Commissioners Maldonado, Freeman and Talavera were in attendance. 

Staff Department Updates:

Parks and Trails

The Grand Opening for the Union Pacific trail was held on December 13.  It is a half-mile walk featuring 176 trees and solar lighting. 

Union Pacific Park is expected to open in January 2026 and will feature a community garden after ADA compliance is confirmed. Playground equipment was also replaced at Emery Park.

Sports

Artificial turf replacement is almost completed at Lions Field, which will allow both soccer and football games.  A sports field user’s meeting was held in December to facilitate field use among teams.  In 2025, the tennis center was used over 10,000 times, with over 900 participants and over 4,000 private lessons offered, while the sports fields were reserved over 6,000 times.

 Special Events

In 2025, Parks and Rec offered 26 Farmer’s Markets, 5 movies in the parks, 5 concerts in the park, and 4 community yard sales. Several popular community events were also offered in Fall 2025, including a downtown Oktoboofest with a kids’ parade and trick-or-treat at local businesses; a revived Veteran’s Day Parade and Ceremony at Hillcrest Park featuring local schools and sports teams; and a Tree Lighting Ceremony at City Hall, showcasing local performing groups and delighting families with visits from Santa and the Grinch.  A Holiday Home Decorating Contest was held for the first time, honoring the winning Sparkle Ball neighborhood and home.  

 Recreation Programs

A Family Sweetheart Dance will be held in February for family members who want to enjoy an evening dancing at the community center.  

Other recreation opportunities for youth include Adventure Play Day in January, and ice skating at the Rinks in Anaheim, as well as beginning drum class and craft time for preschoolers.

There will be a spring break Art Camp at the Hunt Library in March, as well as the yearly Camp Hillcrest at Hillcrest Park. 

In 2025, 500 classes were held, and events such as a Father-Daughter Dance with 331 families, a Mommy and Me Tea Party with 40 participants, and a Peanuts Spooktacular with 200 participants were well attended.  Spring and Summer camps served over 1,000 participants as well.  

 Sports and Fitness Programs

Yoga classes, table tennis, basketball and pickleball are all currently available, as well as soccer, ice skating and dance programs.

 2026 Proposed Event Schedule

Programming in 2026 would again include 4 community yard sales. An Eggstravaganza Easter egg hunt will be offered at Hunt Library in March.  A new Fullerton Coffee Fest will be held in April, also at the Hunt, featuring samples from a wide variety of local coffee vendors.  The Thursday Night Farmer’s Markets will resume on April 2 and conclude on September 3 at the Fullerton Plaza.  Staff explained that market attendance typically drops 50% after school starts, so it makes sense to end around Labor Day.

 A first-ever Fullerton Fit 5K and Health and Wellness Fair is scheduled in June at the Fullerton Sports Complex. A special 3-day festival for the 4th of July weekend is proposed by the staff to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Extra funding for the event is available because of the cancellation of First Night in 2025 due to rain.  Live entertainment, rides, a car show, and food trucks would kick off on Friday night, and include a fireworks show on Saturday, July 4th , as well as a closing drone show on Sunday.  In October, a special Friday night Spooky Street would combine with the Police Department’s October Trunk or Treat, including a one-night Farmers Market night next to City Hall and a costume parade.

2026 would again include a Veteran’s Day Parade and Ceremony on the great lawn at Hillcrest Park, a Tree Lighting Ceremony at the beginning of December at the City Hall and end with the normally scheduled First Night Celebration in the downtown Plaza with a closed Harbor Blvd.

 Commissioner Comments

Maldonado expressed support for the proposed Coffeefest, noting that there are many unique coffee vendors around town, and Freeman suggested including non-coffee options for kids.  

Talavera commended staff on yard sales and urged that they be organized in other parts of the city as well in the future, just as Friday night concerts had previously been held in more than one location.  He noted that there would be interest in outdoor viewings of the FIFA World Cup during Fourth of July celebrations.  Staff stated that, typically, the FIFA World Cup requires licenses for viewing opportunities, which cost thousands of dollars, but that they would investigate the possibility.  

 Independence Park Updates

The 10-acre park currently offers an aquatic facility, skate park, handball courts, outdoor exercise equipment and open space.  The gym is currently closed, and the playground has been removed due to safety concerns.  The preliminary park re-design included a street element for the skate park, large and small dog area, shade structures, picnic pavilion and age-specific playgrounds; however, funding is not currently available for all these elements.  Staff members propose moving forward with phased changes using existing funding at a reduced scale.

 Independence Park was originally allocated $2M Park Dwelling funds pending completion of the HUB apartment complex in 2023.  In 2024, it was awarded $1M for the gym rehab project and a $100K grant from the County, which was used to fund Throne Restrooms.  In 2025, the HUB apartment project was completed, and $2M finally received, so construction design plans for the gym are being completed. New basketball courts and floors,  renovated restrooms, front desk area, and multi-purpose rooms are planned.

In addition to the gym, previously proposed park elements included pickleball courts and an ADA playground.  Originally, these elements would have been funded by a $2.75M federal grant, which is no longer expected to come through; these additional elements may be delayed, although public-private partnerships remain a possibility.

 Commissioners’ Comment

Talavera recommended seeking out public/private partnerships, so as not to disappoint the public involved in pre-planning.  

Freeman commented that renovations may need to be multi-phase, since federal grants often have many strings attached. An ADA playground would be a resource for the whole city, but he recommends caution with the placement of pickleball courts near residences. 

Maldonado concurred that seeking private/public funds may be good, depending on the strings attached. Gym and restrooms will be completed for now, the playground in Phase 2 and the back of the park in Phase 3.  

Commissioners unanimously praised staff for a dynamic 2025 and requested that Parks and Rec meetings be started earlier at 6pm in the future.  

Chair Maldonado asked staff for future updates on the parks master plan, the urban forest master plan, and the possibility of placing bike racks at entrances of trails.