The Public Hearing on the permit for a Short-Term rental property was interrupted several times by a group of residents who had come to mark the year long anniversary of the killing of Alejandro Campos Rios by Fullerton Police. The group was frustrated when the Public Comments section, customarily appearing at the start of each meeting, was moved to the end of the March 4, 2025 council meeting by Mayor Jung. *(See Protests of Alejandro Campos Rios at end of report)

PUBLIC HEARING •Item 11:  Short-Term Rental Permit Appeal
The Council voted 5-0 at the March 4, 2025 meeting to Uphold the Appeal and deny a permit to continue a short term rental at 1850 Edgecliff Drive in Fullerton (thereby denying a continued short-term rental permit to the property).
During discussion of the item members of the audience stood and spoke from the audience on the unrelated subject of “the police killing of Alejandro Campos Rios.” In the first interruption a woman read a letter from the 10-year-old grandson of Rios saying, “I wish you never died. I wish you were still here to say Happy Birthday to me.” Awhile later a second woman spoke from the audience leading to a second recess. Later, another 5-minute recess was called as a man began talking from the audience also about the Rios killing.
*(Read more about this at end of report)

City Associate Planner Benjamin Coff made a presentation on the rental issue. Staff recommend allowing the short-term rental to continue operating and to reject the approval of the appeal by the Planning Commission.
The short-term rental application for the property was denied in both September and October 2022 due to neighbor complaints and continued listings on short-term websites without the proper permits in place. The permit was first approved by the Planning Commission in March 2023 and re-approved in December 2024. An appeal by neighbors was submitted.
Staff reviewed the history and found no code enforcement, building permit or police issues as alleged in the appeal, but did find 8 complaints. There have been 15 stays at the rental from December 2023 to the present. Five comments were received, he said.

Neighbors asked the short-term rental permit to be revoked on their street of six homes to restore peace and quiet and safety back to the neighborhood. They said the process to get relief from problems caused by the approval of the rental has been long, inconsistent, and unpleasant. The property “has violated all “Good Neighbor” guidelines” said the neighborhood spokesman, and the neighbors have reported all violations to the city code enforcement, police and more with no action taken. “There have been at least 12 calls to this property,” he said, including parking violations, code violations, loud parties with drugs and alcohol at all hours of the night and more “which has made our neighborhood unsafe.”

(5-minute recess) *

Following a five-minute recess the neighbors continued – each listing the violations and adding trash clean up, and running a car repair business in the driveway. “Is their privilege to run a business more important than our peace and safety in our own neighborhood?”

(2nd 5-minute recess) *
Following the second recess public comments on the AirBnB appeal were opened. Another neighbor spoke up agreeing with the former comments and outlined several violent interactions with the AirBnB owners (who live on part of the property).

(3rd 5-minute recess) *

Mayor Protem Shana Charles asked for clarification on the data presented by the city sighting zero police or calls to the city vs. the neighbors information that police and code enforcement had been called numerous times.
Planner Coff said that the city data showed 12 calls from December 2020 through June 2023, but zero police calls and 8 nuisance complaints from October 2023 to the present.
Code Enforcement said complaints about the property began in August 2022 before the short-term rental was approved and included complaints of trash cans in public view (the property owners complied), illegal car repair business operation (unfounded as all vehicles were owned by the property owners themselves), and report of an oil spill which turned out to be an accidental spill of cooking oil.

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*Protests of Alejandro Campos Rios Killing

A young woman interrupted the short term rental discussion to read a letter written by Alejandro Campos Rios’ 10-year-old grandson who said he missed him and wished he was here to wish him Happy Birthday. She was told to leave and when she didn’t was escorted out by police, arrested, and later released. Two others also interrupting a bit later were told to leave. A 5-minute recess was called after each protestor began speaking.

There have been several protests in Fullerton calling for the officers involved to be fired and prosecuted for murder and demanding that 24-hour mental health services be provided instead of the current daytime only operation.

Rios, a Buena Park resident living in on the streets with severe mental health issues, was killed on March 6, 2024 at 3am in front of a Fullerton fast food restaurant when he was tasered and hit by so-called “less than lethal” projectiles by Fullerton Police officers. He was given CPR on the scene and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead “due to significant injury to his chest as a result of the projectiles,” according to the police report. FPD sent the use of force case to the OCDA for investigation. According to a February 14, 2025 CALO news report the OCDA is still reviewing the case. The family filed a lawsuit against Fullerton. A stipulated protective order was signed on February 7, 2025 by all parties.
A video interview with the family is available at https://capitalandmain.com/after-suspicious-deaths-at-the-hands-of-police-families-seek-independent-autopsies
The Fullerton PD Critical Incident Community Briefing: 24-13319 video can be viewed using the following link https://youtu.be/7nOieJOffgE.