Last Pre-Election Meeting: Anaheim’s Trilogy of Terrible! Part 1: Another Land Giveaway!

By
Greg Diamond
– November 1, 2016Posted in: "The OC", Fresh Juice

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WHO KNOOOOOWS what they are trying to do here and why? WHOOOOO KNOOOOOOWS???

WHO KNOOOOOWS what they are trying to do here and why? WHOOOOO KNOOOOOOWS???

This is the last Anaheim City Council meeting before the election, and the last regularly scheduled Council meeting before the new Council is sworn in on December 13.  You’d expect some real horror shows in the agenda — and you’d be right!  We’ll focus on three, in separate posts (and then maybe a grab-bag follow-up if time permits.)  Let’s start with Item 14:

  1. Approve and authorize the Director of Community and Economic Development to execute and administer an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement, in substantial form, with Greenlaw Acquisitions, LLC for the development of an approximate 13.5-acre site located at northwest corner of Anaheim Boulevard and Interstate 5 for hotels and commercial usage.

(You can click on that to get to the item’s page, and then click on the attachments.)

This deals with a 3.4 acre lot at the intersection of Anaheim Blvd. and the 5 freeway.  In other words, PRIME REAL ESTATE!  And it will be combined with the business park next door, making it substantially more valuable!  We all should hope that the City is getting top money for this here parcel of land!  Ideally well over the appraised value!

What’s that?

THERE IS NO APPRAISAL

Shades of their trying to dump Angels Stadium without appraising it.  “Appraisals are for the feeble and ill-connected!”  (That’s not a real quote — but it might as well be.)

OK, well an appraisal isn’t the only way one can determine value!  For example, a truly competitive bidding process can allow the magic of the market to …

What’s that?

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT EVER WENT OUT TO BID OR PROPOSALS.

 OK, now this is getting sort of disturbing.  How WAS was “Greenlaw Partners” chosen as the City’s exclusive negotiation partner?  Here, read this link — we’re busy over here:

Jordan?  Kris?  Lucille?  If you’re going to vote for this — PRESUMING THAT SOMEONE PULLS IT OFF OF THE DAMNED CONSENT CALENDAR TO DISCUSS IT! — then you must know the answers to these questions.  Otherwise, we have to ask: who gave you the high sign to vote yet on it?

One of the big fears we’ve had is that as the election approached the City would have a fire sale — maybe it should be called a “moving sale” — of its properties to some of the majority’s (or Staff’s!) favorite cronies.  This is a terrible practice.  How can they even theoretically justify the rush?

Why, when this came up in closed session, you’d think that …

What’s that?

It DID come up in closed session like it’s supposed to, right?  RIGHT?

(More on this as it develops — or fails to!)

About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)