Dear City Council,
What I witnessed tonight was deeply disheartening. The decision made by this Council Majority disregarded both the data presented and the overwhelming public opposition. For those who campaigned on transparency and accountability, this vote reflected neither.
Councilmember Valencia – I encourage you to review information before meetings, not during them. The claim that Los Angeles and Orange County maintain 45-55 dBA limits is demonstrably inaccurate. These are residential limits, not commercial. Fullerton’s own consultant, Dudek, explicitly found such limits incompatible with downtown conditions.
Mayor Jung – you dismissed data in favor of personal anecdotes about your visits downtown. The code enforcement logs, which I provided, contained the evidence you seemed to be missing. Instead of engaging with facts, you deferred all reasoning to a donor and then immediately adopted his requested carve-outs. That was not impartial governance.
You also stated that you wish to be “pro-resident” rather than “pro-business.” But when the vast majority of residents who spoke opposed these limits, that justification rings hollow. Outside of one of your donor’s former bloggers, no one living downtown spoke in support. If this vote was truly about residents, then which residents are being represented?
Councilmember Dunlap – I understand the pressures of coalition politics, but I also believe you know when something is wrong. If you continue to vote with those driven by donor loyalty rather than the public good, those distinctions won’t protect you in the court of public opinion.
To Mayor Pro Tem Charles and Councilmember Zahra, thank you for your thoughtfulness and consistency. You demonstrated what it means to listen to the community and think critically about policy rather than reflexively defending it.
For weeks, I’ve raised awareness about this issue through my platform. That advocacy led to coverage by Voice of OC and then KTLA, which broadcast your decision tonight. The public is paying attention, and what they see is a Council majority choosing special interests over small businesses, culture, and common sense.
I said this before and it remains true: there’s still time to change course, but that window is closing. This was the wrong decision, and I guarantee the majority of Fullertonians agree.
I’m disappointed in tonight’s vote, but encouraged that accountability is finally catching up. Please reconsider the path you’re on before it’s too late.
Respectfully,
Elijah Manassero
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Categories: Community Voices, Local Business, Local Government, Local News
What is the platform to which you refer, please? I’d like to read it.
It’s time for this council majority to go
I missed the meeting. Are you saying that a majority of speakers (from which you evidently infer a majority of Fullerton residents) actually do NOT favor a curfew on noise from the bars?
Perhaps you might explain to readers what you and other like minded residents of our city objected to in the proposed noise ordinance, and what you might suggest, if anything, as an alternative.
And, while you’re at it, what, exactly, you expect to happen if the council members do not “reconsider the path (they are) on before it’s too late.”
I live near downtown and there is barely any noise. The traffic is what we mainly hear and the trains and occasional sports games. I don’t think we should penalize businesses bringing live music to our downtown. That’s a benefit and attraction.
It’s what makes downtown fun and attractive. I don’t think anyone voluntarily moves downtown expecting quiet. It seems this council majority is hell-bent on destroying everything appealing about downtown and the small local busineses that color its character, all to appease one megalomaniacal campaign donor.