You may remember that one of many consequences of Sidhu-Ament-gate was a state audit requested by Assemblyman Avelino Valencia, released earlier this year. Below is the statement Avelino sent to Council last month (to be read at the February 13 meeting.) I think it is worthwhile. Avelino will be speaking on this and other matters at the next Anaheim Democrats Club meeting Thursday night, you should maybe come! (More info further below.)
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To Anaheim City Council, February 13, 2024
RE: Release of Audit Report 2023-133 – City of Anaheim
Dear Anaheim City Council Members:
The audit I requested of the City of Anaheim (City) unveiled a prolonged lack of oversight and accountability of assessment funds. I am deeply troubled by these findings as this neglect has allowed contractual agreements to be exploited by bad actors, taking advantage of our City’s hard-earned tax dollars.
The unallowable use of tourism district assessment funds by Visit Anaheim and the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce undermines the trust that the residents of Anaheim have placed in the City to monitor tourism contracts. Furthermore, the Chamber’s misuse of public dollars to engage in lobbying and to support candidates through a Political Action Committee is a direct threat to the very fabric of our democracy.
Proactive steps by the City to invoke new ethics reforms show our residents a commitment to change. Furthermore, I support the City’s action plan to implement all of the recommendations made by the State Auditor which will ensure better contract management and oversight practices, and will prevent the abuse of taxpayer dollars in the future. In addition, future contracts between the City and outside entities should contain nepotism clauses requiring at least a disclosure when a family member of a sitting member of the council stands to financially benefit from a contract. This change will enable the Council to make informed decisions and ensure the disbursement of public dollars is merit-based.
Finally, I encourage a reform of the assessment fund distributions. The amount of unspent assessment funds has continuously increased since its inception. Excess funds could be used to bolster city services, expand our green space, and finance housing projects. Our residents deserve transparency, accountability, and the commitment to reinvestment in our communities.
In Service,
AVELINO VALENCIA
Assemblymember, 68th District.
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If you haven’t made it to an Anaheim Democrats Club meeting yet, you’ve been missing not only a lot of great food, but a lot of great information and camaraderie. You don’t have to be a Democrat to join us, as long as you agree with our constant fight against corruption and injustice, and with our belief in “Government OF, BY and FOR the People.” And also, great food.
This Thursday Assemblyman Avelino will be our speaker, not only on the corruption audit but also on Anaheim’s twin crises of education funding and affordable housing. Superintendent Mike Matsuda may also come if he can get away from a school commitment on time. And of course we’ll also discussing how to either stop, slow down, or at least MITIGATE this whole Disneyland Forward desmadre. And planning for our big June 9 fundraiser at Sharon Quirk-Silva‘s home, a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Derek Tran and Arizona Senate candidate Ruben Gallego, a couple of progressive veterans who’re running against the abysmal Michelle Steel and KARI LAKE.
And also delicious food, and possibly some singing. This is Thursday night April 4, 7 to 9 pm, at the Unitarian Church, 511 South Harbor. (It’s always the first Thursday night of each month.) They sometimes call this Club “the conscience of the OC Democrats.” See you there?
UPDATE: Avelino at the Anaheim Democrats Club
I noted on the previous post that the problem is that Anaheim’s City Council can be (indeed, has been) bought by special interests — primarily Disney. Disney only need to wait until a future Council excuses Disney from its obligations.
This is because Disney — um, I mean Anaheim — is a Charter City and the calculations that the Council makes about what is good for the city are difficult if not impossible to challenge in court. That, far more than the easy sleazy of Todd Ament, is where the city’s wealth is most effectively — oh, I don’t want to say “stolen” — gently removed from the city to serve the entity that owns the City Council majority.
Anaheim should be put into a kind of receivership and commitments made by it to Disney should be chiseled into stone, allowing courts to hold the council’s decisions to a reasonability standard where no one planted on the Council can work in its interests, and where all of the “reports” and all of the documents must be produced, reviewed, and pass muster prior to any vote. This shouldn’t be a bill of attainder against Disney, but would apply to any City Council where an entity or group of collected entities spent enough money in direct campaign contributions to elect a supplicant Council. It would also apply to that Air Show guy in Huntington Beach and others I could name.
To anyone who thinks that limiting the powers of an elected City Council is antidemocratic, I say that having a situation where past obligations can simply be forgiven by vassal council members is even more so.
I’d love to think that Avelino had it in him to work on this seriously — but there are lost of pleasant thoughts I’d like to believe, but know better.
