On Tuesday, the Oakley City Council voted 4-1 to censure and ask for Councilmember George Fuller to resign.
The move comes after years of controversy by Fuller while serving as a councilmember which now includes a third-party investigation that confirms bullying and retaliatory actions against city staff. The staff report further highlighted that due to behavior of Fuller, his behavior has required the City to devote significant time and financial resources to investigations and responses, diverting taxpayer dollars and staff energy away from essential City services and priorities.
Details of the report were not provided, however, during a 40-minute statement Tuesday, Fuller outed many behind the scenes information, personnel issues and said city manager Josh McMurray filed the complaint. He also said he considered the censure an honor.
“I perceive the censure by my colleagues as a badge of honor and each action signifies my courage, honor and integrity, and transparency to the people of Oakley when faced with an oppressive environment,” stated Fuller.
Fuller continued for approximately 40 minutes which included several accusations, including using the time to attack his colleagues and City manager Josh McMurray, outing him as the person who filed the complaint.
Fuller made the following statements (paraphrased):
- McMurray made allegations that I was harassing him and bullying him, which he denied.
- Fuller alleges there were secret city hall operations.
- Says he is not allowed to read the report, request to city attorney for copy of investigation was denied. Attorney told him there will never be a public disclosure of the investigation.
- Accused McMurray, while being a board member on the Byron School Board, of scrubbing the internet of any negative articles about his time in Byron. Accused McMurray of resigning from school board to become city manager of Oakley.
- Fuller accused McMurray of being “obsessed” with optics.
- Fuller says hiring of McMurray was “problematic”. Says 1 candidate chose another city, another candidate was dismal – leaving McMurray to be city manager.
- Fuller took issue with McMurray firing a former assistant city manager for using a shower in the police department without permission.
- Fuller says he and McMurray had disagreement over performance evaluation – claimed city manager “railed against” him due to not giving him a perfect evaluation. Says McMurray accused Fuller of retaliation.
- Fuller accused McMurray of being obsessed with perfection and needs constant reinforcement from councilmembers – says if people do not give McMurray praise, they are then deemed disloyal and disparaging. Says McMurray views him as an “antagonistic foe and his enemy”.
- Says McMurray does not respond to Fuller, and his only recourse were public record acts.
- Says while he was tying his shoe in McMurray’s office, McMurray drew a firearm and held it between his legs at the “low and ready”, prompting him to walk out of the office. Fuller apologize to residents and staff for not reporting the incident.
- Fuller claimed he has since submitted claim to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office but has not yet heard back.
- Accuses McMurray of shutting out Fuller from City Hall.
- Accused City of Oakley of favoritism in construction project awards – then contractor would issue change orders later bringing cost higher than that of the next lowest bid. When McMurray was asked questions, he was unresponsive.
- Accused Mayor Shannon Shaw of age discrimination
- Accused Marilyn M. Tiernan, Diablo Water District, of a public campaign to harass and torment him over his age and disability – while his grief over losing his two children were impacting his ability to be in public office. Says multiple messages were sent with grief associations attached—called attacks unrelenting. Says McMurray was unhelpful.
- Oakley Rotary – accusing McMurray of using the voting block of Henderson, Meadows and Shaw to cover for him, all are rotary members.
- Accused city attorney of rejecting Fullers complaint of McMurray pulling a gun in his office. Says he could not believe McMurray would pull a gun and that Fuller needed to remove the gun incident from an evaluation. Fuller says he refused, prompting McMurray to file a harassment complaint.
- With McMurray filing a complaint, this resulted in Fuller not being allowed at City Hall except for council meetings. Nor talk to any city employees. Could attend closed sessions from “down the hall” and remotely. His key card was turned off.
- Fuller says he was then left out of the loop on city business – including upcoming ice rink. Says it was discussed in secret and select members – with the ceiling of the amount of money was raised twice to allow the ice rink to come to Oakley without going before the council, or public input.
- Says he was investigated as a city employee, not an elected official — which is different circumstances.
- Says he was not to talk to any employees, information on city operations would come only during councilmembers, could not discuss city business, had to contact city attorney if he had any questions. Says it evident at this point he was frozen out of city business.
