Let the BooHooing Begin
Yes, it’s that time of every year comes up when the Fullerton City Council chooses one of its own to be Mayor for the upcoming year. Another is chosen to be Mayor Pro Tem, which is Latin-ish for back up guy.
This will occur on Tuesday after newcomer Jamie Valencia is sworn in to replace Bruce Whitaker. The jobs are basically ceremonial, but the Mayor gets to run the meetings.
For the past several years the Council majority of Fred Jung, Nick Dunlap, and Bruce Whitaker have chosen one of their number to hold these offices and have deliberately excluded “Dr.” Ahmad Zahra. They have offered no explanation for this exclusion, which is too bad.
Zahra and his claque have attributed this exclusion to discrimination against his (dubious) Muslim beliefs or alternatively, his gayness – the two attributes that he relies on to promote his unique “brand.” What the public doesn’t get, but that council watchers know to be true is that those three really don’t like Zahra. Why? Maybe because of his public pontifications against them, and his even more egregious behavior behind the scenes that sometimes becomes hysterical, and one time led him to file a false police report against Fred Jung. We are aware of Zahra attempting to smear his colleagues via OC political blogs.
The Council majority is well-aware of Zahra’s penchant for self-promotion and camera hogging, even going so far as to leave a council meeting for a photo op.
Of course there are other good reasons to exclude Zahra, reasons that people are too polite to express, Fullerton being Fullerton. Like Zahra worming his way into the USA via marriage fraud – to a woman. Or his shifting biography, or his blatant plagiarism while pretending to be a water expert. Then there’s his assault and battery case, safely sealed now, in which he claims, fraudulently, that he was exonerated. Lying seems to be Zahra’s modus vivendi.
It turns out that there is a policy suggesting that everybody gets a chance to put “Mayor” in front of their name. Policy No. 226 in the Policy and Procedures Manual spells it out. The problem is that a policy is not an obligation, especially for those who didn’t cook it up in the first place. But this is what Fullerton BooHoo rests its confidence on year after year, as they turn up in their numbers to promote their darling, Zahra.
What will happen Tuesday? Will Valencia go with Jung and Dunlap and keep Zahra and his acolyte Shana Charles from being Fullerton’s figureheads?
Let’s hope so.
Sanka Kennedy has already started the boohooing.
Not fair, not fair!
Spaskia, as ever, speaks for everybody: “Residents hope the upcoming meeting will resolve this contentious issue, ensuring that council leadership reflects the community’s values and commitment to equitable governance.”
Well, I’m a resident and the less I see or hear from Zahra and Charles, the better. Their “values” are wasting our money on their self-promotion.
Oh the ways Zahra can smile, looking into your eyes so innocently whilst sliding the knife into and out of your back.
If he could “play nice with others” and stop spreading lies about his fellow council members, he would most likely have been mayor pro team and mayor by now. Karma happens
It’s “discrimination,” against district 5. No way around that. It’s really about him being left of the council majority. But in practice it’s all about a slap in the face to district 5.
Then District 5 slapped the rest of us in the face!
It’s about him being an unrelenting self-entitled, immigration fraud asshole.
Excellent point. If D5 feels slapped too bad. But they don’t. Because this pimple has never gotten 50% of the D5 vote.
There are 14,912 voters in D5. Zahra got 2,123 votes in 2018 and 2,604 votes in 2022. He’s representing less than 30% of the voters in TWO combined elections. No sale, Hoogermister.
Is there some other elected rep from D5? You’re not making any sense.
He’s the duly elected representative of D5. The con majority is denying D5 the mayorship.
They should just be following the council’s policy and letting the mayorship rotate to D5. Hating liberals that voters picked is not a reason to break policy.
If it’s so damn important, then D5 can pull its head out of its collective ass and elect somebody who can get 2 other votes to be mayor.
Easy.
Sorry, I want a Mayor who DIDN’T sneak into the USA courtesy of a marriage fraud with a woman in Arkansas.
He got lucky the first time. No real opponent. He needed over $100,000 and a fake Latino-named candidate to beat Oscar Valadez.
He represents himself, not D5.
“He got lucky the first time.”
And the second time? Lol.
D5 elected Zahra on purpose. Council is passing over D5 for the mayorship on purpose.
The second time he created a fake candidate to draw votes away from his Latino opponent – he would have lost otherwise. And He spent $120,000.
He’s a broken little man with a huge ego.
We don’t have ranked choice/runoffs and he doesn’t get to pick how many other candidates split the vote.
He won a plurality according to the rules which is how it works.
What you’re saying is meaningless. He is the D5 rep, there is no other. They’re denying D5 and its representative the mayorship without even stating a reason, though it’s hard to think of a reason that would make any sense.
That’s a slap in the face.
