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APFA2023/08/29 ANAHEIM PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY REGULAR MEETING OF AUGUST 29, 2023 The Anaheim Public Financing Authority regular meeting of August 29, 2023 was called to order at 5:34 P.M. in the Council Chamber located at 200 S. Anaheim Blvd. in joint session with the Anaheim Housing and Public Improvements Authority, Anaheim Housing Authority, and the Anaheim City Council. The meeting notice, agenda, and related materials were duly posted on August 24, 2023. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairperson Ashleigh E. Aitken and Authority Members Natalie Rubalcava, Jose Diaz, Carlos A. Leon, Norma Campos Kurtz, Stephen Faessel, and Natalie Meeks STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Jim Vanderpool, City Attorney Robert Fabela, and Secretary Theresa Bass. ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO THE AGENDAS: None PUBLIC COMMENTS (all agenda items): No in-person speakers or electronically submitted public comments related to the Anaheim Public Financing Authority agenda. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS: Authority Member/Council Member Leon stated that he was looking forward to additional discussions regarding the recommendations from the JL Group report. In addition, he requested to agendize an item to strengthen or establish a code of conduct for the City Council. He also requested more information regarding the City's internal audit process. He invited District 2 business owners to a business community meeting on Wednesday, August 30th, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Mama Cozza's restaurant to discuss different information and resources available for businesses. He shared that the Police Department, Public Utilities Department, and Code Enforcement will be in attendance to answer questions on how assistance can be provided to businesses in District 2. He also invited residents to a coffee event on Thursday, August 31st at the Magnolia/Lincoln Starbucks from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the senior appreciation day and resource fair at Modjeska Park on September 23rd from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Authority Member/Council Member Leon also congratulated the Central Library on their 60`h Anniversary and noted he was able to attend their event and interacted with many community members over the weekend. He attended the One-Year Anniversary celebration of District 2's Little Arabia designation and stated that he looks forward to the completion of the Brookhurst Corridor study later this year. Authority Member/Council Member Leon highlighted and displayed photographs recognizing House of Mandi located off Brookhurst Street as the August restaurant of the month. The restaurant is a great spot for authentic Middle Eastern food from Yemin because they have fresh ingredients, great desserts, and coffee as well. He invited everyone to visit the House of Mandi. For the business of the month, he recognized Blue Bell Nursery. The business owners, Jack and Arlene, have been part of the community for over 60 years. He shared that he remembers walking past their nursery every day to and from Maxwell Elementary School. He shared that Jack and Arlene requested that a second business also be recognized, and Authority Member/Council Member Leon recognized Starbread Bakery located off Ball Road, which is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Anaheim Public Financing Authority Minutes of August 29, 2023 Page 2 of 8 Authority Member/Council Member Kurtz stated that the JL Group investigation findings are of the utmost importance and will get the attention needed to ensure appropriate and very necessary changes. The City continues its operations, and all residents and businesses will continue to receive the services they deserve in this great City. She stated that employees need to know their work is appreciated, and they are valued. To that end, she thanked the Public Utilities, Police, Fire and Rescue, and Public Works departments for their work in making sure the City was safe and prepared for the storm. Authority Member/Council Member Kurtz highlighted and shared photographs of Tocumbo Ice Cream, which is located at Euclid Street and Ball Road and is owned by Anaheim residents Jennifer and Ricky Quiroz. They pride themselves on using fresh ingredients and being authentic to the Mexican culture. She invited everyone to visit Tocumbo Ice Cream to cool down and get a wonderful "paleta." Authority Member/Council Member Faessel thanked residents who spoke during public comments and the three who contacted him by email. He stated that he finds it troubling that a fellow Council Member would infer that he should resign. He stated that the feeding frenzy would have him charged, convicted, and sentenced before having any opportunity to be heard. He shared that his passion for the City and community involvement spans over 50 years, and his reputation as a volunteer and community leader was well founded before he ever contemplated an elected life. He was shocked, stunned, and angered when he read the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) allegations regarding Todd Ament and former Mayor Harry Sidhu's actions. He shared that he has known Mr. Ament for 30 years and knew his father. To him, this betrayal was both professional and personal. Authority Member/Council Member Faessel stated that some residents have claimed that he was complicit in their criminal behavior. He displayed a slide with two