- Said the city attorney told him if he was an employee, he would be terminated. Said he was given 3-pages of punishments, but he could not be punished without due process.
- Contended that he and the public should have access to the report and its findings – wants due process and an unredacted report. Urged the report to be released regardless of any legal proceedings.
- Says McMurray and council prevented him from representing Oakley as a elected official.
“I stand up against such behavior. So tonight, they will censure me for doing so,” stated Fuller. “Keep in mind the council and I do not philosophically agree with one another. Again, the allegations are not factual and I see the censure as a testament to my courage, tenacity, grit and integrity to stand up to my colleagues as they habitually create an unpleasant environment for me. Over the years, I have been habitually harassed by my colleagues because of my age and disability.”
Fuller closed by saying he would not resign.
Public Comments
During public comments, several residents addressed the county, including
Michael Dupray stated, “I’ve never heard so much bloviating BS in my life and I have been around” and who added he didn’t need a lawyer or investigator but instead had followed the actions of Fuller noting the litany of misuses of his position is extensive – lies, bullying, ignorance of basic ethical standards, misuse of social media and joining groups for personal gain only, falsely accusing council members—he called it disgusting.
“Your moral compass is severely skewed. You have done absolutely nothing for the city of Oakley, nothing,” added Dupray. “Your abuse of city staff, council members, and constituents is reprehensible. You are an insult and an embarrassment to our city and you should resign now. I don’t know what mythological world you belong in but it sure as hell isn’t here.”
Conan Moats suggested he didn’t know how anybody in the room could not question the state of mind of councilmember Fuller, stated he didn’t believe he was of sound mind. He called for the resignation.
“I think these delusions and paranoid fantasies should have no place in local government,” said Moats. “This is bad government right here. I am appalled by the behavior of councilmember Fuller and in full support of the resolution.”
Oleskii Chuiko called out the pattern of behavior by Fuller that undermined the dignity of the council and the people it served – leaving behind a trail of bullying, retaliation, disrespect which was represented during the council meeting. He said after the recent election, Fuller retaliated by attempting to dissolve the planning commission, which at the time Chuiko was chair, calling Fuller abusing his power. Chuiko also says Fuller blocked him from social media thus took away his ability to reach his representative. He called on Fuller to step down.
Marilyn M. Tiernan said she was embarrassed for the City of Oakley.
“I love this city and have lived here for almost 40-years. I have never witnessed anything like you,” stated Tiernan. “You have attacked every elected official in this city. You have reported every one of us for made up stories. You my dear, have also attacked my staff at Diablo Water District. We have had to call the General Manager or myself if you ever call there because of the harassment,” explained Tiernan. “I don’t know what to say to you George, it has nothing to do with your age or disability… you are a cancer in our community and I don’t have a cure for it.”
She called on Fuller to step down as the community no longer needed him spreading rumors or attacking the city manager.
Councilmember Anissa Williams stated even with a censure, Fuller can still go spread his misinformation if he chooses. She called the censure a last resort and people could watch council videos if they wanted more information.
“I am disgusted we have come to this. The lies and misinformation that Councilmember Fuller has put on public record tonight, should motivate every resident to call for his resignation because of the risk he puts our community in,” stated Williams. “The city has videos of every meeting that shows what he is alleging is patently false and he obviously needs a circus to feel like he is relevant. I want to be clear, this is not a disagreement over politics or personality, but conduct. Repeated, harmful, dishonest conduct that has violated the publics trust, undermined staff and disrespected this city and there has been plenty of those examples tonight.”
Williams added that even before she was elected, Fuller targeted not only herself, but others with false accusations, while attacking anyone who disagrees with him.
“As been demonstrated this evening, he makes accusations in order to sully ones name and conveniently there is no evidence or hasn’t bothered to search for the evidence. Still, we have made every attempt and effort to work with him,” explained Williams. “Over the years, he has accused councilmembers and staff of money laundering, he has claimed millions of dollars were missing, suggested secret rezoning schemes, all of it without evidence and all of it is because he doesn’t understand city government works or chooses not to. He has told residents city hall is corrupt when the truth is city hall has continued to serve the community with professionalism despite his actions to undermine that.”
