Disney's the reason for $319 million Anaheim streetcar

From The Voice of OC:

During questioning by Orange County Transportation Authority directors Thursday morning, Anaheim City Councilwoman Kris Murray acknowledged what insiders have been saying for months about the city's planned streetcar project: A major reason for the transit line is to allow expansion of the Disneyland Resort. West Katella Avenue and West Ball Road Ball, which border the park, are “beyond capacity,” Kris Murray said. “If we're ever going to see a third gate at Disneyland,” she said, “we need to get cars off the road.”

See video below:

The streetcar project would no doubt accomplish that end, according to a city staff report. Once in the city, visitors could park and be taken via streetcar directly to Disneyland.

Kris Murray's comments, however, highlighted a question that critics of the project have raised: Should $319 million in taxpayer dollars be spent on a 3.2-mile project that serves primarily Disneyland's interests?

It was an issue looming behind many questions asked during a special OCTA board meeting and public workshop regarding proposed streetcar projects in Anaheim and Santa Ana. As expected, OCTA directors challenged the Anaheim project and its defenders, citing the cost of the project and wondering why city leaders didn't choose a much cheaper enhanced bus alternative.

Directors Jeffrey Lalloway and Todd Spitzer — the former an Irvine councilman and the latter a county supervisor — provided the most intense scrutiny. OCTA staff for the first time provided answers to some questions, including factors that contribute to the nearly $100-million per-mile cost of the proposed system.

“The problem is we're spending a lot of not only [Measure] M2 but federal money. I'm an American taxpayer too,” Lalloway said, referring to the countywide ballot measure that allowed a half-cent sales tax for transit improvements.

Read the full article here:

http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_north/article_c80c623e-8283-11e2-a8e5-0019bb2963f4.html

Cutting Anaheim’s Mayor off at the knees

By Cynthia Ward:

At Tuesday night’s Anaheim City Council meeting, observers saw what I truly believe to be the last gasp of civility at City Hall for the remainder of the current Council administration. That sounds pretty melodramatic, I know. If we managed to get through the $158 million hotel giveaway, a $319 million streetcar for Disneyland patrons, civil unrest, a Brown Act lawsuit tied to the hotel giveaway, and another lawsuit tied to District voting, what could possibly be so big that it spells the end of the ability to function as an elected body?

$30,000.

Huh?

Read the full article here:

http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2013/03/cutting-anaheims-mayor-off-at-the-knees/

See video below:

Murray thinks Save Anaheim's ads are "distasteful"

From the OC Register:

A change in the Register's advertisement policy – prompted by complaints from Anaheim council members targeted by political ads – is attracting accusations of favoritism from one affected advertiser and raising eyebrows among some in the newspaper business.

But the Register's publisher said that while the need for the new policy was brought to light by the complaints, the decision was not made to benefit any individual or entity. Rather, the move to ban negative ads was made to better the paper, he said.

"When we see opportunities to improve we do so swiftly, and we saw this as an area to improve," said Publisher Aaron Kushner, who led an investment group's purchase of the paper in July. Since the ownership change, the paper has undergone numerous changes, including large-scale redesigns and the addition of more than 70 journalists to the newsroom.

Some media professionals have criticized the move to block negative ads as vague and vulnerable to charges of favoritism.

"Blocking an entire category of ad – it can look like you're trying to suck up to somebody," said former newpaper editor Andrew Beaujon, who writes about media for The Poynter Institute. "But it's Kushner's paper. It's his right to make the rules."

Beaujon also noted potential issues with the absence of specific guidelines in the Register's new ad policy.

"Acting on a case-by-case basis can make it difficult to have a clear standard of ethics," he said, adding that a ban on negative and attack ads was unusual in the newspaper business.

The move has drawn criticism from Anaheim activist and blogger Jason Young, whose half-page ads in the Register's Anaheim community papers prompted the change.

His Dec. 20 ad said that Anaheim council members Kris Murray and Gail Eastman "Violated CA State Law" and cited a court ruling earlier in the month in which a $158-million subsidy to build two proposed luxury hotels was blocked.

The judge in the case ruled that the council had violated the open meeting law, the Brown Act, when it voted 3-2 to approve the subsidy in closed session. Murray and Eastman supported the subsidy.

"It's definitely censorship," Young said. "The Register runs adult-services ads, but they won't run our own truthful and accurate ads.

