Council members used the comment portion of the October 20 Fullerton City Council meeting to warn residents about a record West Nile virus season and to request staff reports on several issues, including coyote management, canceled committee meetings and city overtime costs.
Council member Dr. Shana Charles asked staff to look into the cost of a proposed Redwood Grove, which Jensen Hallstrom had raised earlier in the meeting, so the council would know where the project stands. She asked staff to consider whether the grove could also serve as a memorial for people lost to COVID-19 and fentanyl, with a healing garden element.
Charles said she has discussed the idea for the four years she has been on the council and that OC Parks representatives expressed interest, but it has never moved forward. Charles noted that October is Transgender History Awareness Month. She said marking the month is personally important to her because her child is transgender. October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Charles reminded residents that help is available through organizations such as Radiant Futures and the Fullerton Police Department, which she said focuses on community policing and has embedded social workers thanks to Supervisor Doug Chaffee’s office. She also thanked Chaffee for the county’s gun buyback program, calling it an excellent public health initiative, and said she hopes it continues after he leaves office. She noted that Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento has also taken up the program in his district and said she hopes it can expand countywide.
Charles, who serves as the city’s trustee on the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District, delivered what she called good news and bad news. The good news, she said, is that Fullerton is meeting all six of the district’s metrics for publicizing West Nile virus and mosquito control information, which she believes is the first time in a long while. She thanked city staff, especially Kim Chaudhry in the City Manager’s Office. Fullerton and the City of Orange are the only two large cities in the county meeting all six, she said, though Orange received the district’s plaque because it is doing more outreach by volume.
The bad news, Charles said, is that the county is experiencing its worst West Nile virus season on record, measured by the percentage of mosquitoes testing positive and the number of dead birds. While the number of human cases has not yet reached a record, she said, new cases are still coming in and mosquito season is not over despite the arrival of fall.
Charles said the district has conducted three times as many nighttime treatments across Orange County this year as last year. She urged residents to eliminate standing water around their homes, especially after rain, and to seek medical care right away if they develop a fever or other West Nile virus symptoms.
Council member Dr. Ahmad Zahra asked staff to bring a presentation on the city’s coyote management plan to the council, saying it would refresh the public and give them a chance to offer input. Zahra also cited public commenter Curtis Gamble’s point about engaging seniors. He said many seniors cannot attend council meetings or lack the technology to join remotely, and city departments should find ways to meet them where they are. Zahra praised the Fire Department’s outreach to senior communities on safety plans and suggested involving the city’s active senior club and its senior commission. He also asked Director Thomas to explain why seven of the ten Active Transportation Committee meetings scheduled this year have been canceled.
Council member Jamie Valencia asked staff to explore options for about $74,000 in additional grant funding, suggesting it could go toward the senior mobility program, which was part of the original grant allocation. She urged residents to get flu shots and, if eligible, pneumococcal vaccines, saying influenza is “running rampant in the hospitals.” Valencia also requested a report on the city’s current overtime spending and its impact on the mid-year budget.
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