She added, its not just misinformation, but also intimidation noting he has harassed residents by reporting them to code enforcement simply for questioning him. He has blocked residents from social media. He has also belittled women calling them “mouthpieces” and questioned their intelligence while telling a resident to “go back to Ukraine”.
“This behavior is not just inappropriate, it is dangerous and sends a message that power excuses cruelty and accountability to our residents,” said Williams.
She continued by explaining the council had tried everything which include:
- Removing him from committees
- Denying leadership roles
- Limiting access to staff
- Calling for team building
“Nothing has changed and his conduct has only escalated and we have heard from many residents tonight that they have experienced this conduct and the sheer number of clubs that he has been barred from should cause him to reflect and realize that the one common denominator in all of this is him,” said Williams.
She called for no more lies, bullying and conspiracy theories while calling for him to change his behavior or step down.
Vice Mayor Hugh Henderson said they were here because a complaint came in during April, and they took it seriously and brought in a third-party investigator. He said bills into September was $32k and still have two months not yet billed to the city. He said more than 100 hours of staff time has been used to coordinate documents that could have been used for other things.
“Our duty up here is to protect our employees, to protect the city from further liabilities, further litigation. Because this investigation was run using our insurance, they have knowledge of this, knowledge that the report was confirmed that there was bullying and retaliation. With that information, if it happens again, it opens us up for more liability,” said Henderson. “Based on what we heard tonight, based on the investigation, I think it leaves us no choice but to ask Dr. Fuller to resign immediately and to censure him. I don’t see any other choice for the city at this time.
City Manager Josh McMurray and Councilmember Aaron Meadows
Councilmember Aaron Meadows called on Fuller to resign immediately and he has been a disgrace to the city.
“He thinks he is protecting the citizens, that he is some sort of hero, you are not. You are not a hero, you have made things worse for the council, the staff, the citizens, the other special districts in this city. You have done nothing,” stated Meadows.
Meadows stated he had been reported to the FPPC by Fuller for alleged “secret meeting” by simply walking into council chambers. He added every single member of the council had been turned into the FPPC by Fuller at least once – members in the public had been turned into the FPPC—who found nothing.
He continued noting while Fuller brings up the Oakley Rotary Club, he doesn’t tell the community he was in the Rotary Club and was kicked out – which says something about his character to get kicked out of a service organization.
Meadows added Fuller likes to post on Nextdoor in Innuendoes but that the city has spend thousands of dollars and staff time dealing with Fullers unfounded accusations by wasting staff time and resources.
“He has wasted our staffs time for 5-years,” said Meadows. “He doesn’t know what is going on and thinks everyone is out to get him. He doesn’t understand contracting law. It was sustained in the report of bullying and harassment of staff.”
Meadows said while the council could not make Fuller resign, but if he was an employee he would have been fired and gone.
“You brought up you were bypassed for leadership. You were bypassed because you are not a leader,” said Meadows. “There is no way we could have you out representing this city on a regional basis. You are a liability to this city and you should resign immediately.”
Oakley Mayor Shannon Shaw addressed some of the public comments noting that the subject of an investigation does not get access to reports — only the findings – and this was a personnel matter which would not be released to the public.
Shaw stated the Fuller wanted to go all the way back to when McMurray was a board member in a school district, but you can also go back to 2000 when Fuller was sued for bullying a teacher into changing his sons grade when he was a board member in West Covina — see LA Times story.
“Councilmember Meadows is right, I cannot imagine having you representing me at the mayors conference with 19 cities. Look at what you have done tonight. Your statement tonight proves retaliation. You did this. You made those statements, you have brought to light those things we have been very cautious about bringing to light that you did to continue your retaliation. Shame on you,” stated Shaw.
Shaw said Fuller has not been able to provide any evidence to his accusations and that there is video of him calling her an “ageist” but her day job is working with seniors and she called them “her life” and she loves what she does. She also took issue with him calling her disabled.
“Thank you for showing us exactly who you are today,” said Shaw. “Being an elected official does not allow you the right to bully and retaliate. No position, anywhere is allowed that right. Just because you are elected, does not mean you do not get to treat the people who work for you any different than any other supervisor. And I hope your supervisors see this tonight and take action.”
Shaw reiterated that the findings from the third-party investigator found bulling and retaliatory conduct had occurred and if this had been any other employee, supervisor or department head they would have been immediate and severe, most likely terminated.
