Something stinks in Anaheim

Is it the smell of a mouse's rotting carcass? Or good ol' fashioned corruption?

A guest post from Marc Herbert

Here is what public engagement looks like in Anaheim.

Anaheim is still waiting for certification of its sixth Cycle Housing Element by the State. California’s affordable housing unit target is 9,100 units. Four years into the eight-year cycle, Anaheim has about 500 units “in-the-pipeline.”

Santa Ana, a city of equal size and without Disneyland, the OC Vibe, and the Angels, has met its State target.

Anaheim is in debt and the budget is tight again this year. There is an unallocated $29 million surplus sitting in the Anaheim Tourism Improvement District Transportation Committee’s (ATID) Budget. This money is derived from Anaheim’s Hotel room taxes (TOT). The State has ruled this is public money, not the Resort District’s money.

Since June, the Council, staff, and hoteliers have been discussing where this money should go. The current plan is:

a) $29 million to build two pedestrian bridges linking the new Disney parking lot on the east side of Harbor Blvd. to Disneyland on the west side.

b) No money for housing.

In addition this ATID room tax generates between $25-$30 million a year. Going forward the plan being pushed through is:

a) 9% annually or $2.25 to $2.7 million directed to Anaheim’s housing trust fund but limited to Tourist District employees.

b) 90% to Resort projects. Top of the list: the $127million gondola project linking the OC Vibe to Disneyland.

c) Be creative in the financing of Resort District projects. Leverage the TOT funds through the purchase of bonds.

d) No talk of leveraging the TOT funds for housing bonds.

Enough of the weeds.

Here are two links showing what the process looks and sounds like and who it excludes:

a) This shows what public engagement looks and sounds like today. It is from the Anaheim Transportation Network Board meeting (one of the oversight committees in the process). Chairing the Board is Mathew Hicks, OC Vibe lobbyist. Sitting beside him at the table is Karalee Darnell, Disney lobbyist.

b) This shows R. Joshua Collins and Girlie Bloomquist speaking at the last Council Meeting. Girlie met with city staff after speaking and received no help. She is not employed in the Resort District so she would not qualify for the future tourism district housing funds.

This is the tip of the iceberg. The iceberg is the pending sale of Angel Stadium. And yes, there is a beginning of a paper trail on this sale.