I am writing to ask that, as a city, we do more to support the university that calls Fullerton home. CSUF is the largest California State University campus, and we, as students, depend on the city to provide for the surrounding area. Instead, we have seen complete neglect from city departments and the City Council. As a commuter campus, most CSUF students don’t live in Fullerton, meaning they can’t vote for representatives on the City Council; those who do live in Fullerton are generally split between three districts, breaking up their power, while other districts are held safe for representatives whose voting base does not care about the conditions around CSUF.
As a cyclist, I have to deal with the decrepit roads around eastern Fullerton; the road conditions get worse as I get closer to CSUF. Between potholes constantly causing near-crashes, uneven pavement causing losses of traction, and “fill-in” road work that provides only temporary solutions to the long-term road degradation, it’s easy to tell how close I am to CSUF by how terrible the road conditions get.
Rarely ever do I see Fullerton Public Works anywhere near Chapman and Commonwealth, where the conditions are the worst; it doesn’t help that vehicles for nearby construction constantly take up and block off lanes, making conditions even more unsafe and choking off traffic. Living in western Fullerton, however, the conditions near my home are very different; the roads are generally cleanly paved, Fullerton Public Works is constantly making repairs on even the smallest issues, and my riding experience is smooth.
Of course, very few other CSUF students live in Western Fullerton – with the sky-high housing prices, most people who can afford to live there have no connection to CSUF, further driving the difference of interests in the City Council.
Despite one of the largest higher education labor actions in the nation’s history occurring in Fullerton, the City Council has largely been silent. This town is driven by education – by the faculty and special trades workers who power CSUF, causing people to move here and driving up tax revenues for the city.
What has the city done as these people are forced to sleep in their cars due to abysmal pay? The only solidarity we’ve gotten has been from Council Member Ahmad Zahra, from District 5, who recently came out to support special trades workers at CSUF when they had a one-day strike. City Council has done nothing to pressure the CSU system or CSUF itself and has not shown any solidarity whatsoever with faculty or special trades workers. They have also said absolutely nothing about the proposed 34% tuition increase despite the severe effects that it will have on CSUF students; many will be forced to find cheaper housing outside of Fullerton, which may lead to lower tax revenues for the city and a decline in its population.
Former Mayor Fred Jung has particularly stayed away from helping students. Until this month, he served as mayor, but during his tenure, he has had questionable loyalties to the City of Fullerton and CSUF students. From his Instagram page, he has pandered to many different groups – business interests, Boy Scout troops, and junior high-school parents – but never to CSUF students.
At the same time, we’ve gotten support from Ahmad Zahra, whose district doesn’t even cover the CSUF campus. Jung, in his time as mayor, did nothing to support us. He hasn’t even spent his time supporting the rest of Fullerton; instead, he’s spent his time serving as the Chair of the OCPA Board, which has been racked with controversy, fines, and the firing of its CEO. The other cities with members of the OCPA board have realized that their mayors should probably not be the ones to serve, as they need to focus on their cities; Fred Jung has disregarded this, instead seeking out more positions of power instead of fulfilling his existing responsibilities. He isn’t just on the OCPA board, either; per his City Council page, he holds Chair positions on three other boards and serves as a member of four others. He also became Mayor only a year after being elected, playing politics to pass up others with his conservative majority instead of focusing on how to make Fullerton better and help CSUF students.
Elections for the Fullerton City Council are coming up this year. Nick Dunlap and Fred Jung will all be forced to come to the ballot to keep their seats. So far, they’ve shown very little desire to do what is right for CSUF students and the city at large – and as youth begin voting in greater numbers, we will remember their years of inaction.
As a CSUF student, I say to you: if you wish to keep your seats and your majority on the City Council, it’s time that you stop neglecting CSUF, pandering to the city’s wealthy, and seeking out power, and fulfill your duties as Council Members to the whole city. Otherwise, we’ll see you in November – and we will remember.
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