statements of fact from former Mayor Sidhu's guilty plea agreement with the United States District Attorney's Office, which indicated that. Mr. Sidhu and Mr. Ament conducted their illegal actions in secret. He stated that met fully and freely with the City's investigators and answered every question, and the blame for the corruption lies in the bad actors, not in those who were unaware of their corrupt activities. Authority Member/Council Member Faessel stated that he didn't blame Chairperson/Mayor Aitken for the criminal actions of Melahat Rafiei who managed her first Mayoral campaign. But when Chairperson/Mayor Aitken stated that she knew nothing about Ms. Rafiei's criminal activities, he extended to her the benefit of the doubt and believed that she spoke the truth and he still believes that her claim is true. He stated that he didn't need to read a plea agreement to believe that the Mayor was unaware of Ms. Rafiei's criminal activity. The statements of fact from Mr. Sidhu's plea agreement make it clear that neither he nor the rest of the City Council had any knowledge of Mr. Sidhu and Mr. Ament's illegal acts. Recent news articles indicate that he received an invitation via his personal email to attend three consecutive mock City Council meetings with members of the Angel's Organization or SRB Management staff three years ago. While there is evidence that the email was indeed sent, he has no personal recollection of participating in those three meetings nor any record of having attended them. He does recall having met with Angels Baseball representatives on September 23, 2020 and announced that he had met with them at the following September 29, 2020 Council meeting. He recalled former Council Members Kring and Barnes stating they also met with representatives of Angels Baseball a few days before the September 29th City Council meeting. Former Council Member Moreno also stated that he had met with Angels Baseball representatives a few months before. Those types of meetings are standard and acceptable and are held when an applicant's request is about to go to a public hearing. He has similar meetings with representatives of the Anaheim Ducks to learn about the OCV!be project. As pointed out by former Council Member O'Neil in a recent Orange County (OC) Register article, he had participated in agenda review meetings with one or two Council colleagues to discuss important agenda items. These types of meetings are legal under the Brown Act, ethical, and common not just for City Councils but all levels of I I Anaheim Public Financing Authority Minutes of August 29, 2023 Page 3 of 8 government. One recent OC Register article mentioned that three elected officials signed a letter referring to mock City Council meetings as a preordained plan. The officials demanded the immediate resignation of any elected official or City staff member who were influenced by this preordained plan. Authority Member/Council Member Faessel stated that he would like to go on record to say that he has never been influenced by a preordained plan, certainly not by a series of meetings that look like they may never have been held. As far as the Angels Baseball stadium sale, he based his decision on the following: First, the City of Anaheim commissioned two stadium property appraisals that valued the property at around $320 and $325 million respectively. Predicated upon the fact that the stadium retains 12,500 parking spaces. The critics of the deal overstated the property value by millions. None of those critics were appraisers involved in the valuation or sale of a professional sports stadium. The property valuations the City commissioned came from two licensed firms with experience in accessing the value of sports and entertainment properties and those appraisers were also commissioned by two different City Councils, two different City Managers, and two different Mayors. Second the plan included adding several acres of parks to District 5. District 5 possesses nearly the least park acreage in the entire City. Authority Member/Council Member Faessel shared that he has been championing city parks since the day he was elected. His first action as an elected official on December 13, 2016 was to request a comprehensive parks plan. Thereafter, he worked with former Council Member Barnes, City staff, and a consultant to publish the Anaheim Parks Plan. He shared that he was proud to say that more recently, he pushed for the City and Anaheim Union High School District to agree to reopen some of the athletic fields, including the one at Sycamore Junior High School. He pushed for the agreement despite the school district demanding it receive $50,000 in annual payments so Anaheim taxpayers and their children could use the fields. Third, between 2000 and 2004 he served on the General Plan Advisory Committee from which the Platinum Triangle plan evolved. He shared that he looks forward to what he anticipates will be a vibrant, walkable, in-services-rich neighborhood that uses the stadium as its center hub. During the 2008 economic crisis, he was then serving on the Planning Commission and saw the loss of development funding and the Platinum Triangle was no longer financially viable. At the time, the nearest grocery and shopping options were across the Santa Ana River in the City of Orange or up State College Boulevard at South Street. Today, the Platinum Triangle is still a food and shopping desert. Fourth, SRB Management agreed to a community workforce agreement, meaning Anaheim's building trade residents would have local employment only a few minutes