Friends and family of Hector Hernandez, a Fullerton resident who was shot and killed by a Fullerton police officer in front of his home on May 27, gathered in front of the […]
Hernandez Killing by FPD Sparks Protest for Justice and Transparency
Fullerton City Facility and Service Updates/Closures
In accordance with Governor Newsom’s “Stay at Home” order to slow the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), effective Wednesday, December 9, Fullerton will implement additional temporary changes to City government functions. The “Stay […]
Fox Theater Restoration Update
Phase 2 Construction at the Fox Paves Way for Certificate of Occupancy/Opening in 2021 Though it was saved from the wrecking ball in 2004, it’s been a lengthy rehabilitation process for Fullerton’s […]
A New Community Garden
Our state produces nearly half of all the fresh fruit and vegetables in this nation and yet according to California Association of Food Banks, 1 in 8 Californians currently struggle with food […]
Giving Voice to Fullerton’s Spanish-Speaking Community
by Fr. Dennis Z. Kriz, OSM, Pastor of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Fullerton [Spanish language version below] First of all, I want to thank the Fullerton Observer for allowing us to […]
City Council Campaign Contribution Limits
The city of Fullerton has no campaign contribution limits for City Council candidates. But as of January 1, 2021, the State will begin enforcing Assembly Bill 571, which caps individual contributions at […]
Newly Elected Council Members Sworn In, New Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem Selected
The three newly-elected Fullerton City Council members were sworn in at the December 1 Council meeting. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the meeting was only open to a limited number of family and […]
Ways to Improve Public Participation During COVID-19
The ability for Fullerton residents to participate in local decision-making is becoming more difficult with COVID-19 restrictions. Any issue that dramatically affects someone’s personal or business life, including zoning of a nearby […]
Bicyclist Killed in Traffic Collision
Fullerton Police Officers responded to a traffic collision involving a motor vehicle and a bicyclist in the area of Bastanchury Road and Lancer Way on Monday, November 23. Upon arrival, Officers located […]
Recollections of the Wilshire Theater
Since so many theaters are closing because of the pandemic, I thought it would be interesting to write about one of Fullerton’s most beloved movie houses, the Wilshire Theater, which closed roughly […]
Young Observers: Early December Edition
Sunny Hills High School ranked among the top schools in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). “The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their […]
Fullerton Bans RV Street Parking: Is This Criminalizing Homelessness?
Fullerton City Council voted unanimously at their November 17 meeting to ban all RV parking on public and private streets citywide unless first obtaining a temporary permit from the police department. This […]
Dramatic Increase in COVID-19 Forces Return of Restrictive Health Measures
Rising Cases of COVID-19 Orange County’s rates of coronavirus transmission are spiking once again, with metrics in most categories steadily rising in recent weeks. Daily reports of new COVID-19 cases are now […]
Homeless Outreach/Enforcement During COVID-19 and Cold Weather Months
For the past couple years, the city of Fullerton has been legally unable to enforce its “anti-camping” ordinance (ticketing people for sleeping outside) due to the court case Martin v. Boise and […]
The Fox Theatre’s Tea Room Windows Restored
If anyone was wondering lately what is going on in the second story of the Fox Theater’s “Tea Room” as you drove or walked down Harbor Blvd, well…more restoration work. Fox Board […]
The Downtown Report: Early December 2020
Kick 2020 to the Curb We can all finally agree on one thing—the end of this year can’t come early enough. So, that makes an early year in review appropriate just as […]
The More Things Change…Orange County a Century Ago
Excerpts from the The Orange County Review (1921) Among the many treasures hidden in the archives of the Fullerton Public Library Local History Room are digital copies of a monthly magazine called […]
Hundreds of Cars Show Up for Thanksgiving Food Drive
Cars lined up for blocks along Commonwealth Ave. in Fullerton on Sunday morning, November 22 to receive a free Thanksgiving turkey and groceries. The Second Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway was part of […]
Council Approves Cannabis Ordinance
Fullerton City Council voted 3-2 at their November 17 meeting, to approve an ordinance that allows and regulates commercial cannabis businesses in the City. Despite the fact that Prop 64 (which legalized […]
A New Outdoor Sculpture at the Muck
The Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton held a socially distant ribbon cutting ceremony on November 12 to celebrate their completed sculpture garden. The sculpture garden was initiated in May to allow for […]
Sylvia Mendez Receives Warrior Award
Sylvia Mendez, whose family was among the five families who won the landmark school desegregation case Mendez v. Westminster, received the 2020 “Warrior Award” at the 16th Annual Women in Leadership Forum […]
Fundraising Events for the Fullerton Museum Center
Pretty sure you’ve been reading this statement (or a variation of it) everywhere: Thanksgiving is looking very different this year. But even in the bleakest of scenarios the spirit of giving and […]
Universal Children’s Day is Nov. 20
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child May Be on Hold in the US Senate but Supporting Children’s Rights Is Not Do you know that one way to support children is […]
Council Saves Bastanchury Tree Farm as a Creekside Park
A 7-acre City-owned park on the northwest corner of Bastanchury and Parks will be retained as a park. The City Council had declared it as “surplus” in August in an attempt to […]
Film Review: “Rebuilding Paradise” Gets Two Hits
Ron Howard won fame as a child star in “Happy Days” and grew up to be one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers, both for feature films, winning an Academy Award for “A […]
State Moves OC Back to Purple Tier, Requiring Closures to Slow COVID-19
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced Monday that Orange County had been moved from the Red Tier, or second most restrictive, to the Purple, or most restrictive tier of the […]
Local Election Results
Though election results have not yet been certified, it is safe to call winners in the following local races. To view full election results visit http://www.ocvote.com. Fullerton City Council District 1: Fred […]
Young Observers: Mid November Edition
Over 6,000 (about 48%) FJUHSD high school students returned to in-person classes two weeks ago, a number that is significantly lower than the 10,236 (75%) students who originally signed up before schools […]
Rare South Fullerton Open Space/Mature Trees to Be Destroyed
Nov 17 at 6:30pm: Last chance to address City Council regarding former Kimberly Clark site. Fullerton City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 2 to develop the entire former Kimberly Clark (KC) property, […]
Protesters Demand Dismissal of Officer in Death of Fullerton Man
More than a dozen demonstrators gathered in front of the Fullerton Police Department on the afternoon of Saturday, November 14, to protest the killing of Fullerton resident Hector Hernandez in May […]
Young Kim Defeats Gil Cisneros for 39th Congressional Seat
Republican Young Kim has defeated incumbent Democrat Gil Cisneros in the race for California’s 39th Congressional district seat. The 39th Congressional district includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, […]
COVID-19 Surge Could Push County Back to Most Restrictive Tier
Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Orange County’s cumulative case count is 64,058, with 1,522 recorded deaths. The number of new cases reported in the County during the first part of November […]
Josh Newman Wins 29th State Senate District Seat
Democrat Josh Newman declared victory in the race for California’s 29th State Senate district seat on November 12, defeating incumbent Republican Ling Ling Chang. “As of this evening, my race has finally […]
Election 2020: Commentary
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won. Enjoy the moment! Dance in the streets! The feeling will not last. This will be a difficult four years. We have side-stepped an existential threat to […]
The Downtown Report: Mid November Edition
Beartown Bears in Downtown Fullerton? Yes. A recent excavation for new elevators at Fullerton Union High School unearthed the bear skull. Wow, the protocols used to clear visitors for entry to the […]