Oh, I just thought of another exmaple.
https://voiceofoc.org/2024/04/why-did-santa-ana-pay-out-over-600k-to-settle-a-claim-alleging-the-police-union-runs-city-hall/
A story that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the hard work of Ben Camacho at KnockLA (I’ll be cross-posting and commenting on this later)
The reason there’s new (watered-down) stories about Valerie Amezcua’s police-union-backed jihad on Kristine Ridge and Police Chief Valentin is because of THIS important story from Ben Camacho. But another important part of the story is how hard it is getting to use the CPRA (California Public Records Act) and how some legislators are busy trying to weaken it even further. Read Ben: https://knock-la.com/santa-ana-mayor-amezcua-police-union-political-favors/
May I step in and remind everyone that one candidate for Lieutenant Governor, the repulsive Fiona Ma, was Serrano’s greatest enabler?
Vote for not-Ma in 2026. Beware anyone cuddling up to Ma in 2024.
Avelino and Ashleigh both endorsed Jabba the Hut. Fighting corruption for you Aitken and Valencia. Mujajajajajajaja
I have articles of clothing and my high school backpack and a Coleman cooler that are older and more trustworthy than Avelino. Little green ice boxes.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1651446132/vintage-coleman-greenwhite-metal-cooler?gpla=1&gao=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_a-home_and_living-storage_and_organization-cabinets_and_food_storage&utm_custom1=_k_EAIaIQobChMIlcXWitunhQMVgyGtBh3zQwOhEAQYAyABEgI-WPD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_12559942249_120251203620_506995192715_pla-308188611332_m__1651446132_561169009&utm_custom2=12559942249&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADtcfRKNmonv3hMBQSVTC_AjBJQzW
Education funding crisis? What’s that all about?
Either Ashleigh or Avelino knew who Amezcua was and endorsed her or didn’t know who she was and endorsed her. And either way it’s troubling. And. Ashleigh doubled down with Farrah.
You do know that in the final analysis it was between Ashleigh and Trevor O’Neil. Voting (or even endorsing as the better candidate) does not necessarily mean considering them a good or great candidate. I’ll pretend to be surprised that you can’t process that.
Mayor Aiken wears inverted (upside-down) crucifix necklace at April 2, 2024 city council meeting after boasting a couple of weeks ago about graduating from the Catholic all girls private academy in Fullerton.
That is called a Cross of St. Peter, of Petrine Cross, because when Paul was crucified he asked that it be turned upside down because he did not want to be mimicking or diminishing from the glory of Jesus’s crucifixion.
Yes, it has been appropriated by some heavy metal groups and dark arts practitioners, but actual informed Christians (like Ashley) know where it came from and how it was originally used.
You left out a whole bunch of allegedlies.
Well, there is that.
And the she went all exorcist and spun her head around and vomited a shamrock shake on Rubalcava. Lol.
It was pea soup, Eric. Did you learn nothing in college?
I saw exorcist in the theater when it came out. Eh!
Or I saw it shortly after its 73 release on the theta channel. I do recall being horribly traumatized from viewing it. You know sleeping with the lights on and checking behind doors and such cuz Satan hides behind doors and only comes out when the lights are off.
Aha, so you’re the thetan that Scientologists warned up about!
When I was interning at Legal Aid Society of Orange County in Anaheim off of Lemon St., Avelino barely reached school age.
I know what you mean. I was old once too.
“Tell me you can’t think of a worthwhile point to make without telling me &c”
It’s hard to put this comment into context without knowing your exact birthdate. And Social Security Number.
Irvine incorporation day, Swallows’ Day, St. Joseph’s Day.
They add up to 22.
The point being that I don’t believe Avelino is adequately seasoned for the role he had been cast to play. But hey, he checks some boxes.
We must work with what we have.
I made a FB live video of his portion of the meeting. I think I can embed that into the story, though not actually a comment…
https://www.facebook.com/100000418754275/videos/1389077391785654/
I prefer “seasoned”.
Lest we forget Avelino was financially supported by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association.
https://anaheiminvestigator.com/2021/06/24/campaign-backers-who-spent-39k-to-elect-councilman-avelino-got-city-owned-tickets-worth-5740/
It is not forgotten.
Avelino didn’t think they were a “threat to democracy in his hometown” when he was taking their money and taking their meetings. Somebody do a PRA and find out how many times he met with, texted with Jeff Flint. It was a lot.
Probably. He wasn’t on the sinking ship for very long and climbed into a lifeboat.
Hey, wait, the ship wasn’t sinking after all.
The Anaheim Democrat Club folkx sure gave Avelino the kid glove treatment in that video.
I have no idea why you can’t say that under your own name. Can you explain it?
I also notice that despite all the publicity this brave anonymous person didn’t show up to give Avelino hell themselves.
Public Safety Notice: The Huntington Beach Police Department will conduct a DUI Checkpoint on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Please do not drink and drive.
Icymi visit Anaheim has a new chief.
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/visit-anaheim-appoints-mike-waterman-as-president-ceo/