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<\/p>\n
Anaheim<\/a> 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\u2019s resignation if the claims are substantiated and another requesting a special closed-session meeting on threatened litigation.<\/p>\n Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz said she stands with Councilwoman Natalie Meeks in demanding an expedited investigation, and that she would ask for the mayor\u2019s resignation if the allegations prove true.\u00a0<\/p>\n The allegations, raised repeatedly during public comment, center on claims that Aitken called her chief of staff Berenice Ballinas a \u201cdirty Mexican\u201d and made derogatory comments about her perceived sexual orientation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI am a Mexican, an East LA Mexican raised to be proud of who I am and where I came from,\u201d Campos Kurtz said. \u201cGrandfathers 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<\/a> 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The mayor has denied wrongdoing and said she welcomes an independent investigation to clear her name.<\/p>\n \u201cI need this independent investigation to clear my name, and I really welcome it because that is what a democracy is all about,\u201d Aitken said. \u201cYou are innocent until you are proven guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilwoman Kristen Maahs said there is \u201cno room for racism in our city, period,\u201d and that she awaits the facts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Councilman Ryan Balius said he believes in innocence until guilt is proven and suggested the mayor consider canceling public appearances while the investigation proceeds.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve obviously got some pain out in the community, and maybe it\u2019s a good idea to suspend the public calendar until the investigation is over,\u201d Balius said. \u201cI do ask that it is an independent investigation, and I ask for it to be expedited as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Campos Kurtz asked City Attorney Robert Fabela to schedule a special meeting before the council\u2019s 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\u2019s open-meeting law, either the mayor or a majority of the council may call such a meeting.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Anaheim officials released a redacted copy Ballinas\u2019 recently filed legal claim alleging the mayor had a drinking problem and fostered a hostile workplace that included racial and homophobic slurs.<\/p>\n Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster issued a statement saying the claim, which the city received Sept. 22, was being released publicly as officials are \u201cbalancing openness on an issue involving the city\u2019s mayor and our responsibility to all involved.\u201d<\/p>\n Portions of the claim were redacted to \u201cprotect personnel, medical and some third- party name references that raise privacy concerns, along with attorney-client information,\u201d Lyster said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnaheim takes all claims seriously. Our process is moving forward, with engagement of an independent, experienced investigator expected to be finalized soon,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cAn independent investigation is expected to take place over the next few months.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are looking for a comprehensive, impartial review that balances expediency with due process,\u201d Lyster said. \u201cBeyond that, we want to respect all involved and will share any additional updates as appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n A legal claim is a formal precursor to a lawsuit against a government.<\/p>\n Serving as the mayor\u2019s chief policy analyst since December 2022, Ballinas\u2019 claim alleges that she was hired to advise Aitken \u201con policy, advance governmental initiatives, coordinate with public agencies and community partners, advocate for the city\u2019s interests, and help deliver results for city residents.\u201d But instead, she \u201cwas progressively required to assume substantial additional responsibilities arising from the mayor\u2019s personal conduct and crises that bore no reasonable relationship to the professional position Claimant had been hired to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201c(Ballinas) was subjected to repeated harassment, discrimination, demeaning, intrusive questioning concerning her perceived sexual orientation, her Mexican heritage and her Catholic faith,\u201d the claim alleges.<\/p>\n A range of city officials, employees and \u201coutside stakeholders\u201d were well aware of the Aitken\u2019s \u201calcohol\u00a0consumption and her resulting condition and behavior from their own personal observations,\u201d the claim contends. \u201cAdditionally, (Ballinas) repeatedly communicated her concerns to members of city leadership and sought assistance. However, rather than establishing an effective mechanism that relieved (Ballinas)\u00a0of \u2018responsibilities\u2019 outside of her job description that she\u00a0lacked 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The claims\u2019s court filing is available online via tinyurl.com\/4kkpy9ex<\/a>.<\/p>\n