Councilmember Ahmad Zahra announced on Nov. 19 that he would not be seeking reelection come the 2026 election.
The announcement was made via an Instagram post on Zahra’s account.
“I’m grateful to the many community leaders and residents who have been encouraging me to run for another term, but leadership means staying true to one’s values and purpose,” Zahra wrote in the post.
This statement was followed by an announcement during the Dec. 2 city council meeting.
Zahra has served on the Fullerton City Council as a representative for District 5 for two terms, the first in 2018 and the second and current term in 2022.
Fullerton council members are able to serve three consecutive four-year terms and then must take a four-year gap before serving as a council member for additional terms.
“I really just wanted to bring that voice and talk about issues in our city that no one had talked about before,” Zahra said. “I think I’ve accomplished that, I don’t know if a third term will add anything new to what I’ve already brought.”
City council will discuss appointments for mayor and mayor pro-tem at the upcoming meeting on Dec. 16. Additionally, current Mayor Pro Tem Shana Charles has agendized an item proposing an ordinance regarding changes to the selection process. This item is supported by Zahra.