Anaheim officials are still waiting to let the public see what condition Angel Stadium is really in as state auditors gear up to take a detailed look at the Angel’s lease agreement.
Despite spending $325,000 on their own maintenance review of Angel Stadium – one announced two years ago – officials now say it is still a long way from being completed with a contract only being approved in May 2023.
The state audit is the latest investigation to pop up in Anaheim after FBI agents made their presence in the city public with sworn affidavits that detail efforts by former Mayor Harry Sidhu to try and get a $1 million in campaign support from the Angels in exchange for ramming through the land sale.
[Read: State Auditors to Investigate Angel Stadium Lease And Canned Land Sale]
The state auditor’s review comes as at least three city council members have disclosed private meetings with Angel leaders in recent months to discuss the lease and the future of the relationship between Anaheim and the Major League team.
Last month, city leaders also agreed to pay the Angels $2.75 million for the collapse of the stadium deal in the wake of the corruption scandal.
Now, questions remain if those same city leaders are ready to play hard ball with Angels executives and team owner Arte Moreno in terms of fixing up the stadium – even as the expected findings of their stadium assessment, and now a state audit, could help them do just that.
[Read: Who’s on the Hook for Angel Stadium Repairs?]
“The relationship between the city and and the Angels would not inspire a lot of confidence in holding feet to the fire,” Jodi Balma, a Fullerton College Political Science professor, said in a Thursday afternoon phone call about the audit.
Former City Councilman Jose Moreno – no relation, who called for the city assessment before he left office two years ago, said he has limited confidence in the city council to hold the Angels accountable for repairs, pointing in part to last month’s legal settlement.
Moreno also said the continued lack of a public facing process following the corruption scandal when it comes to stadium talks smacks of “business as usual” in Anaheim and welcomed the audit, adding that the Angels have not met their maintenance obligations.
“It’s very clear that the city council is conducting business in a way that is first decided on in executive conference rooms before it comes out to the public,” he said. “I don’t think any of them have done any public meetings to discuss the future of the stadium and or to update the people of Anaheim on the current conditions.”
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said in a text message Monday that the city has made significant reforms to make Anaheim the “most transparent city in the region.”
“We welcome our state partners to join us and have an extra set of eyes on our audits, and will work hand in hand with the state auditor to make sure they have access to the information they need,” she wrote.
Aitken also said there are no current negotiations underway with the Angels.
“I am always open to speak with the Angels, but any deal must be open, transparent and in the best interest of the Anaheim taxpayers, the owners of the land,” she wrote.
She did not answer questions on whether she believed the Angels had lived up to their maintenance obligations and if she would support using the property assessment to force the Angels to make repairs.
Under the lease agreement, the Angels are responsible for maintenance of the stadium.
“Tenant will maintain the Baseball Stadium in good condition and repair subject to ordinary wear and tear at its sole expense,” reads the lease. “The standard of maintenance to which Tenant will adhere in the maintenance of the Baseball Stadium will be at least equal to first class professional baseball stadium.”
Who is Responsible for Fixing Angel Stadium?
Former Republican Mayor Tom Tait said in a Thursday phone call that the audit will clarify what he believes is written in plain spoken English in the lease agreement – the Angels are responsible for any maintenance of the stadium.
“Any work that needs to be done on deferred maintenance is their responsibility,” he said, adding he is hopeful elected officials will use their commissioned assessment to get the Angels to pay for any needed repairs.
Not everyone agrees.
Former City Councilman James Vanderbilt said in a Friday morning phone interview that the language of the agreement is vague and the team has met its obligations.
“It doesn’t really spell out what maintenance means, and so it’s open for interpretation and I guess the problem is when you have that kind of ambiguity and I guess enough lawyers,
you can argue that you did fulfill your obligation,” he said.
Vanderbilt added that the definition of a first-class stadium has changed.
“If you wanted to hold the Angels’ feet to the fire, then they’ve got a tall order to fill to meet that first class stadium status and I don’t know if there’s a definitive definition that the Major League Baseball defines that as,” he said.
In October 2022, City Attorney Rob Fabela shared similar sentiments to Tait.
