Last Tuesday, November 1, the Anaheim City Council jammed through a development project at the last moment before a new mayor and council can be elected, and while everyone is distracted with the elections. We expect Trevor O’Neil and Gloria Ma’ae to get a big infusion of last-minute money from the developer, Greenlaw Partners of Irvine. Greenlaw’s lobbyist was Jeff Flint’s client according to the city website. Greenlaw also is the Chamber of Commerce and Visit Anaheim’s landlord.
At the June 7 Council meeting – shortly after the FBI scandal broke and Sidhu resigned – an “audit report” was presented listing Sidhu donors who are part of the investigation. Greenlaw is on that list. Three of their employees donated big money to Sidhu. And Greenlaw in turn has been awarded exclusive rights to buy and develop condos and apartments on city-owned property.
This particular project, to be located on the southeast corner of Ball and Anaheim, was listed on the October 10 Planning Commission as including 15% affordable housing – something important to this city with its housing crisis – but then the staff unilaterally recommended in their report, also on the city’s website, to lower it down to 10%. No one seems to know why. Even the Planning Commission minutes indicate 15% in writing, but now it’s been lowered by staff to 10% on the Nov.1 documents. Who is controlling the staff?
“a mixed-use 8.3 acre project consisting of 223 for-sale townhomes ranging from 3 to 4 stories…”
Construction unions are also protesting since the developer insisted it be a non-union project even though its land owned by the city.
Go to the city’s Economic Development webpage. Under Quick Links you will see the Anaheim Blvd and Ball Road project. That’s it, buried on the economic development page. It’s dated November 1 – one week before Election Day. They have managed to sneak in one last Sidhu donor project one week we get a new mayor and city council.
Very few people spoke against the project at either meeting because it was all so rushed and secretive. On the Planning Commission, only Steve White (the usual dissenter) voted against it, and on Council only Moreno and Valencia dissented, against yes votes by the cabal members Gloria Ma’ae, Trevor O’Neil, Jose Diaz and Steve Faessel. They just couldn’t resist one last dirty act, in case the majority changes next week. If you elect Gloria, Trevor, or either Natalie (all supported by the same special interests) you can be sure they will KEEP ANAHEIM DIRTY!
Your Best Bets:
Laura Branigan has a comment on this:
“GLORIA, I THINK THEY GOT YOUR NUMBER!”
Could you get a quick response from semi-Demi Natalie R. as to how she’d have voted? We already know the truth about Natalie M. and Trevor.
Anaheim. Home of the Rushed Agenda Hearing.
Staff can’t unilaterally change what the Planning Commission approved. They can say THEY have changed their recommendation in the interim and that would look very bad – crooked or incompetent.
Any impropriety would be in the selection process which may actually be part of what somebody is looking into (which may never see the light of day, depending on how the election goes). This sort of “pick a card” routine happens all the time.
What do you think — Brown Act violation?
Why is avelino on tv promoting Natalie rubalcava?
Like, every ten minutes, if you watch MSNBC on Sling like I do. What are you watching? And Avelino sounds so enthusiastic and sincere.
It starts with Kris Murray who is back to looking pale and bloated. Not good! Means she’s back to the Chardonnay. Also, some REALLY excited young firefighter. And mephistophelean Mitch Caldwell saying “I TRUST Natalie Rubalcava,” while the rest of us are thinking “We never trusted YOU!”
They’re all Democrats Paul (Well except for Kris Murray.) They’re just from the far-right clique of Democrats centered around Lou Correa, Avelino, Kim B Nguyen, Valerie Amezcua, Phil Becerra, etc. etc. I wish they would all just go and be moderate Republicans.
I wish I could have seen your face when Natalie Rubalcava, Gloria Ma’e and Natalie Meeks won! The people have spoken. Too bad Trevor did not win it, it would have been a perfect council. Now, the smart citizens of Anaheim have to live with you crying at council meetings. This paper is awful too.
Why? His faction has a deep hatred of Dr. Jose Moreno, who would not bend the knee, and a burning desire to see his protege defeated in his own home territory.
It’s not necessarily personal with Avelino, but he is no longer in possession of his own manhood. I don’t mean that euphemistically; he is literally not allowed to do what’s right. And so Democrats will reap the whirlwind. Takes a lot of money to do that!
Anytime anyone gives me crap for endorsing Mike Tardiff, I’ll remind them that this is why.
I’m asking because I’m pretty sure Al
Jabbar is the
DPOC endorsed candidate in that district. And avelino is out there pushing a member of the cabal?
Yup. They don’t care. The DPOC won’t do anything. They’re also campaigning for KBN against DPOC-endorsed Sarmiento.
I am shocked! Shocked to find that hypocrisy is going on here!
ALL I CAN DO IS PRAY,,,
Al Jabbar was not qualified.
Hm, I’m sure glad I posted this article (which was partly based on the tips of an anonymous informant who has always steered me right.)
Because here’s some news: The project didn’t make the deadline to “close escrow,” so it is DEAD! What I hear is Anaheim Staff was working hard to make this happen, but lately Judge Clay Smith’s Judicate group has been looking into the deal, and now staff is getting “cold feet” because they may be in “hot water.” (Funny, I would like hot water if I had cold feet but that’s just me…)
It’s possible this is my fault, me and Donna! We may have killed this shitty, corrupt development agreement on the southeast corner of Ball and Anaheim Blvd, which got away with only 10% affordable and no union labor.
Why do I say that we might be responsible? Well, when we met with the Judicate folks a few weeks ago, they asked us if we could think of any other deals (besides the Stadium Swindle) that seemed to us like they could be quid pro quos, and I said, “Sure probably lots, but there’s this one thing that happened right before the election,” and I sent them a link to this story.
(Also Donna had earlier been talking about how Disney and gentrifying developers are gradually taking over that whole area, an area that both Donna and one of the investigators had used to live, and they did some reminiscing about how it used to be.)
Planning Commissioner Steve White says it’s a good thing the deal is dead, because “That land is city-owned and was designated for low-income in the housing element.” And this comes at a good time, with a new council, with Steve Faessel re-starting his “affordable housing” working group with Ashleigh and Natalie R, and with the Anaheim Dem Club’s special guest tomorrow being Cesar Covarrubias of the Kennedy Commission, who fought against this gentrifying development.
This sign is still up at Ball and Anaheim:
“A mixed-use 8.3 acre project consisting of 223 for-sale townhomes ranging from 3 to 4 stories…” No more.
See https://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2023/01/the-greenlaw-sidhu-townhomes-faceplant-what-now-for-ball-anaheim-blvd/