Mayor Fred Jung and Council Members Jamie Valencia and Nick Dunlap voted to deny aid to immigrants amid ongoing ICE raids in Fullerton at the City Council meeting on November 4, 2025. Their stated reason: the city’s budget deficit. Yet their voting record and subsequent actions tell a different story; one of selective justification and misplaced priorities.
When immigration aid was first discussed at the October 21 Council meeting, Jung opposed it on fiscal grounds. Barely an hour later, he and Valencia voted to spend roughly $2 million upgrading the fire department. When Council Member Ahmad Zahra cautioned that the funding depended on a tax measure voters might reject, Jung dismissed the concern: “You’re gonna jinx it.” This project was ten times the cost of the proposed immigrant aid but was approved without hesitation.
Just weeks earlier, on September 16, Jung, Valencia, and Dunlap supported another $2 million expenditure, this time for new turf at Lions Field. That project benefits a limited group of field users rather than the broader community, yet none of the three voiced budget concerns.
Then, during the same November 4 meeting where they rejected immigrant aid, the council majority voted to give away roughly one acre of city-owned land to a Korean church for only $43,000, with the city covering much of the transaction cost. The parcel, located between a major arterial and railroad tracks, could have served future transit or bike infrastructure needs.
Mayor Jung and Council Member Dunlap have held a majority for five years, yet in that time, Fullerton’s financial outlook has worsened. In 2023, the city projected a $3 million deficit by 2027; by 2025, that figure had more than tripled to over $9 million. Residents are often told their proposals can’t be funded due to fiscal constraints, yet the deficit continues to grow. These actions reflect not fiscal prudence, but selective justification, as they invoke “budget responsibility” only when it suits political preferences.
The contradiction became starker when Mayor Pro Tem Shana Charles asked Jung whether he would at least support a non-binding resolution affirming the city’s values related to public safety, inclusivity, and transparency. Jung declined. The resolution carried no financial cost; it simply expressed solidarity. His refusal made clear that the objection was never about the budget; it was about values.
Credible city sources say Council Member Valencia has privately expressed support for ICE’s deportation activities. If true, this raises serious questions, given that her district is majority Hispanic and has borne the brunt of recent ICE operations. Valencia has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
The council majority’s record reveals a consistent pattern: restraint for humanitarian initiatives, free spending for politically favored ones, and rhetoric that conceals the underlying motivations.
If fiscal responsibility were truly their guiding principle, their votes would show consistency, and the city’s finances would show improvement. Instead, they reveal a willingness to weaponize the language of fiscal discipline to justify political choices that leave Fullerton’s most vulnerable residents behind.
Council Member Dr. Ahmad Zahra
Interim City Manager Eddy Manor and City Attorney Dick Jones
Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shana Charles
Mayor Fred Jung
Council Member Jamie Valencia
Council Member Nick Dunlap
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Categories: Local Government, Local News
Where would the proposed money for victims of ICE raids be going to? I’ve been looking around and I can’t find a definitive answer for how this money will be effectively used to help as much people as possible. I think there should be a more fleshed out plan before money is potentially wasted. Also, how much is one acre of city land usually sold for? It would be really concerning and upsetting if the land was sold at a lower cost due to personal motivations.
ED Response: Good questions – the backup materials for the resolution to help local residents affected by ICE raids gives examples of local nonprofits working to assist families but that need more funding. And the public land giveaway to the church for discounted rate of $43,000 requires the city to pay fees totaling over $28,000.
An excellent article / missed opportunity for the City. Great to have seen so many from the inter-faith community / residents come out. Bodes well for the future.
You know, got to ask, why is this guy even the mayor? Was he actually voted in to office?
He’s disassembled WoW, gutted and seemingly demonized our 4th of July and NY Eve’s events, seemingly head of a bunch of cronies who make Fullerton the ghetto of NOC while other cities around us flourish (YL, Brea, even Placentia), and now this; if he and his cronies are bent on attracting low-cost housing developers, bringing with that low-income earners and families, who would typically be immigrants looking to get a foot-hold for their children, then he should be in front of the front-line protecting those very citizens and their families. They are his clients!
Why is this guy still in office? And when do we get to vote him out?
The Mayor of Fullerton is not an elected position. In the past, it was largely ceremonial and rotated between City Council members. More recently, Jung, Dunlop & Valencia have attempted to stifle the rotation to exclude Charles & Zahra (as those two are not beholden to Bushala).
Thank you for this article.
Disgusting outcome to see the majority three Jung, Dunlap, Valencia vote against supporting local families targeted by ICE. Also ridiculous excuses of not having the funds (The city has an over $30 million reserve fund and the $200,000 could be easily covered) or that city funding should benefit everyone not just a select few of the population.
As stated – not all city expenditures benefit all residents.
I agree with the 60 residents who spoke in favor of supportive funding. And thank both Mayor protem Charles and Councilmember Zahra for listening to the public and taking action on this and many other issues.
In Fullerton ICE thugs raided the neighborhood carwash near my home – and have detained citizens, lawful residents, landscapers, family members, people out shopping, and workers with no criminal history – and it is not expected to get better under current federal government. We need the supportive fund to help our neighbors and families being affected.
The only residents speaking against the support funding were Tony Bushala and his Political Action Committee secretary Jack Dean, who coincidentally, are also donors to the campaigns of Jung, Dunlap, and Valencia. These are same people against Walk on Wilshire, outdoor dining patios, music downtown, bike lanes, UP Trail, newspapers in city buildings, fair mayoral rotation, and for charter city status (which would cost city $200,000 to implement) – really just about anything good.
I would like to see Jung, Dunlap, and Valencia all resign and for Bushala to use his fortune in beneficial instead of destructive ways. It is frustrating to see how much influence this donor group has over these three councilmembers who appear to follow their every whim. Sad to see that Integrity is so cheap.