During the City Council meeting on November 18, 2025, attendees questioned Council Member Jaime Valencia about her vote on November 4 against funding local nonprofits that support immigrant families affected by ICE. During council report about activities and information from boards the council members sit on Valencia spoke about events she attended and then said, “I also, over the weeks prior to the vote that took place two weeks ago, I was very much involved with a group of people that I pulled together. Blandy was there. Jason Phillips. There also met Bethany, I met I had Radiant Futures involved, Jay was there, Pathways was there, and it was a great conversation starter to get the community involved with the nonprofits to hear what everybody’s doing and how we can collaborate Better Together. So I’m really excited for that motivation to continue on and see what we can do to work. Together, and I understand that some of you may disagree with me, and that’s OK. My responsibility is not to please a select few, but to serve the entire community. I will continue making decisions based on facts. Integrity and what best supports all residents. Ultimately, the results of that work will speak louder than any criticism.”
The following is the full response from Jody Agius Vallejo, a Professor of Sociology and American Studies and Ethnicity, and the Associate Director of the USC Equity Research Institute.
I am writing in response to Councilmember Jamie Valencia’s remarks at the November 18 City Council meeting—comments I witnessed firsthand—which included misleading claims about her involvement with community organizations supporting Fullerton’s large and diverse immigrant community, as well as a perplexing explanation for why she voted “No” on a community-driven proposal for a city supported fund for immigrant families affected by ICE. Part of the rationale for the city supported fund was that the nonprofits and legal clinics who work with immigrant families in Fullerton do not have funds to meet the growing demand for legal support and basic needs…