Council Member Jamie Valencia supported merging efforts, highlighting the importance of collaboration for enhancing community involvement. Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shana Charles proposed creating a subcommittee to facilitate collaboration between the Library and Parks and Recreation, consisting of three volunteer members. She stressed the need for monthly Parks and Recreation meetings due to ongoing projects and was open to expanding the committee to five members for consistency with other boards.

Council Member Nick Dunlap raised concerns about meeting efficiency, referencing previous cancellations and issues with quorum within the Cultural Arts subcommittee. Deputy City Manager Daisy Perez noted that several meetings had been canceled in the previous year. Mayor Fred Jung agreed with Dunlap’s skepticism and suggested reducing the frequency of meetings as well as the number of Parks and Recreation commissioners to five.

Ultimately, it was decided that the Parks and Recreation Commission would consist of five volunteer commissioners meeting monthly, while the Cultural Arts subcommittee would report to the Library Board of Trustees with three members.