Fullerton City Council Hopefuls Offer Different Ideas on Fixing Roads, Budget

What are the astir effectual approaches for Fullerton’s elected officials to instrumentality connected fixing long-neglected roads, revamping a slumping municipal fund and gathering much affordable housing? 

Those were immoderate of the apical questions residents asked 7 metropolis assembly candidates astatine a forum Monday night, hosted by the League of Women Voters.

Instead of a debate, the forum was tally successful a question-and-answer benignant – giving each campaigner 1 infinitesimal to reply questions submitted by residents.   

Residents asked astir homelessness, housing, roadworthy repairs, expanding taxation gross and rent power – among different issues. 

Monday’s statement comes aft metropolis unit projected Fullerton could beryllium staring down the tube of a $20 cardinal fund spread successful 3 years. 

[Read How Can Fullerton Prevent a Projected $20 Million Spending Deficit successful Three Years?]

While each campaigner offered up antithetic approaches to issues raised by residents, they each agreed connected 1 thing: Fixing roads and expanding taxation revenue.  

“Everybody’s priorities are streets close present successful Fullerton,”  said Kitty Jaramillo, a retired metropolis codification enforcement serviceman moving for the District 4 spot successful the southwest portion of town. 

City Councilman Fred Jung, moving for District 1 reelection successful the northwest portion of the city, said Fullerton’s aging infrastructure goes deeper than roads.

“We person h2o pipes that we excavation up and are often made of clay,” Jung said astatine Monday’s forum. 

Here’s wherever the 7 candidates basal connected immoderate of the city’s astir pressing issues. 

Fullerton City Council candidates pitching antithetic ideas connected however to hole roads and spot the fund astatine a forum. Sept. 23, 2024. Credit: SPENCER CUSTODIO, Voice of OC

District 1 

Jung, existent councilman and tiny businessman, is moving against Matt Truxaw, an IT consultant. 

Jung said his biggest priorities are the aging infrastructure, adding much constabulary officers and expanding taxation revenue. 

“We person to heighten and mainstream and streamline the mode we bash things to marque definite businesses travel to Fullerton,” Jung said.

Truxaw said his biggest precedence is getting “the dependable of the radical backmost successful the government,” adding that assembly members excessively often broadside with run donors. 

Residents besides asked however the candidates presumption inclusionary lodging ordinances – policies that mandate a definite percent of lodging developments beryllium acceptable speech for low-income housing. 

“Quite frankly, determination are different ways to incentivize spot owners and developers who person invested millions upon millions of dollars to physique these units,” Jung said. “Let them cognize determination are authorities incentives … for density bonuses, wherever they tin recoup immoderate of that by having affordability astatine a precocious number.” 

Truxaw besides pushed backmost connected mandating affordable housing. 

“There’s ne'er going to beryllium capable proviso people to conscionable each the demand,” Truxaw said. “I decidedly deliberation determination should beryllium incentives.” 

Both candidates besides said they were against rent control. 

“I don’t think, mostly speaking, rent power is simply a large idea,” Truxaw said. 

“Rent power is not the answer,” Jung said. 

When asked however to reverse the city’s finances and make much taxation revenue, Truxaw said metropolis officials should see expanding things similar Walk connected Wilshire – a closed conception of Wilshire Avenue successful downtown wherever radical tin dine and store successful the thoroughfare that started during the pandemic. 

Jung said the metropolis should streamline concern and gathering licence processes, which could pull caller business. 

District 2 

Mayor Nick Dunlap is looking to support the District 2 spot successful the northbound portion of municipality that encompasses Coyote Hills and Brea Dam Park. 

He’s being challenged by erstwhile City Councilwoman Jan Flory, a retired household instrumentality attorney. 

Dunlap said nationalist information and bringing successful caller businesses are among his apical priorities. 

“Got to hole our roads and streets. Got to turn our economy,” helium said. 

On apical of roads, Flory said her biggest precedence is fixing what she considers a disconnect betwixt the existent metropolis assembly and residents. 

“What I person witnessed implicit the Union Pacific way contented is that the assembly was not listening to the public,” Flory said, besides adding affordable lodging is simply a apical priority.  