"I disagree with the characterization of these as personal-attack ads. These are informing the public of what's going on in the city of Anaheim."

Kushner pointed to the Register's editorial page as evidence that the paper was not taking political sides with Murray and Eastman.

Young acknowledged that the editorial page has shared his criticism of the hotel subsidies, of Murray and Eastman, and that it endorsed the opponents of Murray's and Eastman's allies in November's City Council races. But he maintained that the ad policy change was designed to benefit Murray and Eastman, two pro-Disneyland members on the council.

"Disney spends a lot of money on advertising in the Register," Young said. "The Register clearly has an interest in keeping Disney happy."

Carrie Nocella - Disney's resident wicked witch who's goal is not get those Ruby slippers but taxpayes funds to build Disney a $319 million streetcar to shuttle guests to the resort. This is distasteful.

At press time, Kushner had not responded to Young's accusation regarding the paper's relationship with Disney. However, Murray said it was unjustified.

"The Register works with a number of large businesses citywide, including sports teams and hoteliers, and it's unfair to single out Disney," she said. She also took exception to the characterization that she broke state law.

The new Register ad policy reads, in part, "The Register pays particularly close attention to advocacy or opinion-based advertisements that could be construed as negative or attacking an individual or specific organization."

Presented with a list of 12 common subjects of political attacks – ranging from policy positions to criminal convictions to racial slurs – Kushner declined to enumerate which might violate the Register's policy.

"I don't think it's appropriate to answer hypotheticals," he responded in an email. "If we do have an issue, our first step will be to talk with the potential advertiser to help them make either less of an attack ad or less personal by name or hopefully both."

Asked about those, such as Beaujon, who say the policy is subjective and vulnerable to criticism of playing favorites, Kushner wrote, "Unfortunately any time something is regulated there is subjectivity – even in the judgment about whether and what to regulate."

Kris Murray said she and Gail Eastman had mentioned that they found Young's ads "distasteful" in a meeting with Register President Eric Spitz, but that they did not ask for any change and that she didn't learn of the new policy until a reporter called her this week.

Scandals could STOP Disney

From the OC Politics Blog:

“Anaheim city officials are weighing whether to release a politically explosive email that raises troubling questions about whether local officials knowingly misrepresented facts to the federal government in order to obtain transportation grant funding,” according to the Voice of OC.

The Voice of OC also reported that “City Hall sources who have seen the email, including Mayor Tom Tait, say that on its face the correspondence shows that Natalie Meeks, the city’s public works director, and Darrell Johnson, deputy CEO of the Orange County Transportation Authority, may have colluded to misrepresent information on an application for Federal Transit Authority funds for the $319-million streetcar project that would connect Disneyland to the city’s planned public transit depot.”

Anaheim City Attorney Cristina Talley was forced to resign, by the Council majority, because she advised that the records requested by activists and the media had to be turned over for review.

But in the end this scandal may well return Talley to her post – and could end up not only derailing the multi-million dollar street car system that Disney wants taxpayers to pay for, it could also result in the ouster of the Council majority.

In related news, the Voice of OC also reported that “Two planned four-star hotels near Anaheim’s GardenWalk mall could be built without taxpayer subsidies in one to two years, according to hotel financing experts, calling into question subsidy supporters’ central argument that the hotels can’t be built without the controversial incentives.”

You might recall that Disney, with their friends at the SOAR PAC, pushed hard over the past few years to spend hundreds of millions of hotel tax dollars on subsidizing the GardenWalk hotels.

Why Disney is so hot to burn through taxpayer money on unneeded street cars and hotels that should be financed privately is a very good question. Remember that Disney spent a fortune this past year to elect former Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly to represent the 68th Assembly District. Well they better enjoy it for now because Daly will surely lose in 2014 when area Latino activists run one good candidate against him. But for now he will be doing his best to push tax dollars into Disney’s corner – Mickey Mouse welfare if you will.

We should not tolerate Disney’s meddling in local politics and their desire to waste hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Kris Murray responds to Mayor Tom Tait

Kris Murray has written a rebuttal to Mayor Tait's piece in the Oc Register today. It reads (with my notes interspersed):

Kris Murray

In an op-ed to bolster his endorsed candidates, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait irresponsibly compares investment in Anaheim's resort district to the failed Solyndra solar power deal and says that such investment amounts to "sweetheart deals" and pandering to "special interests." Does it really need to be said again that forward looking economic investment is is what makes Anaheim unique among cities. Or that our city's 60-year, mutually beneficial partnership with Orange County's largest employer is not a special interest?

