In December, just a year into his first term, 1st District councilmember Fred Jung was chosen by a 3-2 majority of his fellow councilmembers as the Mayor of Fullerton. (see correction at […]
An Interview with Mayor Fred Jung
The Downtown Report: January Edition
A Sad Loss Suddenly, right at deadline for this page, Chris, Damion, and Davis were in the picture, and those three (some of Fullerton’s finest photographers) stepped up and that led to […]
Young Observer Turns 3
This youth section, also known as Young Observer, celebrated its third anniversary last month. Each contributor from our team of seven students wrote a reflection as part of the annual conference that […]
New federal and state district lines divide Fullerton in two
by Anthony Robert California recently underwent redistricting in the wake of the 2020 United States Census, and Fullerton is certain to be affected through potential changes in the Congressional and State legislatures. […]
City Council redistricting process begins
The second meeting of the Redistricting Advisory Commission (RAC) was held in the City Council Chamber on December 15. Few people attended in person. On the agenda that night were two items, […]
Historic Virgin of Guadalupe mural vandalized
An historic neighborhood mural on Lemon St. across from the Maple Community Center and Lemon Park suffered extensive damage from vandalism this week. In earlier damage, several months ago, the face of […]
FAST swimmer wins national title
Matthew Chai, a swimmer on Fullerton Aquatic Sports Teams (FAST), won his first national championship in December at the Junior Nationals West event in Austin, Texas. The 18-year-old swam to an impressive […]
OCTA bus hits and kills pedestrian
Fullerton Police Officers responded to Harbor and Valencia Mesa regarding a traffic collision involving an Orange County Transportation Authority bus and a pedestrian on Sunday, December 26, at approximately 6:38pm. Upon arrival, […]
Streetlights housing development approved
Fullerton City Council voted unanimously at their December 21 meeting to approve a large new housing development on a 4.47-acre site located within the Fullerton Town Center at the northwest corner of […]
Eating the Piano: ‘Four Friends’
A Family’s True Story of Surviving the Nazis and World War II My grandmother Ilse was one of the few surviving Jews wealthy and prescient enough to escape Nazi Germany in the […]
Jeff Collier to serve as Acting City Manager
The Fullerton City Council at their December 21 meeting approved Jeff Collier to serve as Acting City Manager upon Steve Danley’s departure and until a permanent replacement is selected. The City retained […]
Tree of the Month: Toyon at the Muckenthaler
The Heritage Trees Committee (HTC) presents the toyon at the Muckenthaler Cultural Arts Center as December’s Tree of the Month. It was chosen to recognize its historic, cultural, and ecological values in […]
Police seek witnesses in fatal hit and run
A pedestrian was struck by a car and killed in the early morning hours of Thursday, December 23 on Bastanchury Road west of Brea Blvd. Fullerton Police are seeking witnesses to the […]
Free shoes and a Merry Christmas for all
The Leon Owens Foundation sponsors its annual Shoes for Kids Community Outreach program. Richman Elementary was selected this year. The students and teachers were told that one student from each class would […]
Arrest made in fatal stabbing investigation
Fullerton police arrested David Vargas Carillo Jr. on December 20 on suspicion of a murder that took place on September 14 in Fullerton. FPD Detectives along with the North County Swat Team […]
City Council to discuss limits to SB 9
State mandate ends single family zoning The City Council will have an opportunity to protect Fullerton’s neighborhoods with an Urgency Ordinance on Dec. 21 at 6:30pm to reduce the impacts of SB […]
Report finds children’s health conditions remain unequal
COVID threatens to reverse years of progress on key indicators of children’s health and well-being. But with schools closed to in-person learning and testing for much of 2020, data remains missing on […]
Fighting Fires Since 1908: A History of Fullerton’s Fire Department
In its early days, Fullerton didn’t have a fire department. It wasn’t until 1908, after a fire leveled three buildings in the downtown area, that Fullerton’s first volunteer fire department was formed. […]
World of Beer withdraws application
The application of World of Beer for a license to sell alcohol in downtown Fullerton was withdrawn November 19, just two days after the planning commission refused its second continuance request. The […]
Save Sunrise Village Small Businesses
149-unit development vs. Sunrise Shopping Center from the view of customers and businesses by Cathy Yang As an Asian American, I am writing to offer my perspective on the proposed Pines at […]
Council majority approves budget cuts and use of federal relief funds
After being deadlocked for several meetings over whether to make budget cuts and how to allocate the nearly $33 million the City has received in federal relief funds (from the American Rescue […]
The Pines at Sunrise Village project sent back to Planning Commission
Council voted 3-2 (Silva and Zahra “no”) on December 7 to send a large housing development project, The Pines at Sunrise Village (at the corner of Euclid and Rosecrans), back to the […]
Trash Collection to Resume December 17
The City of Fullerton has announced that trash service will resume following the cessation of a labor disagreement between city trash hauler Republic Services its sanitation employees. The strike, which began on […]
The Downtown Report: Mid-December Edition
Playing The Detective: Searching for what became of old local taverns Reviewing a previously-discovered list (below) triggered an interesting series of new discoveries. If you read over this list, you may recognize […]
State Updates New COVID Guidelines
Guidance on Indoor Masking, Testing for Mega Events, and Testing for Travel In response to rising cases and hospitalizations statewide due to COVID-19 and to slow the spread of the Delta and […]
Planning Commission Chair Resigns
Elizabeth Hansburg resigned her position as Chair of the Planning Commission at the end of a housing study session meeting on December 8, citing dysfunction on City Council that has led to […]
Farmers Market closes until January
The Wednesday Certified Farmers Market will be closed on December 22 and 29 and will re-open January 5. The weekly Farmers Market takes place at the Fullerton Community Center at 340 W. […]
Young Observers: Mid-December Issue
Say hello to Rhett, a beautiful grey-nosed pitbull. He is sweet and lively at the same time, and he always adores long walks to let off some steam. His leash manners could […]
Yale Loop ‘Sparkle Balls’ Brighten the Holiday Season
In 2002, Don Bales took 50 clear plastic Solo cups and using a small soldering iron, burned holes and used the melted plastic to connect the adjacent cup. He continued in this […]
Redistricting Advisory Commission to Hold Public Hearing December 15
Fullerton’s Redistricting Advisory Commission will hold their first public hearing on December 15 at 6:30pm at Fullerton City Hall (303 West Commonwealth Ave). The Commission, which is responsible for advising City Council […]
DTSC accepting public comments on proposed McColl Superfund site agreement
California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has issued a Notice of Partial Consent Decree (CD) advising the public that DTSC has entered into an agreement with Shell Oil, Chevron, and Atlantic […]
Council majority ignores policy in choosing new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem
Ignoring established policy, City council voted 3-2 (Zahra and Silva “no”) to select Fred Jung as the new Mayor and Bruce Whitaker as Mayor Pro Tem at their December 7 meeting. Each […]
Fullerton trash pickup on hold as workers strike
Four hundred sanitation employees went on strike beginning December 9, citing unfair employment practices by Republic Services, causing a delay in trash and recycling services for Fullerton and other surrounding cities. Teamsters […]
5 Honored at Women’s Leadership Forum
Event founder and Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva hosted the 17th Annual Fullerton Women’s Leadership Forum along with former Fullerton City Councilmember Pam Keller and the Women’s Club of Fullerton (WCOF) at the Community […]
Downtown art and furniture store gets reprieve
Mexican art and furniture store Blanquel Popular Art, at risk in September of being replaced by an alcohol enterprise, has been reprieved. The property owner’s application for a conditional use permit (CUP) […]
