Fullerton, CA

Current Term: December 2020 - December 2024

Council Member Bruce Whitaker was elected to a 2-year term on the Fullerton City Council in November 2010. He later served in 2012 as Mayor Pro Tem.

In November 2012 he was reelected to a full four-year term and was unanimously chosen by the Council to serve as Mayor for 2013.

In November 2016 Whitaker again won reelection and was unanimously selected as Mayor for 2017.

In 2020, with the change from “at-large” elections to election by District, Whitaker, a 32-year resident of southwest Fullerton, was elected to represent the 4th District and was once again, unanimously selected to serve as Mayor for 2021.  In 2021, Whitaker completed his term as Mayor and was selected to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for 2022 and 2023.

Prior to being elected to the City Council, Whitaker had served for three years as a Fullerton Planning Commissioner. 

Council Member Whitaker currently represents the city as:  Director, Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board;  Chair, OCWD Water Issues Committee; Director, Orange County Sanitation District (OCSan); Chair, Groundwater Replenishment System Joint Steering Committee (GWRS) (OCWD/OC San); Chairman/Commissioner, Santa Ana River Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA); Vice Chair, Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency (SARFPA); and  Commissioner, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). 

Additionally, Council Member Whitaker served for seven years as one of 7 Board Members of the Orange County Oversight Board to which he was appointed in 2012 by the O.C. Board of Supervisors.  

Council Member Whitaker previously had worked in State government as District Director of the California 72nd State Assembly office, representing the cities of north Orange County. He served in County government as Policy Advisor at the County of Orange Board of Supervisors Fourth District from 2003 to 2010. While at the County of Orange, in 2004, Bruce was honored to receive the “Donald” award as Orange County Legislative Staffer of the Year.

For more than 11 years Whitaker served as California Statewide Coordinator of M.O.R.R. (Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform). 

Prior to employment in public service, for more than 20 years, Whitaker held executive positions as Controller/Chief Financial Manager of a local retail firm and as Administrator of a local Medical Center. 

In 1995-96, during the aftermath of the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history (at that time), Bruce Whitaker represented taxpayer/residents/business interests at the County of Orange. He was appointed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors and served on 3 official committees:  The Orange County Management Audit Oversight Committee; the Orange County Salary and Benefits Review Committee; and the Ad Hoc Steering Committee on Privatization. As Chief Spokesman for the Committees of Correspondence he led the successful campaign which defeated Measure R, the “Bankruptcy Sales Tax.” 

Whitaker founded the Fullerton Association of Concerned Taxpayers (F.A.C.T.) in 1996, and served 8 years as its President. He and his wife Linda, a lifelong Fullerton resident, have been volunteers and supporters of Habitat for Humanity; Fullerton Cares (autism); Women’s Transitional Living Center (WTLC); Crime Survivors, Inc. Resource Center and One Legacy/Donate Life (organ donation) among others. 

To make an appointment, contact the City Council Office at Fullerton City Hall at (714) 738-6311. 

Council Member Bruce Whitaker can be directly reached at (714) 981-8474 and at bwwhitaker@live.com