When that special interest (Disney) starts stealing tax revenue for their projects it becomes more of a parasitic relationship not mutually beneficially.

The truth is that public-private partnerships with the resort district have allowed Anaheim to balance the budget with cash reserves at a time when other cities are bankrupt. Investment in parks, libraries and gang reduction programs are being made at a time when other cities are contracting out basic services they can no longer afford to provide.

Name one private-public partnership that has allowed Anaheim to balance the budget? The Convention Center, Honda Center, and Angel Stadium generate no direct revenue. To the contrary they are simply cash cows for the wealthy folks who run them.

Mayor Tait's claim that the Garden Walk economic assistance program is a $158 million give-away is false. In fact, the city's data is very clear that the action taken by the council earlier this year to amend a long-standing program for $40 million in additional tax reduction was designed to secure a $300 million, four-star hotel development. The Garden Walk hotels will actually raise $187 million over 20 years in new revenue to the city's general fund - funding that will support police, fire, parks, libraries without raising taxes on our residents or businesses. I encourage Anaheim residents to learn more about the city's long-standing economic assistance programs on the city's web page athttp://www.anaheim.net/articlenew2222.asp?id=1520.

Kris Murray is one talented wordsmith.. It is a giveaway of $158 million with no community benefits agreement in place. The TOT revenue will be collected by the hotels, given to the city, and then a check will be written to the developers. Where does she come up with these numbers?

It's been said that the OC Register is staunchly Libertarian, supposedly pro-business and supportive of sound fiscal policies, but their attacks on the resorts and on council policy are now becoming a pattern. When I attempted to rebut anti-business language in another recent editorial, I was given 250 words buried a week later under the day's letters. The placement of a nearly full page op-ed, the day before the election, is clearly an orchestrated effort by theRegister's editorial staff to take aim at Anaheim's business community - and completes an unprecedented campaign by the Register to impact the outcome of Anaheim's elections for the mayor's endorsed candidates.

The attacks have only taken place because of the outrageous deals you brokered Mrs. Murray. Don't you get it. People are fed up with the giveaways and sweetheart deals while the rest of the city crumbles.

In his op-ed, Mayor Tait claims to be a "free market guy." Why then are the business community, the resort district, the Anaheim Chamber, OC Tax, Orange County Business Council, community leaders, and many more, endorsing the two opponents facing Mayor Tait's candidates? Why is the mayor endorsing a candidate who is a vocal supporter of gate taxes at Disneyland, Honda Center and Angels Stadium? I think it's time that balanced reporting is done on the impacts of Anaheim's stadium and resort districts - not just in our city, but countywide.

As you know, Mrs. Murray, all those organizations are funded by Disney. Of course they are all in alliance with your mission to steal more from Anaheim residents. What's wrong with a gate tax? I'm taxed when I visit attractions in LA. Maybe the money generated could fund the services to the residents you have neglected.

In Anaheim, we're focusing on improving our community, torn apart not by special interests but by those who support change ushered in with violence and hatred. Politicians who support these anti-Anaheim voices aren't pragmatic and independent. They're desperate.

What have you done to improve our community? Nothing.

Letters to the OC Register

click to enlarge

ANAHEIM, Margaret Hoien:

Victor Andrade’s Oct. 22 letter states that the “gang problem in Anaheim must be addressed.” I could not agree more. I wonder if Andrade and other Anaheim residents know what is looming over the Anaheim City Council elections this Nov. 6 that could severely further disable the Anaheim police and City Council from being able to do anything much to contain the current gang problem, much less keep it from growing into more areas of our city?

Disneyland has funded the election campaigns of two City Council candidates to the tune of about $300,000 through contributions to local political action committees. Disney is supporting Jordan Brandman, a school district board member under investigation by the Orange County district attorney for using district resources for his own benefit. The other council candidate that Disney thinks is appropriate for our city is retired cop Steve Lodge, who lost a federal jury trial where the plaintiff, a jaywalker, was awarded $612,000, because he was thrown to the ground and beaten with a baton.

