State watchdog investigating Anaheim city manager’s unreported retreat

The Fair Political Practices Commission has launched a probe into Anaheim City Manager Jim Vanderpool after he attended a Lake Havasu retreat in 2020 that was not reported as a gift.

Kendall Bonebreake, the FPPC’s enforcement chief, sent Vanderpool a letter on Jan. 22 to inform him the state watchdog agency initiated the investigation “regarding potential violations of the economic interests disclosure provisions of the Political Reform Act.”

The probe comes as the Anaheim City Council deliberated on Vanderpool’s job performance behind closed doors Tuesday, ultimately electing not to fire him.

“Jim continues to serve our community as city manager as he has since 2020,” said Mike Lyster, the city’s spokesperson. “Beyond that, we want to respect that Tuesday’s item was a closed session discussion.”

Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken asked for the confidential discussion after the September 2020 Havasu trip surfaced in a TimesOC investigation.

Records showed that, weeks into his new job as city manager, Vanderpool attended the retreat with his husband at the invitation of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, which paid for his lakeside lodging rental.

Other invitees included influential lobbyists, chamber officials and consultants. Todd Ament, who helmed the chamber as its chief executive at the time, celebrated his birthday during the retreat.

Ament became a central figure in an FBI political corruption probe that publicly surfaced two years later and now awaits sentencing for white-collar crimes.

“I did not engage with any subsequent social or business travel with Todd Ament,” Vanderpool wrote to members of the City Council in an email on Dec. 23, 2025.

In that same email, Vanderpool contended the trip was a “social gathering,” where guests did not discuss city business. He claimed former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu and Angels consultant Jeff Flint were invited but did not attend.

An invitation list showed Vanderpool and his husband were assigned to share lodging with Flint, former chamber vice president Laura Cunningham and her husband, Matt, an Anaheim blogger and political consultant.

Vanderpool did not report the lodging paid for by the chamber as a gift in his 2020 statement of economic interests.

Lyster previously suggested Vanderpool was unaware of any such travel payments and that the non-disclosure was a “non-issue.”

In financial documents obtained by TimesOC, one chamber check dated Aug. 6, 2020, showed a $350 security deposit for the Havasu mobile home assigned to Vanderpool and his husband followed by a $1,900 check two days later for rent.

An email sent by Laura Cunningham on Sept. 23, 2020, informed Vanderpool the mobile home property owner would be providing a house code the following day.

“Todd and Leah [Ament] are providing breakfast and dinners,” she wrote. “I promised we’d wash dishes.”

In a Jan. 11 email, Vanderpool told council members he only stayed at the Havasu retreat for two nights and calculated the pro-rata rental amount to be $190.

It’s unclear if the city manager’s tabulation included costs incurred by his husband.

In certain circumstances, the FPPC considers a gift to a public official’s spouse a gift to the official. Accepting a gift valued at $500 or more in 2020 would be considered a violation of the Political Reform Act.

After Tuesday’s closed session deliberations concluded, two council members spoke approvingly of Vanderpool’s tenure.

“I’ve seen clear evidence of progress under [the] city manager’s leadership,” said Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava. “The city has made measurable advances in addressing in homelessness. We’ve hired a highly-qualified chief of police [and] approved major economic development initiatives, such as [Disneyland]Forward [and] OC Vibe that will create thousands of jobs.”

Councilmember Ryan Balius credited Vanderpool for bringing “stability” to the city.

City Atty. Rob Fabela, who has made statements in support of Vanderpool, did not publicly report any votes on his job evaluation out of closed session. However, as the council meeting continued, a Facebook post from the Log Cabin Republicans of Orange County claimed Vanderpool enjoyed a 6-1 vote in support of his continued tenure.

“Even [Aitken’s] fellow Democrats on the council [joined] the two Republican members and rebuked the mayor,” the post read.

Aitken shared a screenshot of the post on social media after the meeting and called for an immediate investigation.

“We have a clear violation of the Brown Act that is a misdemeanor,” Aitken told TimesOC of the state’s open meeting laws. “I’m going to speak to our city attorney about what actions can be taken and if it is something that we are going to turn over to the O.C. district attorney’s office. It’s unacceptable to have trained elected officials or city staff violating the Brown Act so blatantly.”

At the end of the council meeting, Aitken also called on the ethics officer to look at allegations of unreported paid travel by city staff and failure to produce public records for a future report released to the public.

Aitken said she was unaware of any FPPC investigation into Vanderpool.

“The city manager has been in contact with a commission representative,” Lyster said. “As he’s committed to the City Council, [he] looks forward to answering any questions and cooperating with any inquiry.”

If the FPPC finds Vanderpool accepted an illegal gift or did not report the Havasu trip as required, he could face a fine of up to $5,000 for each violation.