
Anaheim’s Cynthia Ward has started a group called Coalition of Anaheim Taxpayers for Economic Responsibility (CATER) and they have filed a complaint alleging unclear Brown Act violations against the Anaheim City Council based on the city staff’s recommendation to approve the two MOUs related to the Angels negotiations and the city council’s 4-1 vote to do so in September. The basis of the complaint seems to be the not very detailed report from the consulting firm Convention, Sports and Leisure (CSL) about the economic impact of having Angels in Anaheim.
The Brown Act violation seems to hinge on when Ward was able to get her copy of the CSL report. The group’s lawyer, OJ Blogger/DPOC official/Tom Tait-supporter Greg Diamond the Brown Act was violated because the CSL report given to the city council on September 3 wasn’t the same one Ward got.
Like most of Diamond’s blog posts, the eight page letter cites law, references conspiracy theories, lectures the city council (and Democrat Jordan Brandman in particular), and makes a series of demands — one of which is to have the taxpayers of Anaheim pay Diamond for writing the letter and reimburse the group for legal fees (which go to Diamond) as well as court costs. In the grand scheme of things, this is probably in the thousands of dollars into Diamonds pockets IF Anaheim caves.
The group wants the city council to void their September 3 votes. have each member of the council disclose their communications with the Angels, Curt Pringle’s PR firm, or Pacific Coast Investors, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, and SOAR to having the council vote on each specific point in both MOUs before, ultimately submitting the entire Angels agreement to a city wide election.
Why bother having a city council at all? Lets have a city wide election to fill pot holes or select a vendor to cut the grass at a city park.
The Anaheim City Attorney is reviewing the group’s complaint and we’re told a response is being prepared.
In reading the letter, it strikes me the group really provides a platform for Cynthia Ward to run for city council. And why shouldn’t she? She’s aligned with the mayor on a number of issues. CATER must have those who are financing it and Ward’s favorite target Kris Murray is up for election in 2014. Ward is the only member of the group who lives in Anaheim. Other Pro-Tait supporters don’t — Diamond lives in Brea, Jason Young and Ryan Cantor live in Fullerton, and Vern Nelson lives in Huntington Beach.
And if Ward isn’t a candidate for council, well why not? She reads every agenda from beginning to end and certainly knows what’s going on. Perhaps it’s time she gets in the game as a player instead of a spectator.
Ah, Dan, that is so sweet if you, letting Cunningham write for your blog like that…really, very “milk of human kindness” stuff for you to use your site so his half-baked theories can finally get some traffic. You needn’t have bothered, since pretty much the entire article is factually incorrect. You/Matt did get one thing right…I am part of a 501c4 non-profit and we have sent a letter of complaint to the City of Anaheim regarding certain activity which some Anaheim residents feel are a violation of State law, (in addition to just plain being bad policy) but other than that you pretty much blew the whole “reporting” thing….it’s OK, I will clear it up for you shortly. Now I am sure Cunningham has better things to do than hang out in Irvine with you….like picking up Curt’s dry cleaning….
And actually this is our SECOND complaint, the first was regarding similar issues on a different violation, weeks ago…. it seems rather odd that the first one got no press, almost like the City didn’t want anyone to know about it…I cannot imagine why they would not leak that earlier letter to Matt out the back door….hmm, can you think of why the Council majority might want to withhold information from the guy who has become their de facto campaign communications director?
Dollars to donuts that OCEA is behind Cynthia’s 501c4.
Junior, You would lose that bet.
I got the eight page fax if Diamond’s letter. The post is based on that
Dan how did you get the letter? Was it provided via Public Records Request through the City of Anaheim? And if you read the letter, i very clearly spell out, through General Counsel, what the basis was for the complaints, and how the law appears to have been violated. Where is the confusion sir?
Junior, i will take that bet, I could use the dollars, although not the donuts….thanks.
I got a fax from a source Cynthia. No, not Jordan, not Kris Murray, not Curt Pringle, not Matt Cunningham (though I did see Matt Monday afternoon in Orange by total coincidence and we didn’t talk about CATER; it was a 2-minute “how are you.”
I’d love an electronic copy for posting all eight pages in a single file.
You might think you clearly spelled out the basis for the complaint, but the letter is largely unreadable. There’s also considerable supposition.
A city wide vote on Angels negotiations? Looks like the entire entity is set up to be a revenue source for your lawyer.
How’d those public votes for new stadium deals in San Fran work out? How about Santa Clara?
So you got it without a PRA? That’s interesting. Who’s leaking information at City Hall and who is approving it?
its a blurry hard copy of a file linked to on Anaheim blog; why the witch hunt?
Why the witch hunt, Dan? Because that is how Cynthia, Greg, Vern and that crowd roll.
If that letter had been leaked to Adam Elmahrek at the Voice of OC and he had wrote an article about it, they wouldn’t be demanding to know how he got it, or threatening legal action to out the identities of Voice of OC commenters.
This is all about politics for this crew.
Which do you think is funnier, Cynthia?
This:
… or this?
I think I have to go with the former, based on his abject failure to understand what has been going on during the City Council debates on the issue, the his identifying the sole basis for the Public Records Act complaint as the entire basis for the Brown Act complaint is a strong contender.
I’ll explain it to him at some point, I suppose — but I may charge him for the consultation. We’re going to have to get very remedial.
Personal insults from a man who conducted a finger puppet show at a council meeting during public comments. Stay classy Greg. If I am not getting something, perhaps you should revisit your missive to the city which is 8 pages of fluff masquerading as a demand for cash into your pocket for a legal filing in an area of law you do not specialize in.
Sorry, Chris — but if we poor readers were supposed to pay attention to your posts, they’d have a big thick dark gray box around them.
(Since this will likely end up on the bottom, it’s about your noting that no, the OCEA is not funding CATER, which is almost as funny as Dan’s posts.)
Greg,
The big black box is designated for the comments from the post author.
Greg and Junior, you are free to speculate if you like, but until you have evidence to support your false claims, I’m calling bullshit. Cynthia has also responded accurately to your claims.
If you wish to live in a world based upon fiction, please enjoy your trip down the rabbit hole to wonderland. There’s simply no hope for you.
The funds are likely funneled through another entity before they go to CATER.