It’s been nearly a year since “The People’s Council” was sworn in for the City of Anaheim, and the only real accomplishments it has achieved are terminations and resignations of the top brass at City Hall.
The City Attorney – fired. The City Manager – resigned. The Police Chief – resigned. The Assistant City Manager – Resigned.
From 1988 to 2012, Anaheim had three city managers. They’ve gone through that many in just five years under the Tom Tait regime. And while Tait makes the argument that Bob Wingeroth and Marcie Edwards resigned for other positions, what he won’t say is that his management style was primarily responsible for pushing them out the door.
Add to staff departures Jonathan Borego Deputy Planning Director and Sergio Ramirez Deputy Director Economic Development. Both of whom live in Anaheim and left given conditions at City Hall. To the outside observer, attempts at transparency were limited to going after council staff and businesses in town who didn’t support their campaigns.
In many ways, Tait’s management of those who run city hall mirrors that of President Trump. Positions remain unfilled at Anaheim City Hall or are occupied with those who have “interim” in their titles. The Trump administration is nearly a quarter of the way through his term with hundreds of unfilled positions that require Senate approval.
Anaheim City Hall under Tait isn’t far behind. So much for the notion of running government like a business. It makes one wonder what the turnover rate is at Tait’s family business.
The city has paid out nearly $2.5 million to departing managers who leave with institutional knowledge that can only be gained through experience. Experience matters and Anaheim’s new majority is chasing away this experience.
There was the Task Force on making Anaheim a “Welcoming City” for everyone which pretty much offered recommendations either already in place – but it did avoid the “Sanctuary City” Label that Tait did not desire.
There’s the Homeless Task force that’s accomplished very little while the homeless population in Anaheim continues to soar and the Santa Ana River Trail is effectively Orange County’s “Skid Row.” The Anaheim City Council will consider recommendations developed by Councilman Jose Moreno’s Homeless Policy Working Group at Tuesday’s meeting. Some of the recommendations, which took nearly a year to develop, include installing portable bathrooms and showers for homeless camp residents; the construction or creation of year-round emergency shelters; and, other forms of housing for the homeless on city-owned land. This also includes possible new taxes and fees to pay for this while the Republicans who run the Orange County Board of Supervisors sit on millions of dollars in federal aid that Anaheim could be using. Moreno has correctly identified surging housing costs and high rents as a culprit for increases in homelessness, but short of the city running a apartment complex for the homeless, I doubt he has the votes necessary to do very much.
The Short Term Rental issue remains a hot button as is Police oversight, which the council will take up at its next meeting (and still falls short of what advocates want). The City still has not acted on council member Denise Barnes’ votes while under a cloud of conflict of interest.
Anaheim made zero effort to attract Amazon’s second North American headquarters to the city – and one could argue it’s because the company giant might find housing costs in OC to be prohibitive while others will argue that no one in city leadership had the vision to think to make a play for a new kind of economic engine.
Job growth in the city is anemic, unless you’re an aide for Mayor Tait and got a huge raise.
Other than getting elected, this council majority has accomplished very little except settling scores.
It makes one wonder what they won’t accomplish in 2018.
Anaheim’s efforts to attract Amazon amounted to allowing itself to be the least influential municipality in a three city deal lead by Santa Ana.
Tait said he was very happy about that deal, even though it went exactly opposite of his supposed philosophy of encouraging businesses to come to Anaheim by cutting out the red tape and streamlining regulations.
The dead on arrival Santa Ana plan would triple the red tape that Amazon would go through because it would have to build its campus in three different cities, each with their own city councils, ordinances and planning commissions.
Well, Tait got rid of the Pringle puppet Brandman, so he’s got that going for him. You should salute him for that. Brandman was a crony capitalist Republican, right?
Brandman is a Democrat. For someone so concerned about defamation, you’re doing a nice job of it with Jordan and Joe
Brandman is a Democrat? Wow! Who knew? I was sure all those hand outs to big monied interests suggested a Republican!
As for Kerr, you think that a rich guy with a mini-mansion in Coto is actually living in some other dude’s spare room in Brea?
Ha! Wanna buy some real estate?
BTW, the comments on this site go to moderation. And then you deliberately choose to publish them and that holds true for all the defamatory garbage I’ve seen here. That’s on you.
I approve most every comment; but I’m not on the blog 24/7
“I approve most every comment”
Given the content of comments by “Fred” and his ilk, a normal chap would just delete them.
That speaks volumes about you. It’s on you pal.
P.S. What is boot camp?
Using blog comments to criticize someone you don’t like is ok for you, but not anyone else? Joe has done more to prove he lives in the fourth district than you have.
Uh huh.
He committed perjury by signing a voter registration form claiming he lives in Brea. That took a modicum of effort but nobody really believes the rich dude gave up his minimansion in Coto to live in some guy’s spare room in Brea.
File charges then. You’ll have to lend your name to the complaint.
No need. The DA refuses to pursue this issue. I’m sure you remember Harry Sidhu who pretended to live in the run down Calabria Apartments.
Maybe you can send us pictures from within Kerr’s alleged residence.
The only thing worse than a carpetbagger is a fraudulent carpetbagger.
And while we’re comparing Tait to Trump, let’s not forget it was Tait who was the third head of the troika of the former mayors of San Jose and San Diego and their attempt to “reform” public pensions by taking billions from the public trust and putting it in the rapacious hands of Wall Street huscksters. Like most Republicans, Tait loathes unions–public or private–and never misses a chance to stiff working people.
I know. let’s just wait until CalPERS goes broke and then the State Democrats can raise taxes to pay for all those retroactive pension benefits handed out by the union-elected politicians. Yay!
Confirmed that “4th District Resident” is loser Greg Diamond. Nice try, Greg. Don’t you have better things to do, like help Vern sober up since he keeps falling off the wagon before his big trial?
No, it isn’t me. This sute’s owner can see the ISPs and knows better. Take down “Fred’s” defamatory post, Chum. Or own it.
I own no commenter’s posts. Stick it
Oh for God’s sake. What’s defamatory about someone saying you’re me?
Anyway I sincerely doubt there’s anybody who believes a word “Fred” says.