Incumbent Councilmember Shana Charles held a strong early lead for Fullerton’s City Council District 3 after polls closed Tuesday night, but in District 5, Oscar Valadez’s early lead was much slimmer.
Fullerton residents are deciding winners for two City Council district seats. One has an incumbent making a reelection bid, but the other is guaranteed a newcomer to the dais.
LIVE ELECTION RESULTS: See a chart of the latest vote counts
In the District 3 race, incumbent Charles, an associate professor at Cal State Fullerton who has represented the district since 2022, faced Daniel Kim, co-founder and CEO of the Dragon Kim Foundation, an executive director of Spectrum Affordable Housing Inc. and a former Parks and Recreation commissioner.
“A double-digit lead is always a good place to be,” joked Charles, though she acknowledged it was still too soon Tuesday night to call victory. She said she went into Tuesday’s election feeling hopeful after spending the last few weeks door knocking and connecting with Fullerton residents.
The CSUF professor said she has made an effort to be visible and consistently shows up in the community throughout her four years in office, from holding office hours to hosting monthly community meetings that have even brought constituents from outside her council district.
Charles described her weekly office hours as a place for her to listen, adding, “I think voters can see that I’m sincere and I really do care.”
Three candidates are running for the District 5 seat. They include production chemist and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jozef Maldonado, construction contractor Oscar Valadez, who serves as the current chair of Fullerton’s Planning Commission, and quality assurance specialist David Fischbein, a retired Navy veteran with deployments supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn and Enduring Freedom.
Councilmember Ahmad Zahra chose not to seek re-election.