Disneyland is spending so much of its hard-earned park admission fees on these two in order to gain control over the Anaheim City Council and continue to divert even more of our tax dollars to their favorite developers to keep building up their empty Resort District, their hip lofts that no one lives in, their hotels no one stays in, their stores no one shops in, so they can maintain that fake “Disneyland” feel all throughout the “Resort” area while the rest of the city has that great “crime-ridden, rundown infrastructure, graffiti-riddled, drug-dealing, crime-spree” feel from the lack of police services and basic city services due to the layoffs required after our tax dollars are all robbed in the name of progress for the Resort District.

All Anaheim voters need to do their research carefully before they cast their ballot for City Council. Look to the people who are not supported by Disney and the developers.

Elect those who will represent the people of the city, not the make-believe land.

Check out the article over at the OC Register's site:

http://letters.ocregister.com/2012/10/31/disney-resort-jockeys-for-power-in-council-race/

Disney vs. Anaheim

by Vern Nelson of the Orange Juice Blog

We broke the news here back in August, in our seminal and controversial piece “Disney’s Incest Problem,” that Disney and the OCEA had a secret gentleman’s agreement in this year’s Anaheim Council race – Disney would refrain from attacking OCEA’s boy John Leos, and OCEA would refrain from attacking Disney’s boy Jordan Brandman.

This was around the same time – could it have been exactly the same time? – as the obvious Faustian bargain OCEA made with the Pringle/resort forces where the union would get that sweetheart deal from the Council majority in return for their yanking funding and support away from the “Let the People Vote” initiative.

Such nauseating secret bargains are never quite proven, they’re known first by rumor and then confirmed by the results we all witness. We civilians only see the shadows of the miscreants flitting against the wall – inexplicably great deal passed, funding suddenly yanked without explanation, two controversial candidates passing unmolested by the moneyed forces, Brandman even receiving the Labor endorsement for Christ’s sake!

It’s never good for the little people when the most powerful forces make secret pacts with each other. The simple man on the street – for example you or I – mutters to himself, “Shades of Darkness at Noon,” before remind himself that comparing Disney or OCEA to Stalin and Hitler is a bit of a stretch. But still visions dance through the man on the street’s head of the final scene in Orwell’s Animal Farm:

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

Well, the good news is those days are over – Disney has been busted, by clever internet detectives including Save Anaheim’s Jason Young and Think OC’s Cynthia Ward, funneling money through the fatuous Lucy Dunn’s OC Business Council, which in turn hands it over to a PAC run by Curt Pringle and Councilwoman Kris Murray named “Citizens For Anaheim’s Future” – who have in turn spent over 30 grand of laundered Disney money SO FAR sending out defamatory hit pieces on Leos and Kring. (It’ll probably turn out this is also the way uber-hack Matt Cunningham is getting paid to run HIS poisonous little Bandman-Lodge bloglet.)

And this arrangement has not escaped the notice of the OCEA, whose canny general manager Nick Berardino won’t confirm or deny to me the existence of the original truce, but mourns to me with crocodile tears, “We never WANTED to attack Jordan, but seeing Disney’s money trail left us no choice.” LOL. Now the natural order is restored, men once again can be men and pigs pigs. Let’s look at some of the fruits of the new hostilities, shall we?

Read the rest of the story at:

http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2012/10/the-gloves-come-off-in-anaheim-the-blogosphere-salivates/

Disney funding NEGATIVE campaign

The Walt Disney Company is so desperate to retain power over the Anaheim City Council that they have begun funding a negative campaign against John Leos and Lucille Kring.

Here's how they have funneled their money to hit Mayor Tom Tait's reform team:

1. Disney directly gives $100,000 the Orange County Business Council (OCBC) in addition to $15,000 funneled thru SOAR aka Screw Our Anaheim Residents.

2. OCBC turns around and gives $24,000 to a PAC entitled Citizens for Anaheim's Future chaired by Anaheim City council member Kris Murray.

3. Citizens for Anaheim's Future spends the following on anti-Kriing/Leos mailers:

a. $11,1136.60 John Leos

b. $12,331.04 John Leos

c. $11,804.07 Lucille Kring

That's a whole lot of money spent on a negative campaign against candidates endorsed by The OC Register and Mayor Tom Tait.

