Mayor Ashleigh Aitken says she looks forward to an investigation into allegations she made derogatory remarks about her chief of staff’s ethnicity and perceived sexual orientation. | Photo courtesy of the city of Anaheim/YouTube
Anaheim council members publicly broke their silence Tuesday over allegations that Mayor Ashleigh Aitken used a racial slur toward her chief of staff, with one member pledging to seek the mayor’s resignation if the claims are substantiated and another requesting a special closed-session meeting on threatened litigation.
Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz said she stands with Councilwoman Natalie Meeks in demanding an expedited investigation, and that she would ask for the mayor’s resignation if the allegations prove true.
The allegations, raised repeatedly during public comment, center on claims that Aitken called her chief of staff Berenice Ballinas a “dirty Mexican” and made derogatory comments about her perceived sexual orientation.
“I am a Mexican, an East LA Mexican raised to be proud of who I am and where I came from,” Campos Kurtz said. “Grandfathers who worked in the fields, a grandmother who boarded the Red Car in LA every day with her mop and pail, and rode to Union Station to wash out the train cars so that our boys from East LA would board clean trains on the way to fight a war. My father was an auto mechanic. My mother worked in a factory. All came home tired, sweaty, and dirty.”
The mayor has denied wrongdoing and said she welcomes an independent investigation to clear her name.
“I need this independent investigation to clear my name, and I really welcome it because that is what a democracy is all about,” Aitken said. “You are innocent until you are proven guilty.”
Councilwoman Kristen Maahs said there is “no room for racism in our city, period,” and that she awaits the facts.
Councilman Ryan Balius said he believes in innocence until guilt is proven and suggested the mayor consider canceling public appearances while the investigation proceeds.
“We’ve obviously got some pain out in the community, and maybe it’s a good idea to suspend the public calendar until the investigation is over,” Balius said. “I do ask that it is an independent investigation, and I ask for it to be expedited as quickly as possible.”
Campos Kurtz asked City Attorney Robert Fabela to schedule a special meeting before the council’s next regular session set for Oct. 13 so the body could meet in closed session regarding threatened litigation stemming from the alleged misconduct. Fabela explained that under the Brown Act, the state’s open-meeting law, either the mayor or a majority of the council may call such a meeting.
The remarks came after more than a dozen speakers addressed the allegations over the course of the meeting, with several community organizations calling for a transparent and independent process. Another speaker who said he was from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization alleged racism is built into the city government and Anaheim Police Department.
On Thursday, Anaheim officials released a redacted copy Ballinas’ recently filed legal claim alleging the mayor had a drinking problem and fostered a hostile workplace that included racial and homophobic slurs.
Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster issued a statement saying the claim, which the city received Sept. 22, was being released publicly as officials are “balancing openness on an issue involving the city’s mayor and our responsibility to all involved.”
Portions of the claim were redacted to “protect personnel, medical and some third- party name references that raise privacy concerns, along with attorney-client information,” Lyster said.
“Anaheim takes all claims seriously. Our process is moving forward, with engagement of an independent, experienced investigator expected to be finalized soon,” the statement continued. “An independent investigation is expected to take place over the next few months.
“We are looking for a comprehensive, impartial review that balances expediency with due process,” Lyster said. “Beyond that, we want to respect all involved and will share any additional updates as appropriate.”
A legal claim is a formal precursor to a lawsuit against a government.
Serving as the mayor’s chief policy analyst since December 2022, Ballinas’ claim alleges that she was hired to advise Aitken “on policy, advance governmental initiatives, coordinate with public agencies and community partners, advocate for the city’s interests, and help deliver results for city residents.” But instead, she “was progressively required to assume substantial additional responsibilities arising from the mayor’s personal conduct and crises that bore no reasonable relationship to the professional position Claimant had been hired to perform.”
According to the court document, Ballinas was forced to take a leave of absence July 31. Her claim alleges sexual harassment, retaliation and discrimination based on her perceived sexual orientation, race, religion and disability.
“(Ballinas) was subjected to repeated harassment, discrimination, demeaning, intrusive questioning concerning her perceived sexual orientation, her Mexican heritage and her Catholic faith,” the claim alleges.
A range of city officials, employees and “outside stakeholders” were well aware of the Aitken’s “alcohol consumption and her resulting condition and behavior from their own personal observations,” the claim contends. “Additionally, (Ballinas) repeatedly communicated her concerns to members of city leadership and sought assistance. However, rather than establishing an effective mechanism that relieved (Ballinas) of ‘responsibilities’ outside of her job description that she lacked the authority to perform, senior officials frequently minimized the circumstances, treated difficult conduct by an elected official as something (Ballinas) was expected to tolerate or learn to manage, or otherwise left Claimant to navigate the situation herself.”
The claims’s court filing is available online via tinyurl.com/4kkpy9ex.
The AI platform Civilio assisted this report.
Updated Oct. 2, 2026, 11:55 a.m.