At the Fullerton City Council meeting on June 16, 2026, Fullerton Resident Karen Lloreda proposed that the city construct a memorial for the Acjachemen (Juaneño) tribe during public remarks, following the presentation regarding the updated Open Space and Conservation Element of The Fullerton Plan.

The idea for a memorial came to Lloreda after observing mentions of the tribe in the public survey of the Open Space and Conservation Element update.

“These are important people to our history in the city,” Lloreda said. “I would hope that somewhere we [could] find some kind of a space where we could offer a memorial, a testimony, a space that they could use to recognize their importance and significance in the city.”

Lloreda’s call for recognition received support from Parks and Recreation Commissioner Joseph Maldonado (currently running for District 5 council seat) and Z.J., a Fullerton resident who grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota and is of Indigenous ancestry. 

Maldonado stated, “I would encourage what she [Lloreda] said about developing a memorial,” then adding that “native tribes here  [in Fullerton] have not only participated in, but have taught climate resilience and leadership in [our] area for years.”

In addition,  former Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jensen Hallstrom recommended a potential site for the memorial:

“The future nature park at the former Bastanchury tree farm is a very appropriate place, seeing as there was a substantial 1939 archeological dig, which unearthed Indigenous burials and artifacts. The site is called Sunny Hills Site No. 1. Hallstrom added that “the future park is an extremely important open space in Fullerton, and an opportunity for South and Southwest Fullerton residents to enjoy an open space with a major ephemeral stream, Bastanchury Creek.”

Photo courtesy of the Fullerton Public Library History Room

According to local historian Jesse LaTour on his Fullerton History Blog, it should be acknowledged that the findings of the 1939 dig at Sunny Hills Site No. 1 uncovered burial remains and artifacts from the Kizh (Tongva/Gabrieleño), rather than the Acjachemen that Lloreda initially spoke about. Acjachemen lands are located in present-day southern Orange County and northern San Diego County; meanwhile, Kizh lands exist farther north and east, stretching over the Los Angeles Basin, northern Orange County, the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley and the southern Channel Islands. Read the Fullerton History Blog here: https://fullertonhistory.com/2022/11/11/archeological-evidence-of-early-inhabitants-of-fullerton/

“No formal plans have been approved or initiated to pursue the construction of an Indigenous memorial,”  according to Fullerton’s Senior Administrative Analyst Kim Chaudhry.