07 & 08 (231)
Public Comment
From:Kevin Hogan <
Sent:Tuesday, September 29, 2020 3:31 PM
To:Public Comment
Cc:Harry Sidhu (Mayor); Annie Mezzacappa; Stephen Faessel; Lucille Kring; Jose Moreno;
Jordan Brandman; Trevor O'Neil; Denise Barnes
Subject:Please Vote NO On Current Angels Deal
Dear Mayor Sidhu and Councilmembers:
As a resident and property owner in Anaheim, I urge you to vote NO on the sale of Anaheim Stadium to Arte
Moreno's organization in its current form. This deal already unnecessarily enriches Moreno at the expense of
Anaheim citizens. Now that our city is facing a severe fiscal crisis, gifting hundreds of millions of dollars to a
billionaire is unconscionable.
To begin: Moreno was already getting a substantial discount over the property's appraised value
(without a stadium in place), because the Council was proceeding from the flawed premise that keeping
Angels Baseball on the property was the only possible use for this land -- and that doing so was more
important than securing the best price for this once-in-a-lifetime, centrally-located parcel for Anaheim
and its citizens.
In a city that can't/won't replace playground equipment until we can persuade Disney or some other
sponsor to slap their name on it, giving Moreno's organization a $46.2 MILLION credit for a park on his
property is simply obscene. This is an amenity that increases the value of his property; public access will
be far more limited than to a neighborhood park. If Moreno wants to build a playpark for drunken adults
in the middle of his complex, then let him pay for it with his own money.
The Covid crisis has shown us the problems with having a city economy centered on one particular
industry. It is likely that the sports, entertainment, and leisure sectors will go through long-term changes
that we do not yet understand. Let's start working towards a diversified civic economy, rather than going
with a deal that doubles down on tying the welfare of our city and its citizens to the well-being of one
particular industry.
Please do the right thing for our city by saying NO to this deal in its current form and going back to the drawing
board for a new deal that values the welfare of Anaheim and its citizens over that of the Angels and Arte
Moreno's bottom line.
Sincerely yours,
-- Kevin Hogan
1