[Read: Fullerton’s Nature Trail Moves Forward After Resident Advocacy]

While she didn’t specifically accidental what her stance is connected mandating affordable housing, Flory defended the affordable lodging developments, noting she’s done unpaid enactment with 1 successful caller years. 

Dunlap said immoderate caller studies person shown affordable lodging mandates don’t work. 

“I would not enactment these mandates,” Dunlap said. 

[Read: Are Affordable Housing Mandates Working successful Orange County?]

Both candidates said Fullerton shouldn’t follow a rent power ordinance and noted California already has a statewide rent headdress law. 

When asked however they would summation taxation revenue, Dunlap said the metropolis should beryllium much innovative and enactment with companies similar Boeing, which could motorboat flying taxis ferrying radical from Fullerton’s municipal airdrome to LAX.

“The world is we got $2.5 cardinal successful investments … taking spot successful our metropolis close now,” Dunlap said. 

Florey hinted astatine a income taxation increase, saying she saw caller polling that suggests favorable views connected a income taxation increase, noting the metropolis gets 1 cent of each income taxation dollar generated. 

She besides said corporations are abusing Prop 13, the landmark spot taxation instrumentality from 1978 that limits the taxation complaint to 1% of the property’s assessed worth and restricts yearly increases to 2%.

“I deliberation that it’s precocious clip that Prop. 13 beryllium looked at. I cognize that it is the 3rd obstruction successful politics,” Flory said. 

District 4 

Four candidates are moving for Fullerton’s southwestern District 4 seat: Jaramillio, the retired metropolis codification enforcement officer; Linda Whitaker, who’s been a progressive successful section authorities for years on with her husband, City Councilman Bruce Whitaker, who presumption retired this year; Jamie Valencia, a registered caregiver and Scott Markowitz, who wasn’t determination Monday night. 

Valencia said immoderate of her apical priorities are infrastructure repair and economical development. 

“We astir apt person to code our fund – we person to look astatine that,” she said during Monday’s forum. 

Jaramillo said homelessness and redeveloping aged commercialized centers are among her apical priorities.

“What are we going to bash with each the vacant commercialized buildings successful the city?” she said. 

Whitaker besides said homelessness is among her apical priorities.  

“We request to code information issues involved. We request to incorporated the oldest and newest methods successful dealing with the homeless,” she said.  

While the different candidates stood against mandating developers physique definite levels of affordable housing, Jaramillo supported it. 

“More of the same? No, that doesn’t assistance anything,” she said, adding “I don’t deliberation it’s going to kill” the developers. 

“We aren’t going to cognize if it tin beryllium done until we effort it,” Jaramillo said. 

Whitaker said she opposes it, adding the costs could displacement onto the different radical who bargain oregon rent astatine the caller lodging developments. 

“I’m not truly inclined to unit a concern proprietor oregon a spot proprietor – to mandate him – to say, ‘here you’re going to person to person this overmuch affordable housing,’” Whitaker said. 

Valencia besides said she’s against inclusionary lodging mandates. 

“I consciousness developers are present to make our metropolis and marque growth,” she said. “So I would similar to enactment arsenic a squad to marque definite we’re collaborating.” 

Valencia and Whitaker explicitly opposed rent control, portion Jaramillo said the metropolis should absorption connected gathering much affordable housing. 

When asked however they program to summation revenue, Whitaker said “No caller taxes.”

She added that officials request to analyse however to champion trim spending first, but said it shouldn’t beryllium monolithic layoffs.

“We don’t mean to marque radical suffer,” Whitaker said, adding that intimately examining spending is “just a substance of communal sense.” 

Valencia mostly echoed what Jung said: streamline the permitting process and found Fullerton arsenic a business-friendly town. 

Jaramillo hinted astatine supporting a income taxation summation if officials can’t summation gross otherwise.  

“It hurts maine everytime I spell into the metropolis of La Habra oregon the City of Placentia due to the fact that we were ever ranked above,” Jaramillo said. “Now those 2 cities look amended than our metropolis and it’s due to the fact that they enactment successful fractional a cent oregon a cent tax. I cognize cipher wants that.” 

Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You tin scope him astatine [email protected]. Follow him connected Twitter @SpencerCustodio.

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