The Fullerton City Council met in a lively discussion about Walk on Wilshire – the pedestrian closure of a 200-foot stretch of  West Wilshire between Harbor and Malden – on January 21, 2025. Established during COVID, the Walk on Wilshire became a kind of downtown fixture –  but not without controversy. The chambers were full and a significant number of citizens (30) registered to speak in support of making the promenade a permanent downtown attraction.

Before public comment, some salient business had to be dealt with. Councilmember Dunlap recused himself due to a conflict of interest related to his father’s real estate holdings. Councilmember Valencia made a point of publicly returning funds that would have put her in direct conflict of interest on the issue – a gesture which would later be questioned during public comment but then upheld by the city attorney. Councilmember Zahra attended from the lobby of a hotel where the local time was 3 am. Present in the chambers were consultants from construction companies, community groups, civic leaders, business owners, and a sizeable group of young people.

The vast majority of public comments were in favor of maintaining the public space. Speakers from the local university and college communities as well as those representing young urban professionals and local business owners all voiced the same appreciation for the ability to congregate and enjoy what they see as a space for potential growth in a new direction for Fullerton’s downtown. It was clear from the public comments that people are thinking about the way they want to live in downtown Fullerton and not all are seeing things in the same way. One speaker inquired as to what the discussion of Walk on Wilshire represented to the city as a whole – a situation in which there seemed to be an impasse between a small number of staid business interests and a desire to continue the incorporation of positive changes.

In one speaker’s words, ‘undoing the sins of the 50s to make something more people-centric,’ is a discussion at the core of every transportation discussion in Southern California now moving forward and Fullerton will be little exception. Over the course of this council meeting, it was clear that the city of Fullerton is on the precipice of the change at least in terms of what the citizenry has in mind for its community future regarding younger businesses and active transportation.

In a public comment section on the issue that lasted for nearly three hours, there were three public comments made in favor of reopening the street and ending Walk on Wilshire. In essence, they amounted to the claim that established businesses would suffer the loss of vehicular access and this singular claim took the day.

Mayor Jung presided over an occasionally tendentious discussion with his primarily interlocuter being Mayor Protem Charles who evoked her own expertise and interest in Urban Planning and Development and motioned for a $50,000 allocation and permanent road closure which was seconded by Councilmember Zahra. The motion failed with members Jung and Valencia opposing.

Most palpable in the outcome of this event was the sense outside the room afterward amongst business owners and students that the outcome was expected amongst the many who had gathered there. An interested and concerned citizen looking to impact the way this city improves and develops, even one who is seated on the council, seems easily dismissed – as was frankly observed by all who saw the interaction between Mayor Protem Charles and Mayor Jung wherein the mayor seemed irritated to have to perform his function.

Despite disappointment at the eventual closure of Walk on Wilshire, this one observation can still be made: the level of interest and discussion around the future of transportation and how Fullertonians live and work downtown guarantees to remain a topic of concern at future meetings.