Mini History of Fullerton Mayor, Mayor Protem, and Members 1990 to 2026

The following is a year-by-year list of every person who has served on the Fullerton City Council, including the mayor (who is appointed by the council each year in what is known as fair rotation, which is often supplanted by majority rule)

1990: Buck Catlin (mayor), Richard “Dick” Ackerman, Don Bankhead,  Molly McClanahan, Chris Norby

1991: Chris Norby (mayor), Richard “Dick” Ackerman, Don Bankhead, Buck Catlin, Molly McClanahan

1992: Don Bankhead (mayor), Richard “Dick” Ackerman, Buck Catlin, Molly McClanahan, Chris Norby

*1993: Molly McClanahan (mayor), Don Bankhead, Buck Catlin, Chris Norby, Julie Sa

*1994: Julie Sa (mayor), Chris Norby
––––––– RECALLED –––––––
The recall effort for Catlin, Bankhead, and McClanahan began after they voted in favor of a 2% utility tax for infrastructure repair. Even though Bankhead was recalled, he was allowed to run for council in the general election and won.
• Don Bankhead (replaced by Peter Godfrey),
• Buck Catlin (replaced by Don Bankhead),
• Molly McClanahan (replaced by Jan Flory)

1995: Julie Sa (mayor), Don Bankhead, Jan Flory, Peter Godfrey, Chris Norby

1996: Chris Norby (mayor),, Don Bankhead, Jan Flory, Peter Godfrey, Julie Sa

1997: Chris Norby (mayor), Don Bankhead, Jan Flory, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Julie Sa

1998: Don Bankhead (mayor),Jan Flory, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Chris Norby, Julie Sa

1999: Jan Flory (mayor), Don Bankhead, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Chris Norby, Julie Sa

2000: F. Richard “Dick” Jones (mayor), Don Bankhead, Jan Flory, Chris Norby, Julie Sa

2001: F. Richard “Dick” Jones (mayor), Don Bankhead, Mike Cleseri, Jan Flory, Chris Norby

2002: Don Bankhead (mayor),Mike Cleseri, Jan Flory, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Chris Norby (resigned in July before the end of the term)

2003: Don Bankhead (mayor), Mike Cleseri, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Shawn Nelson, Leland Wilson

2004: Mike Cleseri (mayor), Don Bankhead, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Shawn Nelson, Leland Wilson

2005: Shawn Nelson (mayor), Don Bankhead, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Leland Wilson

2006: Leland Wilson (mayor), Don Bankhead, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Shawn Nelson, Sharon Quirk

2007: Shawn Nelson (mayor), Don Bankhead, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Pam Keller, Sharon Quirk

2008: Sharon Quirk-Silva (mayor), Don Bankhead, F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Pam Keller, Shawn Nelson

2009: Don Bankhead (mayor), F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Pam Keller, Shawn Nelson, Sharon Quirk-Silva

2010: Don Bankhead (mayor), F. Richard “Dick” Jones, Pam Keller, Shawn Nelson, Sharon Quirk-Silva

2011: F. Richard “Dick” Jones (mayor), Don Bankhead, Pat McKinley, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Bruce Whitaker

2012: Sharon Quirk-Silva (mayor), Bruce Whitaker
––––– RECALLED –––––
In a June 5, 2012, special election, Fullerton City Council members were recalled primarily due to public outrage and perceived lack of leadership following the brutal beating leading to the death of Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill homeless man, by several city police officers.
• Don Bankhead (replaced by Greg Sebourn),
• F. Richard Jones (replaced by Travis Kiger),
• Pat McKinley (replaced by Doug Chaffee)

2013: Bruce Whitaker (mayor), Doug Chaffee, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Jan Flory, Greg Sebourn

2014: Greg Sebourn (mayor), Doug Chaffee, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Jan Flory,  Bruce Whitaker

2015: Greg Sebourn (mayor), Doug Chaffee, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Jan Flory, Bruce Whitaker

2016: Jennifer Fitzgerald (mayor), Doug Chaffee, Jan Flory, Greg Sebourn, Bruce Whitaker

2017: Bruce Whitaker (mayor), Doug Chaffee, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Greg Sebourn, Jesus Silva

2018: Doug Chaffee (mayor), Jennifer Fitzgerald, Greg Sebourn, Jesus Silva, Bruce Whitaker

2019: Jesus Silva (mayor), Jennifer Fitzgerald, Jan Flory, Bruce Whitaker, Ahmad Zahra

2020: Jennifer Fitzgerald (mayor), Jan Flory, Jesus Silva, Bruce Whitaker, Ahmad Zahra

2021: Bruce Whitaker (mayor), Nicholas Dunlap, Fred Jung, Jesus Silva,  Ahmad Zahra

2022: Fred Jung (mayor),  Jesus Silva, Nicholas Dunlap, Bruce Whitaker, Ahmad Zahra

2023: Fred Jung (mayor), Shana Charles, Nicholas Dunlap, Bruce Whitaker, Ahmad Zahra

2024: Nicholas Dunlap (mayor), Shana Charles, Fred Jung, Bruce Whitaker, Ahmad Zahra

2025: Fred Jung (mayor), Shana Charles, Nicholas Dunlap, Jamie Valencia, Ahmad Zahra

2026 Fred Jung (mayor), Shana Charles, Nicholas Dunlap, Jamie Valencia, Ahmad Zahra

***** SPECIAL NOTE *****

1993: First Asian American City Councilmember

1994: First Asian American City Mayor/Chair

1994: Three City Counilmembers are Recalled

1995: Council meetings began to be broadcast

2010: City Council adopts Fair Rotation Policy

2012: Three City Counilmembers are Recalled

2016: Fullerton residents voted to establish a district-based system for City Council elections, moving away from an at-large system. The change was prompted by a lawsuit alleging that the at-large system violated the California Voting Rights Act.

2018: The first district representatives for Districts 3 and 5 were elected in November.

2020: Since 2020, all Fullerton City Council members have been elected solely by district.

2022: The district boundaries were updated following the 2020 census, with a new map (Map 114) adopted in April 2022.

Like this:

Like Loading…