D5 is entitled to elect who it wants, and the policy is the mayorship rotates between districts.
You can make up whatever fantastic reasons for their votes but if they have a legitimate reason (they don’t) they should say it.
The default is to assume these are adults voting about politics, not personalities or hurt feelings. Or his immigration status, which is not in any doubt, he’s a naturalized US citizen.
He snuck into the country. Glad you think that’s A-OK.
They have plenty of legitimate reasons not to make him Mayor and they should say it. Of course can’t imagine a single legitimate reason.
Here are some, do they fit?
Assault and battery guilty plea deal?
Plagiarism of water articles to appear like an expert – it actually worked, sort of, ’til caught)?
Marriage fraud?
Spreading rumors about his colleagues to the OJ Blog and some clone in Irvine?
Filing a false police report saying Jung assaulted him?
Skipping out on meetings for photo ops?
See any ligit reasons in this list? Lots of people do. But you’re a disingenuous clown.
You can imagine whatever accusations you want. What is the conservative majority’s reason? Wielding political power over d5 in this case.
So you’re saying the list is made up? Name one thing on it that isn’t true.
No one is wielding political power over anybody but the egregious Zahra. Quit the boohooing.
I’m saying what I said: the council isn’t standing by any of your laundry list of accusations or concerns as a reason for denying D5 the mayorship.
And it’s pointless to argue this, because your accusations aren’t secrets and D5 is happy with Zahra. They deserve their turn in the rotation.
They should stand by my list. I would love to watch Fullerton Boohoo and you suck it up.
But they’re too polite. The vast Majority of D5 doesn’t know Zahra from the toilet drain.
Which of my “accusations” isn’t fact?
Poor hooger. You back wrong horse.
Johnny, please shut your pie hole and go back to your room! You forgot to take your meds AGAIN.
Slap slap slap. That’s the sound of a slap on the ass of an ass.
Tuesday night promises to be a big pay day for me.
Flight booked.
He’s going back to Syria? Isn’t he pals with ol’ Bashar?
Can’t believe I’m writing a Dear John letter! Why do any of them need to state a reason to you or anyone? Jung already has said on numerous occasions that he would never support Zahra because he doesn’t trust him to represent the city in any role. Dunlap has said kinda the same more or less. Whitaker was even more critical of Zahra. Zahra endorsed both Jan Flory and Kitty Jaramillo on their respective campaigns against Dunlap and Valencia. Why would they vote him into any honorary title? Same with Charles, whose husband ran campaigns against Dunlap and Valencia. Why would any of the two support her? Come on John! Give us a break!
Definitely a miss.
“Why do any of them need to state a reason to you or anyone?”
Me? I’m talking about D5, and I do not live there.
Why are they owed a reason? Because the policy is for the mayorship to rotate, and D5 is being passed over. They deserve the mayorship because it’s their right as policy. At the very least they deserve an clear reason as to why it’s not happening. And it should be the actual reason, not a lie.
But they haven’t even been given a good lie. It’s disrespectful. It’s basically, we (the con majority) can do what we want and you (D5) will take it, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Duh asshole! That’s what happens when our team wins. So fuck off with your equity preach fuckface!
You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm. Calm down.
No one is saying your fuckfaces can’t lawfully fuck D5. I’m just saying that’s what’s happening. It’s not about Zahra. It’s about fucking D5. Seems we’re in agreement.
Keep sticking to the poor D5 rhetoric. See where it gets you!
Haha. Zahra loses again, and D5 gets along just fine.
So you’re saying the Council majority wants to “fuck” D5? Why? Give one good reason.
“So you’re saying the Council majority wants to “fuck” D5? Why? Give one good reason.”
If you’re subject to fuckery, I think it’s reasonable to assume it’s being done on purpose. What’s the alternative? Their vote and deafening silence is accidental fuckery? Well that just sounds incompetent at best.
I think it’s on purpose.
That’s your narrative.
But the target isn’t D5 it’s Zahra. Nobody in D5 except Zahra (if he even lives there) and a handful of Spanish-only women who follow Eaglet Nunncio around because they have nothing better to do and probably are registered to vote anyway.
Oh, waah, waah. Policy! Who gives a fuck? If nobody does it, it ain’t policy. Suck on that.
D5 isn’t being passed over. Zahra is. Get a better story.
Wah, wah, disrespect. Get three votes and you go instant respect.
John, wouldn’t you agree that the city council has the prerogative to set policy or ignore policy? Even former councilmember Jan Flory admitted she would not change the policy so everyone got a turn because what if there was someone who was unbecoming of the honor? You mention conservative majority, but councilmember Jung is a registered Democrat and so I hear is the new Valencia. I would ask you since you suppose to know, why do his fellow colleagues find councilmember Zahra so disqualifying? I would venture to guess that councilmember Charles is Mayor Pro Tem on Tuesday, but I think it is their decision.
