In 2021, the City of Fullerton received approximately $1.7 million in state funding to construct a trail along a city right-of-way corridor. The corridor bordered properties owned by local political donor Tony Bushala, who publicly opposed the project. Months later, tensions surrounding the project appeared to spill beyond the council dais.

At the end of the August 17, 2021 Fullerton City Council meeting, Councilmember Fred Jung agendized an RFQ involving that same right-of-way corridor. During council discussion, Councilmember Ahmad Zahra clarified that the corridor being discussed was the same area connected to the state-funded trail project. According to a newly obtained police report, a confrontation between councilmembers occurred following the meeting.

The report contains statements from multiple elected officials, including Zahra, Jung, Councilmember Nick Dunlap, and former Councilmember Jesus Silva. While the accounts differ on some minor details, the officials broadly corroborated that an argument occurred in the hallway/back room area following the meeting.

According to the report, Zahra stated that as he walked past Jung, he said, “say hi to Tony for me,” referencing Bushala. Jung, however, reportedly described the comment differently, stating that Zahra called him “Tony’s lapdog.” Silva, the only other Councilmember to hear this initial exchange, corroborated Zahra’s description of the comment.

Excepts from the police report

The police report states that Jung became angry and followed Zahra into the back area. Silva told officers that he physically stepped between the two councilmembers in an effort to calm the situation.

According to the report, Jung allegedly said, “you think you’re a tough guy?” The report also states that Jung allegedly referred to Zahra as “a little girl” after Zahra attempted to leave the area. Zahra then reportedly asked Jung whether he was making the comment because he is gay. According to the report, Jung responded by saying, “I bet you’re going to call me a homophobe now.”

The report states that Zahra later contacted police because he was concerned that Jung’s behavior would escalate. The confrontation occurred amid broader political tensions surrounding the trail corridor and the role of influential local donors in Fullerton politics. Bushala has long been an active political figure in the city and has financially supported multiple local candidates and causes over the years.

Since this incident occurred, the anonymous writers for Bushala’s blog have repeatedly claimed that other councilmembers denied Zahra’s description of events. In a recent post, the blog claimed that “Zahra filed a false police report” and that “the cops interviewed other councilmembers who denied Zahra’s tall tale.”

A recent post on a local blog claimed that other councilmembers denied Zahra’s account.

The police report contradicts key parts of that framing. Councilmembers Zahra, Dunlap, Silva, and Jung all describe the same basic sequence of events: Zahra made a comment to Jung after the meeting, Jung followed him toward the back room, and Silva stood between the two during the confrontation. The accounts differ on the exact wording of Zahra’s initial comment, but Silva, the only other councilmember who reported hearing the initial exchange, corroborated Zahra’s version that he said, “say hi to Tony for me.”

The report also contradicts the blog’s timeline. Zahra contacted the Fullerton Police Department the following evening, on August 18, 2021. Interviews with councilmembers concluded on August 23, and the report was approved on September 10, 2021. The claim that the event occurred in October 2022 contradicts the dates listed in the police report.

The case was ultimately closed after police determined that the actions described did not rise to the level of criminal activity. But that is different from finding that Zahra filed a false report. The report does not show that other councilmembers denied Zahra’s account. Instead, it shows that multiple councilmembers described the same basic confrontation, while differing on some specific details.

The incident raises questions about how disputes involving major city projects, political influence, and donor relationships are handled behind the scenes at City Hall. It also raises concerns about how platforms owned by influential donors can spread misleading narratives while shielding their writers behind anonymity.