Hospitality workers want moratorium on Anaheim development deals after Angel Stadium sale called off
They want to see a halt on all city deals with developers, according to organizers.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- The deal to sell Angel Stadium for $320 million is dead after a unanimous vote late Tuesday night by the Anaheim City Council.
City of Anaheim spokesperson Mike Lyster said the city was taking steps to regain public's trust.
"We have a long process of recovery of upholding and restoring public trust, and it begins with actions that are happening now," he said. "Long road ahead of us, but these actions are early steps towards that."
A spokesperson for the former prospective buyer of the property, SRB Management, sent Eyewitness News the following statement:
"We are disappointed by Anaheim City Council's action last night regarding the Stadium Land Sale. Since the beginning, we negotiated in good faith which resulted in a fair deal. We are currently exploring all of our options."
This came after FBI agents filed an affidavit in Orange County Superior Court last week, alleging former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu shared confidential information with the Angels during the city's negotiations in hopes of getting $1 million from franchise executives to help finance what would have been his re-election campaign.
With the rest of the city council demanding the Sidhu to step down, he announced his resignation on Monday.
Unite Here Local 11, the labor union representing thousands of hospitality workers employed in Anaheim, held a rally Wednesday.
Organizer Maria Hernandez said they wanted to see a halt on all city deals with developers.
"We also are calling for an immediate moratorium on all of the city of Anaheim's pending development deals as this goes forward, because we don't know if there's more," Hernandez said.
The Angels can renew their lease with the city through 2038, but word of the uncertainty around the team's home had the city of Long Beach offering a 13-acre lot next to the convention center, which was under consideration back in 2019.
The office of the Long Beach City Manager released a statement Wednesday saying in part:
"All documents from those initial negotiations have been made public, and no negotiations have continued since those initial discussions. If the Angels are interested in continuing those initial discussions, Long Beach would reengage in those discussions and seek direction from the City Council."
After the city formally informs SRB Management of its decision to not move forward with the sale of the stadium and the surrounding property, it's expected Anaheim will ask the OC Superior Court to declare the deal invalid.
