Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/bruce-whitaker/)
Homeless people living in their cars in Fullerton will be allowed to park and sleep overnight at some point, after the City Council directed City Manager Ken Domer to begin rolling out the program, starting with finding a location.
The Fullerton City Council decided to hold onto a temporary rent control ordinance to see if promises by Rancho La Paz senior mobile home park owner John Saunders work for the residents, while the city is looking to create its own rental subsidy fund for mobile home residents.
People will have to pay to park in downtown Fullerton public garages and lots when the city launches a pilot parking program in June, in spite of privacy concerns from residents and City Council members over the license plate readers that will be used.
Anaheim City Council members fought each other and tabled the mobile home rent control issue, but not before Councilman Jose Moreno was able to reschedule it to April 16 — Fullerton council members debated and directed staff to research and come back with potential solutions early July.
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.
Many Orange County cities are struggling to maintain budgets that keep, or minimally cut services and employees, while trying to keep up with growing law enforcement and fire pension spending.
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.
The Fullerton City Council clarified what emergency homeless shelters are at religious institutions after it amended its ordinance and added an application process so it can keep an inventory of beds in the city.