Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/ahmad-zahra/)
The former city councilwoman fills a roughly two-year term after council members weeded through 23 applicants and despite calls by residents to hold a special election.
The four-member Council potentially will decide on one of the 25 applicants for the seat, including three former council members and the Santa Ana City Attorney.
Fullerton residents may see the vacant City Council seat filled by an appointment rather than a special election after the Council voted to move forward with an appointment process. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to appoint someone, but it does mean we’re looking at candidates,” Mayor Jesus Silva said. “If, at the end of the day, we cannot agree on someone, then it goes … to a special election and we start the campaign season again for those of you who are interested.”
According to state law, the City has until Feb. 2 to appoint someone to fill the vacancy, or a special election will automatically be held Nov.
The Council is scheduled to decide if the vacancy will be filled by appointment or special election.
Fullerton residents will have to wait until at least Jan. 15 to find out if a City Council vacancy will be filled by special election or appointment after the current four-member council deadlocked on the issue.