The big questions is. Why would Disney spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and elect Jordan Brandman and Steve Lodge if there wasn't something in it for them? They have already been given $158 million for two luxury hotels they plan to brand/operate at GardenWalk. Puppets Eastman and Murray have green lit the $300+ million streetcar to ferry their guests. What more could Disney want in the next few years?

Disney Puppet's perform - Yes Vote - Funding Uncertain

At Tuesday's city council meeting, council member Murray and her fellow Disney puppets approved the planned streetcar system for the Disneyland Resort area. A project with uncertain funding sources and a direct drain on the general fund.

Kris Murray riding along with her pal Disney lobbyist Carrie Nocella.

The operating cost is between $4.5 to $10 million dollars. Problem is that the resort has only agreed to fund $2.5 million per year. That leaves us with a potential general fund liability of 2 to 7.5 million per year. This would be an addition to the capital costs of $32 million in which the funding is uncertain as this time. What if the federal/state government denies funding or a grant falls thru? Then the CIty of Anaheim would be stuck with the tab.

Watch as Mayor Tom Tait outlines the issues with the project:

This project is not about improving the transportation infrastructure of the City of Anaheim but rather a blatant misuse of federal/state/local funds to develop a transportation system for Disneyland Resort guests. What about the residents and businesses in the rest of the city that might benefit from these transportation funds being utilized for their benefit.

I am personally appalled that Murray, Eastman, and Sidhu would do something so reckless. But then again what should I expect from folks who couldn't care less about our community at large. Their goal is steal tax revenue, subsidize resort development, and waste taxpayers funds on projects that only benefit the Disneyland Resort. All the while my neighborhood continues to be plagued by graffiti, unmaintained properties, trash, swap meets, gangs, and so on.

Where does all the Anaheim Resort revenue go?

TOT, for those first-timers to Save Anaheim, stands for Transient Occupancy Tax. It is charged to each guest who stays in an a resort area hotel. The funds generated are used by the City of Anaheim in various capacities.

At a recent Anaheim City Council candidate debate the idea of setting aside 1% of the TOT for various city services was proposed. I personally think this would be the ideal way to fund a pro-active code enforcement dept., increase graffiti abatement efforts, clean up our parks, and provide for services that directly affects the residents.

Pringle sympathizers have stated that "In fact, what this approach does is compresses elected officials’ room to maneuver when setting budget and policy priorities — which is what we elect them to do."

The problem is, the priorities of this current council majority have not been focused on the needs of the residents. Instead they have focused on spending millions on the Anaheim Resort area. That is why the idea of a gate tax or setting aside 1% of the TOT revenue has been proposed. If we don't set aside funds specifically for residential services the council majority will simply continue to giveaway vital TOT revenue to Anaheim Resort causes.

Did you know that 50% of the TOT revenue generated goes right back to the resort area to pay off debt (according to City of Anaheim spokesperson Ruth Ruiz)? Debt the city incurred that directly benefits the Disneyland Resort. Such as new landscaping, road improvements, custom street lighting, fencing, etc. . .

So out of $90 million collected only $45 million remains in the City of Anaheim's general fund. Asking for a mere 1% to be diverted to fund services that directly benefits the residents doesn't seem like a whole lot to ask for.

Disney lobbyist Carrie Nocella, Councilwoman Kris Murray, and their puppet candidate Jordan Brandman.

Disney wants more Anaheim tax $$$$$

It isn't enough that Disney and their minions at SOAR, OCTAX, OCBC, and The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce pushed thru the GIVEAWAY of $158 million in future tax revenue to build 2 luxury hotels at the GardenWalk Ghost Town. Hotels that were, and I believe still are, slated to be operated and branded as Disney properties.

Disney President George Kalogridis and Jordan Brandman.

To jog your memory, read this portion of a City of Anaheim staff report and then watch SOAR aka Disney members vocally supporting the $158 million giveaway:

click to enlarge

Now Disney wants Anaheim and federal/state tax dollars to fund a ridiculous rail system to shuttle its guests between ARTIC, their future 4 star Disney branded and operated GardenWalk hotels, and the Anaheim Convention Center.

