![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/OCR-L-ANAHEIMMAYOR-0926-51.jpg\")
The Anaheim City Council, including the winner of November\u2019s mayoral election, will be deciding in the next few years how to allocate more than $120 million that is expected to start going into the city\u2019s general fund after Anaheim pays off bonds taken out in the 1990s to improve and expand the resort area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
All three candidates, who were both interviewed and provided written answers to questions, advocated for a transparent decision-making process for spending those funds.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez and Sharief said they\u2019d first like to see the funds strengthen Anaheim\u2019s reserves before bolstering core city services, such as cleaner neighborhoods, streets and infrastructure, parks and public safety.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez added he\u2019d \u201csupport strategic investments that improve economic opportunity, attract businesses, create local jobs, and strengthen our tax base without creating unnecessary permanent government programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Sharief said a slice of the funds should go toward further addressing homelessness. \u201cWe\u2019re not thinking in the right direction. Being a doctor, I can address this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to start by getting them off the road, work to evaluate them and we need to have the right institution, a drug rehab or something like that,\u201d Sharief said. \u201cAnd once we have them in rehab, then we have to put them through some institution program where we can educate them with some sort of 6-month program where they learn a skill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aitken said she\u2019d like the funds invested into \u201cimproving the quality of life of residents,\u201d naming \u201cwater mains, park maintenance, waste management, streetlights, trash cans, and street cleaning\u201d as priorities, as well as\u00a0the city\u2019s homeless outreach programs.<\/p>\n
She also called law enforcement and public safety \u201ca priority\u201d in city spending. The Anaheim Police Department is at a record staffing level, with 421 sworn officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a plan in my next term to get us to 500,\u201d Aitken said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHiring and training officers year over year. I want people to feel safe walking around their neighborhood at night. I want people to be able to send their kids to school on a safe route,\u201d she said, adding that the expanded capacity could shorten response times for residents\u2019 day-to-day needs, but also help address Anaheim\u2019s diverse regions, including the resort area or \u201chigh wildfire zone\u201d hills community.<\/p>\n
For the second council meeting in a row, Aitken addressed Tuesday night allegations that she directed a racial slur at her chief of staff and asked questions about her sexual orientation.<\/p>\n
TimesOC published a story on Sept. 21 about a mediation letter sent to the city with the allegations, but neither the employee nor her attorney responded to requests for the letter or comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese allegations are extremely serious, and they deserve to be investigated. I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community,\u201d Aitken said in a recent statement posted to her Facebook page.<\/p>\n
The city is in the early stages of conducting an independent review \u2014 results could take months \u2014 and Aitken has said she intends to \u201ccooperate truthfully.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aitken became Anaheim\u2019s first female mayor\u00a0when elected to her first term in 2022. In her first four years, she said she\u2019s reached out to communities and businesses across Anaheim to \u201cbetter understand their needs and interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo take just one example,\u201d she added. \u201cI worked to advance the revitalization of Brookhurst Street while preserving the historic character and cultural identity of Little Arabia, and brought a \u2018Little Arabia Next Exit\u2019 sign to our freeways in recognition of the cultural and economic impact of the community. I have stood by our LGBTQ+ community, women\u2019s rights organizations and stood with our immigrant neighbors during unlawful raids. I was raised to stand up for the voiceless, and I hope that I have lived my communities\u2019 values.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodriguez said his experience building his career and now leading a company \u201chas taught me how to manage budgets, solve problems, make difficult decisions and bring people together around a common goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy responsibility as mayor,\u201d he said, \u201cwould be to hear different perspectives, find common ground where possible and make decisions based on what is best for Anaheim as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic safety has to come first,\u201d he said of the challenges facing Anaheim.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means supporting our police officers and firefighters, addressing homelessness with both compassion and accountability, and making sure residents feel safe in their homes, parks and business districts,\u201d he said, adding he\u2019d promote public trust in the Anaheim Police Department by holding frequent neighborhood visits where officers and residents \u201chave a conversation and see how we can all do better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodriguez said he\u2019d like to launch a new app that would build upon the existing \u201cMy Anaheim\u201d app where residents can request city services and view upcoming city events.<\/p>\n
\u201cA resident is able to go on their app and see how the city is functioning based on policies that we created, new changes that we\u2019re doing for the city, new projects that we\u2019re doing, such as, say, street improvement,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cResidents could just go on their app and say, \u2018Hey, this is their progress, this is where they\u2019re at \u2014 30%, 50%.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a doctor and a businessman has shaped the way he approaches leadership, Sharief said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a doctor, you learn to listen before you try to solve a problem. You also learn that every person who walks through your door deserves the same care and respect, regardless of their background,\u201d he said. \u201cIn business, you learn that good intentions are not enough. You have to make decisions, manage resources responsibly, and ultimately be accountable for results.\u201d<\/p>\n
To help address the city\u2019s housing needs, including meeting state mandates for more homes, especially at lower income levels, both Rodriguez and Sharief suggested speeding up the permit process to allow housing to be built faster and said they supported new housing near jobs, transit hubs and major commercial areas, while Rodriguez criticized the state\u2019s \u201cone-size-fits-all approach to every city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aitken named several milestones made during her first term.<\/p>\n
\u201cI led the effort to adopt Anaheim\u2019s first inclusionary affordable housing program, which the City Council unanimously approved,\u201d she said, mentioning the Anaheim Local Housing Trust Fund, motel conversions and new affordable housing communities around the city.<\/p>\n
Addressing housing affordability, \u201cwhich is a really big challenge in Anaheim,\u201d Aitken said, requires thinking about \u201ceveryday affordability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we have programs in place like we set up with Anaheim Contigo for people who\u2019ve lost the breadwinner in their family and need rental assistance? Seniors that need a bit of a social safety net. Those are the things as a city that we can help with and should be focusing on,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, of course, trying to address the long-term issues of building more affordable housing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next four year-term will see the completion of some multi-billion-dollar projects, including first phases of the OCVibe development<\/a> that\u2019s revamping Honda Center and the area around it as an entertainment and residential neighborhood and the first wave of the DisneylandForward theme park buildout.<\/a><\/p>\n Anaheim\u2019s mayor could inform how these regional destinations would work in tandem with each other and weigh in on transit options to get residents and tourists around.<\/p>\n Aitken said, \u201cWe need to invest in both short- and long-term transportation solutions,\u201d proffering shuttles or buses as short-term solutions to remove cars and congestion from the city\u2019s busiest areas. A long-term solution would \u201ccheaply and easily\u201d move both residents and visitors and \u201cconnect to our county and light rail systems that cross our city into other counties.\u201d<\/p>\n Sharief and Rodriguez proposed balancing exploring new transit systems for the city\u2019s largest destinations, while investing in ground-level improvements to traffic signal coordination and street infrastructure and existing transit systems.<\/p>\n Rodriguez added, \u201cTechnology should play a larger role in managing traffic during major events and peak tourism periods.\u201d<\/p>\n Anaheim officials are expecting \u201cat year\u2019s end\u201d an assessment of the 60-year-old Angel Stadium\u2019s condition. Angel Stadium is the fourth-oldest MLB stadium, and assessment results could be a key point in future lease negotiations.<\/p>\n![\"Fans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/OCR-L-ANAHEIMMAYOR-0926-50.jpg\")
Fans arrive for a home Angels game against the New York Yankees, the first game after the announcement that Stan Kroenke, who also owns the LA Rams, is acquiring a controlling interest in the Angels. Seen at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n