At a Hispanic Heritage Month reception with local Latinx leaders, President Virjee introduced the new Mexican Consulate and recognized longtime university supporter Gaddi Vasquez.
Fullerton Officials Aim to Fix City’s ‘Subpar’ Streets
The streets of Fullerton, California, are in dire need of improvement, according to city officials, and the City Council has become determined to do something about it.
At a recent meeting, both officials and citizens acknowledged the poor state of the city’s streets and emphasized the need to begin fixing the problem as soon as possible.
Mayor Bruce Whitaker told The Epoch Times the condition of his city’s streets has reached an “emergency stage.”
“The subpar condition of our streets is a public safety issue, increasing potential for accidents and injuries, causing undue suffering and substantial litigation costs,” Whitaker said.
Fullerton Council Postpones Retail Cannabis Discussion
Retail cannabis is coming to Fullerton, California, but the timeline has become increasingly unclear.
Certain details about the ordinance, which officially went into effect on Dec. 17, were scheduled for discussion at the Jan. 19 Fullerton City Council meeting. However, the council narrowly voted to reschedule the conversation for Feb. 16.
Mayor Pro Tem Nick Dunlap raised the issue of postponing the item so city officials could have “a more robust discussion” regarding fees, applications, and amendments to the approved ordinance.
“This is something that the community has expressed a lot of concern with,” Dunlap said at the meeting. “They’re going to want to come in and … make comments. And I think we have the time to wait and do this the right way.”
Fullerton Will Not Join Sheriff Barnes’ Opposition to COVID-19 Inmate Release/Transfer Order
Fullerton City Council voted 3-2 at a special meeting on December 21 to not join an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in support of OC Sheriff Barnes’s opposition to releasing or transferring jail inmates. Barnes is fighting a recent a court order requiring a 50% reduction of the inmate population in group living areas because of spiking inmate COVID-19 cases due to the vulnerability of inmates living in congregate settings.
This court order was prompted by both recommendations from the OC Health Care Agency and a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of Orange County inmates, alleging that inmates should be released because they are medically vulnerable and at imminent risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19.