ANAHEIM — The City of Anaheim, under the direction of Mayor Tom Tait has embarked on a systematic campaign to outsource as many city jobs as it can. From parks to libraries, Tait wants to sell off city services to the lowest bidder. The result will be for profit companies making big bucks off of the taxpayers of Anaheim while delivering limited and lower quality services. The revolving door for special interests who manipulate City Hall, operate in secret, without any disclosure to the public. Former candidate for City Council last year, John Leos has a novel idea to stem the tidal wave of business owners and their lobbyists flooding the highest floors of City Hall; the Anaheim Transparency, Disclosure, and Accountability Reform Act.
This proposed ordinance would serve to promote transparency, accountability, and full disclosure of attempts to influence City officials making decisions on legislative, administrative, and quasi-judicial matters, by requiring the reporting of and disclosure of certain communications by City officials. Those communications would include all communications regarding the consideration or re-consideration of the granting or denial of any permit, grant, license or other entitlement of use, and the awarding, granting or denial of any City contract for the purchase, sale, or provision of property, goods or services by or for the City or any agency of the City.
It’s time for the City of Anaheim to stop the pay to play antics that currently run rampant throughout the halls of city government. Leos called upon the Council to place the proposed ordinance on the agenda of the next meeting of the City Council in order to “restore transparency and accountability.”
Here is the proposed ordinance. Here is a report from OCCORD which highlights some of the abuses in Anaheim.