“If there’s a number out there that represents the amount of capital repairs and improvements needed to maintain Angel Stadium in good condition repair equal to a first class professional baseball stadium, Angels are responsible for that – subject to the capital reserve contribution the city makes,” he said at the time.
Over the years, the Angels in communications with the city estimated the stadium needs $150 million in upgrades and wants the city to help pay for it.
Marie Garvey, a spokeswoman for the Angels, said in a Thursday text message that Angels Baseball is in full compliance with the lease.
“We have spent approximately seven times more than what the lease requires in capital improvements and maintenance,” Garvey wrote.
When asked if the team would follow the recommendations of the auditors once the probe was over, Garvey reiterated that the team is in full compliance with the lease.
According to an Oct. 25 city staff report, the Angels have spent $54.5 million on capital repairs and improvements on the stadium since 2002 – $12.3 million of that money came from the city.
Between 2012-2019, the Angels spent roughly $30 million on the stadium, according to building permits at the time. But more than half of that money was used on items that benefit the team like a scoreboard.
Are the Angels Batting in a First-Class Stadium?
The audit is not the first time elected officials questioned if the Major League ballclub is making good on the end of the lease and maintaining the city-owned stadium at a world class level.
After the FBI affidavits, city officials decided to cancel the proposed land sale in May of 2022 and months later went on to call for an assessment of the stadium’s condition and maintenance needs as a basis for future deals and to hold the team accountable for repairs.
Almost two years since the assessment was first requested by city officials a final report has still not been completed.
“The assessment has seen early, initial work and awaits more extensive onsite analysis in coming months. We are some time from having a completed report,” City Spokesman Mike Lyster said in a Wednesday email.
Elected officials are staying relatively quiet on the issue.
City Councilman Carlos Leon sent a statement to Voice of OC Thursday welcoming the state audit and looking forward to its findings.
“This is not just about our stadium; it’s also about upholding the principles of good governance that our community expects and deserves,” reads the statement.
Leon did not answer questions on whether he believed the Angels had lived up to their maintenance obligations, if he would support using the property assessment to force the Angels to make repairs or if it was time to revisit the lease or a land sale.
The rest of the city council did not respond to requests for comment on the audit, the stadium lease and the stadium assessment Thursday.
Meanwhile, Lyster said in his email the last full city audit of the lease in 2018 found the team was in compliance with the agreement.
He added, “There are no long term stadium talks underway.”
But elected officials have been meeting with the Angels.
Last month, City Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz met with Angels executives to talk about the status of the lease and in March to talk about the stadium, according to her calendar published on the city website.
In June, Councilman Jose Diaz met with Angel executives to talk about the future of the relationship between the team and the city, according to his calendar.
In March, Councilwoman Natalie Meeks met with Angel leadership to discuss reviewing the stadium contract, according to her calendar.
All the other council members have also met with Angel executives at least once this year, according to their calendars.
In June, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce held their annual luncheon at Angel Stadium with elected officials present.
Negotiating a Stadium Deal: Anaheim & The Angels
After the scandal broke in 2022, Sidhu resigned from the city council the same day the deal was nixed and in 2023 the former mayor pleaded guilty to corruption charges.
[Read: Ex-Anaheim Mayor Sidhu Agrees to Plead Guilty to Corruption Charges]
In his plea agreement, Sidhu admitted to sharing confidential information, including a city appraisal with former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Ament to give to Angels representatives and deleting emails about the stadium deal to impede an FBI probe.
One of those emails laid out preparation for a mock city council meeting to defend the sale of the stadium.
[Read: Could The Angels Soon Be Playing Baseball Without A Stadium Lease in Anaheim?]
Even with the corruption scandal, Angels owner Arte Moreno pushed for the land sale to go through before announcing in August 2022 he was looking to sell the team.
On January 23, 2023, Moreno pulled the team off the auction block – the same day Aitken told the Voice of OC she was open to discuss a new land sale.
A day later, the city officials secretly rejected a transparency lawsuit settlement that would have made them commit to negotiating any future Angel Stadium deal in public view.
Editor’s note: Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s board of directors.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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