Dirty Politics & Updated Follow the Money

By staff on October 10, 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

Fullerton’s 2026 council races show some of the city’s usual dirty politics, but what’s in the public record is more specific than the signs.

Notes: •Recall Jung and Recall Valencia committees and candidate Fischbein have made no filings. Candidates and committees raising or spending less than $2000 are not required to file.

•Voters Opposing Recall of Fred Jung 2026 has made no new filings. In the previous filing, the only donors were $5,700/John Saunders of Newport Beach; $7,500/ENF Prime Holdings LLC (Richard Lee of Buena Park); and $3,739/Fullerton Police Association PAC for text messages)

•Fullerton Taxpayers For Reform (FTFR) has made no new filings

•Fullerton Taxpayers For Reform

FTFR is paying for dirty political signs around Fullerton targeting candidate Jozef Maldonado (Fraud Josef signs spoofing Fraud Jung signs) in District 5 and Councilmember Shana Charles (Corrupt Charles signs) in District 3. The PAC has not disclosed expenditures on any required forms, though it has printed the required “Paid For” notice on the signs themselves. The group has not filed since its last filing in July 2025.

Over the past years, the committee has been fined by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) for filing failures. California rules state that a committee that spends $1,000 or more on an independent expenditure within 90 days of the election generally must report it within 24 hours (Form 496). So it’s reasonable to watch FTFR’s next filings, due around October 22, for these signs.

This group has been notorious around Fullerton for years for its dirty campaigning and outright lies about candidates they oppose. 2022: FTFR spent $26,567 against Ahmad Zahra in District 5, $2,038 against Shana Charles in District 3, and $1,849 in support of Oscar Valadez. fullertonobserver

2024: $44,126 opposing District 4 candidate Vivian “Kitty” Jaramillo, plus spending against the two school bond measures. The Fullerton Observer called those mailers false. FTFR’s lawyer then demanded a retraction and apology, arguing the paper had falsely tied the donors to spreading lies about Jaramillo, and threatened a defamation suit. The Observer replied that its figures came straight from the committee’s mandatory public filings.

The group is primarily funded by members of the wealthy Bushala family, David Perez/Valley Vista Services of City of Industry (waste disposal), the Apartment Association OC (owners of apartment complexes), local property owner David Jerome, and John Saunders of Newport Beach (owner of Rancho La Paz).

Some of the same donors are contributors to the current campaigns of Oscar Valadez and Daniel Kim and to the committee “Voters Opposing the Recall of Fred Jung 2026”.

496 Updates Independent Expenditures (thru October 5, 2026)

•Fullerton Forward

A new group formed in town is behind the “Fraud Jung” signs that appeared around town during the primary election, according to its “Paid For” line on the signs. See most recent filing below.

496 Update Filed 9/30/26

9/29/26: