Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken made racist, homophobic and religiously bigoted remarks about her chief of staff and shared private information about the former city manager’s medical prescriptions, according to a legal claim filed with the city.
Berenice Ballinas asserts in a Sept. 21 claim letter than Aitken questioned and commented on her perceived sexual orientation and Catholic faith and directed a racist pejorative at her.
In addition, the 25-page claim alleges, Aitken called the former city manager a gay slur and went through the personal belongings in his car and photographed his medical prescription bottles, later telling others what she’d found.
The mayor could not be reached for comment Thursday morning or evening. She responded to some of the allegations, which were in a Sept. 11 letter requesting mediation, with a statement on social media:
“I did not use the racial slur attributed to me and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community.”
Ballinas, who is on medical leave, and her attorney could not be reached for additional comment Thursday.
City Hall released a redacted version of the claim filed by employment attorney Lawrence Lennemann ahead of Friday’s closed City Council session, which begins at 9 a.m. TimesOC reviewed the un-redacted version of the claim as well.
The document makes a wide range of allegations regarding the mayor’s behavior concerning race, sexuality, religion and alcohol consumption.
In one, Ballinas alleges she arranged to drive Aitken and former City Manager Jim Vanderpool from an Orange County Taxpayers Assn. gala in October 2024 when Aitken made inappropriate remarks.
“The Mayor stated that she did not want [Ballinas] or Vanderpool to drive her vehicle because she did not want a ‘dirty Mexican’ and a ‘[pejorative for gay] man’ driving her car,” the claim alleges.
“Despite the involvement and knowledge of senior leadership, no meaningful corrective intervention followed,” the claim alleges.
Vanderpool could not be reached for comment.
Aitken has faced calls to resign from residents after allegations surfaced from her chief of staff.
(James Carbone)
Aitken’s alleged conduct while consuming alcohol led to Ballinas’s post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, according to the claim.
Ballinas alleges she “observed a recurring pattern of the Mayor’s alcohol consumption at official City functions, governmental conferences, stakeholder events, community events, City Council meeting days, and other activities.”
Ballinas claims Aitken needed a ride home after consuming alcohol before an April 22, 2025, council meeting. Aitken attended a closed session that day, according to the minutes, but was absent from the public portion.
“I will apologize for the mayor,” Councilmember Natalie Meeks said that day. “She is ill this evening.”
Ballinas asserts in the claim that she was driving the mayor home in Vanderpool’s city vehicle when Aitken allegedly went through his belongings, found prescription bottles and photographed them with her cellphone.
Aitken, according to Ballinas’s claim, disclosed finding Vanderpool’s prescriptions in front of others during a Palm Springs conference later that year. Ballinas asserted in her letter that the exchange potentially violated the city manager’s medical privacy.
In another allegation, a Disney representative allegedly shared concerns about the mayor after she allegedly drank alcohol at a Disneyland 70th anniversary event in May 2025 and advised that she stop drinking. Others discussed how to address this before a stakeholder reception.
Ballinas alleges she later offered to drive Aitken home from the Disneyland Resort. Aitken allegedly stated that she did not want a “Mexican” to drive her, according to the claim.
The following day, Aitken allegedly accused Ballinas trying to ruin her reputation.
Aitken faced calls for an independent investigation from her council colleagues on Tuesday.
(James Carbone)
One discrimination claim involves Ballinas’s Catholic faith, which Aitken allegedly mocked by referring to God as her aide’s “imaginary friend” after looking at a cross she wore.
In another incident, Aitken and Vanderpool allegedly asked inappropriate questions about Ballinas’s perceived sexuality in front of others at the the Angels opening day game in 2025.
Aitken, a Democrat in a non-partisan office, allegedly referred to Ballinas’s friend in attendance as a her “girlfriend” and, on other occassions, called her a lesbian, the claim states. The new allegation adds to a previous one in the mediation letter that claimed the mayor asked about her aide’s sexual orientation at Disney’s exclusive Club 33 and Lounge 1901 in June.
The mayor’s alleged conduct came to a breaking point for Ballinas during a U.S. conference of mayors in Tampa, Fla., last year, according to her complaint.
Michael Penn, the mayor’s husband, called Ballinas in the middle of the night and instructed her to get Aitken on a flight back home immediately, according to the claim.
“At approximately 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. PST, Claimant was awakened by an urgent telephone call from the Mayor’s husband who instructed Claimant to locate the Mayor, get her packed, and arrange for her immediate return to California,” the claim states. “Claimant got dressed, went to the Mayor’s room, and encountered the Mayor in what Claimant perceived to be an impaired condition.
“Claimant remained with the Mayor, packed her belongings, attempted to stabilize the situation, and prepared to get her safely out of the hotel and back to California.”
Ballinas, according to her claim, “was criticized by a member of the Mayor’s family for not having raised concerns sooner, despite that she had, in fact, previously communicated such concerns. [Ballinas] was pressured by members of the Mayor’s family to keep them informed of the Mayors drinking and to communicate with them if she observed concerning behavior.”
After returning home from Tampa, Ballinas was expected to cover for the mayor’s extended — and unexplained — absence, according to her claim.
“The Tampa incident fundamentally and irreversibly eroded any boundary between [Ballinas’] legitimate professional duties and the Mayor’s personal activities [she] was expected to manage — changed the nature of [Ballinas’] work environment and contributed substantially to the significant anxiety, hypervigilance, and emotional strain she experienced during the rest of her employment,” according to the document.
A series of current and former city officials, including Vanderpool, are listed as potential witnesses to the allegations presented in the claim, as are Disney employees.
The new round of allegations follows Anaheim Councilmember Norma Campos Kurtz‘s recent call for the city to release all documents related to the matter. Campos Kurtz backed Meeks’s push for an investigation into the allegations — a process the city confirmed is already underway.
“Anaheim takes all claims seriously,” city spokesperson Mike Lyster said. “Our process is moving forward, with engagement of an independent, experienced investigator expected to be finalized soon. An independent investigation is expected to take place over the next few months.”
The probe’s timeline will likely continue beyond the Nov. 3 mayoral election in Anaheim. Aitken is seeking a second term against two political newcomers.