From influence peddling and secret lobbying to the funneling of tax dollars toward private interests and the skirting of state open-meeting laws, the allegations piled up in the pages of an independent investigation released this week for how people took apparent advantage of Anaheim City Hall to suit their needs.
With the unveiling of the city-commissioned report by the JL Group, the question becomes: How does Anaheim dig itself out from years of alleged “pay-to-play” politics? Additionally, how does the city regain credibility with its citizens and the business owners who were not part of the apparent favored few?
An early sign of how Anaheim leaders plan to address the report’s allegations came from Mayor Ashleigh Aitken. Hours after the report’s release on Monday, Aitken announced her intention to create a mayor’s advisory committee to discuss reforms Anaheim could make.
“I do promise that this report is not going to collect dust on a shelf,” Aitken said later in an interview. “Restoring residents’ faith is not going to be an easy task.”
The committee would have government, community, business and legal leaders and enlist public input, Aitken said. Residents can expect more details on her committee by next week, she said.
Aitken said the City Council needs to tackle transparency, campaign and election reforms and the city’s lobbying laws, among other raised concerns. Action can be taken quickly on at least some, she said.
The next council meeting won’t be until Aug. 15.
The JL Group detailed through interviews and records the appearance of prominent lobbyists in the city skirting disclosure laws and alleged coordination between PACs and campaigns, especially during the 2018 mayoral race that Aitken lost.
The report’s conclusions were not a complete surprise to some. Activists, business leaders, political insiders and council watchers had long talked about apparent problems at City Hall. But few listened until the FBI…
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