“city council has the prerogative to set policy or ignore policy”
Yes. I didn’t say they’re doing anything illegal.
So if they want to change the policy and not rotate the mayorship as a matter of policy, they should take that vote and change the policy. If they are denying it to Zahra personally because of some significant concern they should take a vote and censure him and give that as a reason for passing over D5. But as it was the cowards just ignored the policy with no reason, which given the policy, is disrespecting the voters in D5 which deserves its turn.
You can say it’s “their decision” which any vote is a decision, but my point is D5 deserves the mayorship under standing policy, and at minimum and explanation as to why they are only rotating through the conservative council majority (party affiliation notwithstanding… voting record is how I determine ideology, not party).
The three have been WRONG not to give their reasons. Too polite. Didn’t you read my post?
There are a dozen great reasons not to vote for the malignant Zahra. Let’s air them in public. A goddamn bill of indictment.
D5 voters voters get their “turn” when they give a small plurality to someone who isn’t a serial liar and lawbreaker.
Hope you show up tonight to defend him.
Don’t worry, Johnny. In 2 years D5 will have a councilmember who grew up in D5 – not some slimy creep who snuck into the country through Marriage Fraud – a Federal crime.
Voting record? All five vote together 90% of the time! All five voted for the dumb trail. Raises for employees? Whitaker and Dunlap voted no for fire, but Dunlap voted to give raises to cops. Only Whitaker voted against putting 15,000 more units in Fullerton. All five voted for the budget that fails to put enough money to fixing our crappy streets. Whitaker, Zahra, Charles voted to keep Walk Wilshire. So apart from your champion Zahra’s yearning to be called Mayor and the associated other assignments, what do the conservative majority vote by themselves on?
“All five voted for the budget that fails to put enough money to fixing our crappy streets.”
The streets are continuously being “fixed,” as they’re constantly paving streets… there’s a schedule, never really stops, but they’ll never catch up with the backlog because a) the majority is not going to raise taxes and b) the math won’t allow this to be resolved any other way.
So fun… anti-gov types have something visibly wrong to endlessly complain about, while simultaneously being the reason it won’t be addressed.
The mayoral rotation policy was created before we had these ridiculous districts.
The policy no longer makes sense with districts and should be modified or ended.
Very good point, J.R.!
Friends of Fullerton,
My Johnny has gone down a path I can’t follow. He’s no longer in my basement. I called for him this morning, but he wasn’t there (thank goodness). He’s gone underground now…literally and figuratively. As much as it pains me to admit it, my son has become something less than human, and it seems he’s finally found his rightful place.
The bad news? He took his computer with him, and now he’s angrier than ever.
Please, I beg you, don’t engage with him. It’s useless. I’m afraid he finds joy only in spreading nonsense these days, and I’m deeply ashamed of it. His poor father couldn’t handle it, and now I’m left to carry this burden alone.
I know this is a lot to ask, but if you can, do your best to ignore him. Please. It’s all I can ask of you, and I’m truly sorry you even have to deal with him at all.
If I see him trying to interact with any of you kind people, I’ll step in. I will always try to talk some sense into my Johnny, he’s my son, after all…though I wish he weren’t.
There is growing support among residents to deport Zahra to Syria.
Here’s a no brainer; Elect Oscar Valadez to D5 and I guarantee D5 will have a Mayor who actually lives there.
Zahra will never be Mayor. Thank God. Thank you Jamie!
Well, she actually voted for Dunlap who wasn’t even nominated. Maybe if she stayed off her phone she would have know what was going on. Wasn’t a good first look.
Agreed. However, still better than Jabbamillo. Perhaps her handlers (police and fire union goons), were texting her instructions on what to do. Vamos a ver….
Oh. No question. Don’t want anyone here thinking I was for Jabba. Pretty sure if you have followed my posts, you would already know that.
And on that note, it was fun watching that Observer hypocrite getting tossed from the meeting last night for her uncontrolled outbursts. What a kook. They really need an audience cam in the chamber.
Will there be a separate post about last night? Was not able to tune in. Sounds like I missed out on some drama. Curious to know who said what and how the voting went.
Jung was appointed Mayor on a 3-2 vote. Most of the people supporting Zahra didn’t support him explicitly, instead they argued that D5 deserved the Mayoral appointment, which is kind of an underhanded diss by Zahra’s own supporters.
Charles was appointed Pro Tem ona 5-0 vote, although Zahra looked visibly pissed by the appointment. I think the remaining council members are open to making Charles Mayor in 2026 if she’s willing to run for the position against Zahra.
Not a chance. Jung will want the Mayor title in a run for the County Board of Supervisors. Charles can be Pro Tem again.