She called the censure about upholding integrity of the city and reaffirming that Oakley would not tolerate bullying, retaliation or abuse of behavior at any level – including the council – she called on Fuller to resign from office.
The council voted 4-1, with Fuller dissenting, to censure and ask for the resignation of Fuller.
Previous
- Oct 8 – Oakley Councilmember Could be Censured, Asked to Resign
- Sept. 24 – Oakley Mayor Requests Censure of Councilmember George Fuller
- Dec 10, 2024 – Fuller Bypassed, Shannon Shaw Appointed Mayor of Oakley
- April 8, 2024 – Oakley City Council to Discuss Social Media Policy
- Feb 12, 2024 – Oakley City Council to Talk Censures and Expression of Opinions
Editors Note: Since being elected, Fuller has created much controversy to include the following:
- Taking to social media and his blog to attack elected officials, constituents and staff, consultants, etc.
- Blocks constituents from social media
- Dec 2024 – Fuller bypassed as Mayor (see story)
- In Nov 2024, he suggested an opponent to his council race goes back to Ukraine (see story)
- In Nov 2024, Fuller suggested disbursing the planning commission (see story)
- In July 2024, Fuller accused staff of secret agendas and switching out staff reports.
- In May 2024, Fuller openly criticizes the Oakley Rotary Club and mislead the public about Enrico Cinquini Park, E Cypress Project Funding, McDonalds, Quick Quack Car Wash. This forced City Manager Josh McMurray and Aaron Meadows to issue a response refuting Fuller. (see story)
- In January 2024, he attached club sports teams calling them highly discriminatory and they should pay more for facilities (see story)
- In late 2023, he falsely accused his fellow councilmembers of money laundering claims (see story)
- In Aug 2023, he threw a fit during a meeting when Councilmember Shaw grabbed a bottle of water (see video)
- In Mid 2023, he mislead the public about the Koda Park project while slamming City Manager Josh McMurray (see story)
- In early 2023, he suggested the Oakley Police Department not provided aid to Antioch Police Calls… chief responds (see story)
- In 2022, Fuller suggested turning 55-acres park plan into affordable housing (see story)
- In 2022, Fuller suggested limiting public comments (see story)
Videos
- June 10, 2025 – Fuller causes council to take a 5 minute break. This time, during the Work Session to Discuss Potential Housing Element Rezone and Affordable Housing Overlay Sites Related to Regional Housing Needs Allocation Compliance
- June 10, 2025 – Tempers flare in during Adoption of a Resolution Adopting the City of Oakley Climate Action Plan 2025
- Feb 11, 2025 – Councilmember Aaron Meadows to George Fuller on Item 4.5 — Enrico Cinquini Park. “Councilmember Fuller, maybe do some research on Enrico Cinquini. He did a lot for Oakley. You wouldn’t be sitting here really if it wasn’t for him,” said Meadows
- July 2024 – This is 1:30 out of an approx 10 min report out on Tuesdays Oakley Council Meeting. With regards to the Carol Lane Apartments… Councilmember Fuller suggests legislation, he is called out by Meadows. Fuller has no answer–comical exchange. Later, after Fuller claims Oakley has a financial interest in the apartments, its clarified by city manager Oakley only has interest in a single building that has nothing to do with what is occurring at the Oaks Apartments
- July 2024 – Councilmember George Fuller essentially being called out for misleading folks online and on nextdoor. He didn’t like it.
- May 2024 – Stunning 9-minutes from Council Meeting… ageism/senior accusations, China, Bryan Montgomery, social media postings, blogs, rotary voting block, fireworks, micromanaging, park design, etc. Shaw responds to laundry-list rundown of Fuller misstatements about her – Williams to Fuller – Stop negative campaigning from the dais and start doing actual work.
- May 2024 – a real gem.
- May 2024 – Councilmember Aaron Meadows to George Fuller on use of social media: FACTS MATTER!!!!!! Meadows also questions why Fuller keeps bringing up the Rotary Club in his slams online.
- Nov 2023 – during a session on fireworks, Fuller mistakes a male for a female.
- Aug 2023 – The Great Water Debacle of 2023! Apparently Councilmembers in are not allowed to grab water from staff