Disney's business model is absolutely genius. Here's how, I believe, they pulled off the $158 million GardenWalk Hotel deal:

Step 1: Mayor Curt Pringle begins subsidizing hotel development under his administration. GardenWalk Hotel developer and Pringle pal Bill O'Connell applies for the subsidy. The City of Anaheim hires Keyser Marston and Assoc. to determine how much subsidy is needed. O'Connell receives a $40 million subsidy and Disney gets on board to operate and brand the hotels once built. GardenWalk fails and goes bankrupt before the hotels are built.

Step 2: Disney spends hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2010 to elect a puppet council consisting of Eastman, Murray, and Tait. All backed by Disney, SOAR, OCBC, OCTAX, and the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately for them, Tom Tait can't be bought but that's no problem cause they still have Sidhu when it comes to voting to increase the subsidy.

Step 3: O'Connell comes back to the council (with Pringle now his paid lobbyist) and asks for an increase of $118 million (80% of the TOT for 15 years) due to the current market conditions. Without any study whatsoever to determine if this amount is reasonable (as they had done in 2009), Kris Murray, Gail Eastman, and Harry Sidhu vote to giveaway $158 million in future tax revenue. Mayor Tom Tait, Lorri Galloway, and our current City Manager and former finance director Bob Wigenroth OPPOSE the plan. Subsequently a lawsuit is filed against the City of Anaheim and a drive to allow voters to approve future subsidies is set in motion.

Step 4: The Anaheim City Clerk gives incorrect information to the group trying to get a ballot measure passed to allow voters to approve future subsidies. Signature drive fails. Mayor Tait brings forward a motion to put ballot initiative on the ballot and it is voted down by the Disney majority. Murray, Eastman, and Sidhu claim it's all about jobs when the reality is there is no agreement that calls for anyone local to be hired, to pay prevailing wages, or hire union labor. In addition there is no community benefit (ie. parks, affordable housing, etc. .) like there was for LA Live in downtown LA (which was heavily subsidized). LA residents received the following community benefits in relation to the LA LIVE Project:

$1,000,000 for the creation or improvement of parks and recreational facilities.

$25,000 per year for a term of five years for the creation of a residential parking permit program.

An agreement to comply with the city’s living wage ordinance and to make all reasonable efforts to reach the goal of ensuring that 70% of the jobs created by the project pay a living wage.

An agreement to give priority hiring to persons displaced by the project and to low income individuals residing within three miles of the project.

Job training programs to be coordinated with community groups.

$100,000 in seed money for a first source (i.e. local) hiring program.

A requirement that 20% of the residential units in the project be affordable.

$650,000 in interest-free loans to non-profit housing developers for the creation of additional affordable housing.

An agreement to cooperate with the coalition to establish an advisory committee to assist with the implementation and enforcement of the agreement.

Step 5: The heavily Disney funded groups (OCBC, SOAR, OCTAX, Chamber of Commerce) work to elect new puppets to replace Galloway and Sidhu. Choosing to run Jordan Brandman and Steve " Chavez" Lodge. Apparently they didn't vet Lodge cause it turns out he was found liable for using excessive force against a jaywalker and cost the City of Santa Ana hundreds of the thousand of dollars. Documents from the case, obtained by our sources, show that the federal judge called Lodge a liar.

click to enlarge

Then we have Jordan Brandman who:

a. Vocally supported the giveaway of $158 million in future tax revenue at two city council meetings.

b. Takes credit for Oxford Academy for which he had nothing to do with.

c. Is being investigated by the DA for wrongdoing at AUHSD.

d. Opposed the Let the People vote initiative that would have put future giveaway decisions in the hands of Anaheim voters.

e. Supported by SOAR, OCBC, OCTAX, and The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. The four entities that could care less about our community and who's sole purpose is to line their own pocketbooks.

Jordan Brandman with Disney lobbyist Carrie Nocella inside Disneyland.

Step 6 (the future): Brandman gets elected, cause we all know Lodge is toast, and continues the master plans of Eastman/Murray/Pringle/Disney. Which would include:

1. Expanding the Anaheim Convention Center by using the nonexistent additional TOT revenue that they gave away to the GardenWalk Hotel developer for 15 years.

2. Pushing forward Disney's taxpayer funded rail system to shuttle their guests. to their new GardenWalk Hotels and theme parks.

3. Use the failed ARCTIC transportation hubs massive parking garage to house Disney's 3rd gate parking lot. Why build it themselves when they can have one built on someone else's dime and reap all the benefits?

