Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/denise-barnes/)
The Anaheim City Council, on a split vote, decided against wading into a national fight about an impending immigration rule change that would make it harder for immigrants to gain permanent residency status or entry to the country if they receive public assistance.
Mayor Harry Sidhu originally said the reinstatement of the Angels lease was a “one-year extension,” but then said Aug. 27 he knew, along with a majority of the Council, that the January vote was a reinstatement of the 1996 lease and the extension of the team’s termination window.
Anaheim City Council members talked about what they’d like to see in the upcoming Angel stadium lease negotiations over eight months after it voted to reinstate the lease.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu has limited the time for Council debate, despite the Council not voting on the rule, and experts said it sets a bad precedent and sends a bad message.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu was appointed to the negotiating team responsible for hammering out a new stadium lease with the Angels on the 150 acres of city-owned land at Angels Stadium in spite of protest and concerns by some councilmembers.
The Anaheim City Council voted down two separate proposed apartment rent control ordinances, after hours of public comment from renters telling how difficult the incoming rent increases will be.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu formed a negotiating team for a deal with the Angels, but it could fall outside of the state transparency law since it wasn’t created or voted on by the City Council.
The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce got a $425,000 no-bid contract from the city, but it isn’t a gift of public funds, according to a government ethics expert. Mayor Harry Sidhu, who pushed the contract, answered no questions about it from Councilwoman Denise Barnes.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu instituted a rule that limits City Council discussion to two five-minute intervals on agenda items and his rule change caused issues as the last council meeting wore on.
Anaheim First, a private group that’s going to make spending recommendations to the city on $250 million over the next decade, is facing heavy criticism for a lack of transparency and close business ties.