Anaheim Kicks Discussion on Gift Ban in Wake of Corruption Scandal

A bulk of Anaheim officials accidental they are not acceptable to propulsion the trigger connected a projected instrumentality that would prohibition them from accepting gifts worthy much than $50 per twelvemonth from a lobbyist oregon contractor successful the aftermath of 1 of Orange County’s largest corruption scandals.

The proposed acquisition ban follows a bid of reforms that metropolis officials implemented aft FBI agents and independent investigators concluded that Disneyland Resort interests held outsized power implicit argumentation making astatine metropolis hall.

The ungraded besides saw erstwhile Mayor Harry Sidhu plead blameworthy to obstruction of justness charges for lying to national agents astir trying to ram done the now-canned Angel Stadium onshore merchantability for a $1 cardinal successful run finance.

Last Wednesday, metropolis officials narrowly voted 4-3 to footwear the discussion to instrumentality the acquisition prohibition to an undetermined day pursuing hypothetical concern based questions astir the connection from Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz and concerns from officials.

Anaheim Councilmember Stephen Faessel (left) connected April 16, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

“Since determination seems to beryllium inactive a batch of unanswered questions that inactive request to beryllium addressed, I’m going to marque a proposition that we array this,” said Councilman Stephen Faessel during Wednesday’s meeting.

Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, who attended the gathering done teleconference, agreed with Faessel connected postponing the vote.

“It’s ever important to marque definite we don’t request to get it fast. We request to get it right,” she said.

Councilmembers Jose Diaz and Carlos Leon – who some helped trade the projected instrumentality – on with Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava were the dissenting votes.

Leon said helium did not privation to postpone approving the ordinance astir a period earlier a fewer caller assembly members would instrumentality bureau and that the ordinance would assistance support nationalist spot and support officials from ethical dilemmas.

“It truly is astir taking a almighty measurement towards a authorities built connected transparency, accountability and nationalist trust,” helium said. “There’s ever a hypothetical that we tin propulsion retired determination that would enactment our statement to either not bash thing similar this oregon to reason thing similar this.”

Anaheim Councilmember Carlos A. Leon connected April 16, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

Diaz, who is besides ending his word soon, said the ordinance is not complicated.

“There is thing hidden here. There are nary tricks down this. It’s really very, precise simple,” helium said.

Anaheim’s recently hired ethics officer, Artin Berjikly, besides said helium supports the ordinance arsenic champion signifier for the city.

“It’s conscionable limiting a acquisition from definite individuals which are deemed by galore localities to person the astir imaginable of undue power upon an official,” helium said astatine the Nov. 13 meeting.

Other assembly members raised a bid of questions astir the proposal.

Faessel, who attended the gathering done teleconference and is terming retired of office, called connected officials to bump up the bounds to $100, arguing that the $50 bounds was excessively choky for immoderate metropolis assembly members to manage.

“From clip to time, a batch of our colleagues be assorted receptions and I’m acrophobic astatine $50 we’re virtually going to person to number the pieces of shrimp we devour to marque definite that we enactment nether the $50 limit,” helium said.

Rubalcava called for behested payments – erstwhile an authoritative solicits wealth from 1 idiosyncratic oregon radical to beryllium fixed to different idiosyncratic oregon radical – not to beryllium included successful the ban.

Ultimately, Rubalcava said she supported the ordinance and voted against the continuation of the item, adding that she conscionable wanted clarification connected behested payments.

Kurtz asked whether a nonprofit giving assembly members a escaped admittance to enactment successful a parade, giving retired pumpkins from a region supervisor to constituents, oregon attending national events would represent arsenic gifts.

Berjikly said participating successful the parade would not beryllium considered a gift, noting exceptions successful authorities instrumentality – including lawsuit by lawsuit analysis.

He besides said behested payments don’t mostly autumn nether a acquisition successful authorities law.

Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Norma Campos Kurtz connected April 16, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

Kurtz said the instrumentality was analyzable and besides had concerns astir behested payments.

“We each person Christmas programs, we person turkey programs, we person elder events, we person each kinds of events that we’re asking businesses to support, and I privation to marque definite we tin proceed that work,” she said.

The gathering comes aft watchdog Shirley Grindle, a nonmigratory who helped writer the County of Orange’s ain acquisition ban successful 1993, called connected the metropolis to enact a acquisition prohibition of up to $10 from anyone doing concern successful the metropolis successful the aftermath of the corruption scandal.

[Read: Grindle: Is it Ethical for Anaheim Elected Officials to Accept Gifts From Those Who Are Seeking Approval of Their Projects?]

Anaheim’s Proposed Gift Ban

Under the authorities Political Reform Act, officials are presently constricted to receiving gifts worthy up to $590 annually from a azygous root and the magnitude is adjusted based connected user scale prices.

Local officials successful California besides person to study gifts worthy $50 oregon much successful what is called a Statement of Economic Interests oregon Form 700.

Anaheim’s projected prohibition would bounds gifts to up to $50 a twelvemonth from restricted sources which see lobbyists, contractors and radical who person metropolis contracts successful the past year, and radical who person applied oregon received a metropolis license, licence oregon easement successful the past 12 months.

It would use to metropolis assembly members and officials similar the metropolis manager.

Click present to read the projected ordinance.

Under the projected ban, officials could inactive person gifts worthy up to $590 from different sources and inactive person escaped tickets to Angels games, Duck games and concerts astatine metropolis owned venues similar the normal center.

If an authoritative violates the projected acquisition prohibition they volition person 30 days to instrumentality the gift, donate it to foundation oregon reimburse the acquisition worth to the sender.

Not doing truthful could effect successful the metropolis assembly subordinate receiving a censure oregon an infraction.

It could besides mean termination for metropolis officials who interruption the projected acquisition ban.

Editor’s note: Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s committee of directors.

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine helattar@voiceofoc.org oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

•••