4. Grant more and more extensions to the GardenWalk hotel developer and maybe even approve a larger more outrageous TOT subsidy. Cause we all know it's really about jobs not corporate welfare to the elite of OC.

Curt Pringle enjoying an event thrown by OCBC.

Mr. Pringle, do you realize that I would never have created this blog, spent money promoting candidates and opposing yours, spoken out at council meetings, commented on articles online, distributed lawn signs, filed public records requests, etc. . if you and your council majority simply took care of the basics:

1. A pro-active code enforcement department to keep property owners accountable for maintaining their properties. I shouldn't have to call the city to come out and force my neighbors to simply mow their lawn, paint their house, pick-up trash, etc. . .

2. A graffiti abatement program staffed by full time employees not the part time folks we have working on it now. A full time problem needs a full time staff. Funny how I never see graffiti in the Disneyland Resort area.

3. Curbing the swap meets that take place on my neighbors lawns on a weekly basis. Garage sales are for getting rid of unwanted junk once a year not to supplement ones income.

4. Limiting the amount of ice cream trucks who annoy me and my neighbors on a daily basis. We are up to 4 right now. One plays Christmas music year round. :(

5. Cleaning up our parks, expanding library hours, replacing retired police office etc. . .

It's all about balance really. All of Anaheim needs to be supported not just the Anaheim resort. That's where you made your biggest mistake Mr. Pringle.

Curt Pringle giving his orders to Disney lobbyist Carrie Nocella.

Dr. Jose Moreno - Disney Gate Tax?

A gate tax levied on all Disney tickets purchased has been proposed before here in the City of Anaheim. It would create a stream of revenue that could be directed back into the neighborhoods.

Dr. Jose Moreno

Anaheim City School District Board member

President of Los Amigos of Orange County

Currently the only revenue of significance that comes from the Disneyland Resort is TOT or Transient Occupancy Tax. TOT is charged to guests staying at resort district hotels and helps fund Anaheim's general fund. None of the TOT funds are earmarked to help the community directly whereas a gate tax would be. I would go as far as to say this tax should be applied to tickets to events at the Honda Center and Angel Stadium as well.

It is about time the business community started giving back to the residents of Anaheim. If the Disneyland Resort is such an "economic engine," why does our city look far worse then surrounding communities who don't have a resort district?

Anaheim's not so Magic Kingdom

"While Disney doesn’t govern police policy (although some residents argue to the contrary, citing Disney’s influence in the city), The Mouse does unquestionably wield major influence in shaping Anaheim’s economic development gestalt, one of social inequality that keeps a low flame burning under simmering community tensions."

Read the full article here:

http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Anaheim_s_Not_So_Magic_Kingdom_10396.html

The Walt Disney Company has already given Jordan Brandman's campaign a hefty check.

DISNEY can't keep their hands off Councilwoman Kris Murray

Here is a series of photos showing just how close Disney lobbyist Carrie Nocella is with Anaheim City Council member Kris Murray. Special thanks to Anaheim Colony members for providing these photos.

Disney's lobbyist Carrie Nocella sits on the board of several groups that contributed and/or helped Kris Murray get elected in 2010. I've also included the amounts they spent on Kris Murray's campaign in 2010.

Orange County Business Council's (OCBC) PAC Board of Trustees + OCBC Advocacy and Government Affairs Commitee with Kris Murray.

-click images to enlarge-

$1700

OC Taxpayers Association PAC Governing Board Member

$7,924

Anaheim Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

$65,013+ for voter guides featuring Kris Murray, Gail Eastman, and Tom Tait.

SOAR Advisory Committee Member

$34,1010

http://www.soaranaheim.com/index.php?page=about-soar

How are Carrie Nocella and Disney connected to Jordan Brandman?

Well in addition to the campagin contributions, we have these photos to share (provided by Anaheim Colony residents):

Anaheim Chamber of Commerce loves DISNEY

The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce is also financially connected to Disney. In 2010, Disneyland gave $55,000 in political contributions to the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce PAC.

-click to enlarge-

In addition, the Chamber received $5000 from Bill O'Connell owned hotel properties. These folks are linked together and wielded their power to influence our Anaheim City Council (excluding Mayor Tait and Mayor Pro Tem Lorri Galloway) to give up to $158 million in TOT tax money to Mr. O'Connell.