Anaheim has long been dogged by concerns from many residents and former elected officials that city hall is too close with Disneyland Resort interests. 

[Read: The Talk of the Town: Anaheim Corruption Probe Report Turns Heads in OC] 

Orange County’s largest city has also been plagued by concerns over a lack of transparency and questionable ethical decisions made by former City Manager Jim Vanderpool, who most recently failed to disclose a Chamber of Commerce-paid Lake Havasu trip on the eve of the Angel Stadium sale in 2020, a deal that’s since been torpedoed. 

Now, Mayor Ashleigh Aitken is pushing for a more transparent ethics officer – a position created in the fallout of the corruption probe. 

[Read: Where’s Anaheim’s Ethics Officer?]

On Tuesday, she spearheaded an effort to publicly release a memo from city Ethics Officer Artin Berjikly about gift reporting requirements surrounding Vanderpool’s Lake Havasu trip – a memo that city council members reviewed during a closed session discussion about potentially firing Vanderpool last week. 

“I think that it’s something we should disclose to the public as well as the investigating authorities that are looking into these issues,” Aitken said during Tuesday’s meeting. 

City Manager Jim Vanderpool at the Anaheim City Council meeting on Jan. 13, 2026. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

Shortly before the city council’s public portion of Tuesday’s meeting began, Vanderpool resigned amid renewed scrutiny about his close ties to – and trips he’s taken with – Disneyland resort interests. 

[Read: Anaheim’s City Manager Resigns]

The Fair Political Practice Commission – the state’s chief enforcement arm of campaign finance disclosures and gift reporting requirements – is investigating Vanderpool’s undisclosed Lake Havasu trip. 

Aitken also hinted at potentially releasing more material from Berjikly. 

“I would like to lean toward the side of showing the public what our ethics officer does. What they weigh in on, what guidance they provide to the council,” Aitken said during Tuesday’s meeting. 

“Starting with this memo, maybe we can have a broader policy discussion at a later date about having ethics opinions online for our public to see when we ask our ethics officer to provide guidance,” she said. 

In order to release Berjikly’s memo, city council members had to waive attorney client privilege – a move that drew pushback from some council members.

“I almost feel it’s a dramatic request to ask to waive attorney client privilege,” Councilwoman Natalie Rubaclava said, adding that city officials could instead draft up a similar public memo. 

“I value attorney client privilege and work product and I think that we are setting a dangerous precedent by waiving it,” Rubalcava said. “In order to eliminate the political theater, we could just ask for something similar to be created and shared with the public.” 

But Fabela said Tuesday’s vote isn’t setting a precedent. 

“I don’t think it necessarily sets a precedent for future privileged records. It’s a pretty limited waiver. So it’s not going to open up the door to other privileged information – that would require a future vote,” Fabela said. 

Council members ultimately voted 6-1 to release the memo, with Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz voting against the move. 

“What I am hesitant to support is the fact that we are allowing documents to be shared like this,” Kurtz said, adding that it could undermine trust in closed session meetings. “I would like to think that what is discussed and shared in closed session, stays in closed session.” 

Yet Aitken’s failed closed-door vote to fire Vanderpool was apparently leaked last week to a local Republican group.  

During Tuesday’s meeting, Aitken said District Attorney Todd Spitzer’s office is looking into the issue. 

[Read: Who Leaked a Failed Closed Door Vote to Nix Anaheim’s City Manager?]

It all comes as city officials gear up for another potential Angel Stadium deal.

The marquee sign at Angel Stadium is lit up in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 24, 2025. The ballpark has been home to the Los Angeles Angels since 1966. Credit: KADE MCKENNA, Voice of OC

[Read: Anaheim Officials Once Again Put Angel Stadium in Play]

Anaheim’s struggle with ethical questions and increased transparency continues in the wake of a 2022 FBI corruption probe, which saw former Mayor Harry Sidhu resign and eventually go to prison for lying to federal investigators about the failed Angel Stadium land sale.

Under Sidhu’s time as mayor, former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Ament became a constant presence at city hall, helping influence policymaking – especially the failed Angel Stadium deal. 

Ament is currently trying to reverse his federal guilty plea, which includes criminal charges like bank fraud and tax fraud. 

[Read: Key Figure in Anaheim Corruption Scandal Looks to Reverse Guilty Plea] 

According to court filings, FBI agents alleged Ament and some lobbyists held outsized influence on city policymaking. 

[Read: FBI Reveals What Many Anaheim Residents Felt For Years, City Hall is Run By The Chamber of Commerce] 

City hired investigators arrived at similar conclusions, also detailing how Visit Anaheim and a host of other resort interests were power players at city hall. 

[Read: Anaheim’s Own Look at City Hall Finds Disneyland Resort Businesses Improperly Steer Policymaking] 

At one point, Vanderpool was onboard with Ament’s plan to withhold more than $100 million in bond repayment money from the city’s general fund, according to a public report from city-hired investigators. 

The plan was originally pitched at a secret Chamber of Commerce retreat in late 2020. 

The Chamber was slated to get some of that bond repayment money as part of Ament’s plan, according to the city’s independent corruption probe. 

[Read: How Disneyland Resort Interests Planned to Withhold Tax Money from Anaheim’s Working Class]

In the wake of the corruption scandal, Anaheim City Council members have enacted some reforms – like beefing up lobbyist disclosures and detailing who elected officials and city executives meet with by publishing meeting calendars online. 

Editor’s note: Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s board of directors. 

Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio.

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