from their homes. He stated that he firmly believes that community workforce agreements have improved the quality of life for his neighbors since 2019 when he worked with a Council colleague to bring an agreement to Anaheim. Authority Member/Council Member Faessel shared that he recently was a strong voice at the Metropolitan Water District to enact its own project labor agreement. His support, incidentally of the community workforce agreement is a significant reason his political party refused to endorse him in his 2020 reelection. Fifth, the stadium deal would have brought about 1,000 units of affordable housing to Anaheim. Some of the units are for very low- and low- income families. He noted those units are incredibly difficult to build in Orange County, almost impossible. He voted yes on every affordable housing project brought before him as both a Planning Commissioner as well as a City Council Member and will continue to do so. Finally, he always looked to attract employers based on the tax revenue they bring to the City. That is why he is such a staunch and unapologetic supporter of Disney and the Resort District. The Resort District is responsible for over 50,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenues. The Transient Occupancy Tax alone is over half of the City's General Fund. He referenced the dire financial straits the City was in due to the 2020 pandemic and the uncertainty of the effects on City services. The redevelopment of the stadium property combined with OCV!be, St. Joseph Hospital, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), and UCI Medical Center would have created another huge economic engine for the City. The City's financial foundation would have Anaheim Public Financing Authority Minutes of August 29, 2023 Page 4 of 8 been built on three diverse pillars, the Resort District, the Anaheim Canyon Train Station, and the Platinum Triangle. The project would have attracted young professionals to live in the Platinum Triangle communities. Those professionals would then look north to the neighborhoods along State College Boulevard, Sunkist Street, and Rio Vista Street to buy their starter homes when they were ready to have families. He mentioned the benefits of the stadium deal had it been successful, however, he voted in unity with the rest of the City Council to terminate the agreement and called for Mr. Sidhu's resignation when the FBI revelations became known in May 2022. He stated that in every one of those votes, he voted for what was right because Mr. Sidhu and Mr. Ament proved to be cancers in the community. Their criminal action spoiled a fantastic opportunity because they used their power and position to take advantage of residents and they deserve their punishments. The focus now should rest solely on working together to regain public trust and set Anaheim back on a solid foundation, not on attacking each other. He recommended moving forward and working together to prevent those dark days from happening again. Authority Member/Council Member Faessel stated that he appreciates the reform items that Mayor Pro Tern Rubalcava agendized for later this evening. However, the second most important recommendation listed in the JL Group to reform the Mayor's role in Anaheim and return the City back to its chartered City Council/City Manager form of governance is missing. All of this started because Anaheim Mayors were becoming more influential. Authority Member/Council Member Faessel mentioned Anaheim mayoral campaigns can reach into the multi-millions of dollars and shared his intent to agendize a discussion item to consider changing the City Charter back to an appointed Mayors position similar to several southern California communities. He expects there will be a robust discussion and asked City Council Members if they are brave enough for this type of reform. He hopes to use this opportunity to continue creating policies that meet our community's affordable housing needs, improve the quality of lives for residents, and strengthen the City's economic foundation so that Anaheim can thrive for more generations. Authority Member/Council Member Meeks stated that it is clear from the findings of the FBI and the JL Group investigation that unethical and criminal behavior occurred by the former Mayor and former CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. Whether their motive was power or greed there is no excuse for violating the public's trust and misusing public funds. She condemned their actions and believed they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. She remained committed to moving this City forward in an open and transparent way. Authority Member/Council Member Meeks was in support of implementing thoughtful sensible reforms that will protect the City from future corruption and unethical behavior. She did not support rash un-informed actions because she feels decisions need to be thoughtful and accurate. She noted reform has taken place and mentioned a high-powered official has been identified and removed from office. She believed that after two years of an FBI investigation, and $1.5 million spent on an internal investigation, the truth has been uncovered. She stated that is not the tip of the iceberg, it is the iceberg. There is no evidence from the FBI or the JL Group that would indicate the story is bigger than it is. She is supportive of reforms that will help protect the City from unethical and or criminal behavior, but she will not be supportive of criticisms to appear as if reform is taking place. Authority Member/Council Member Meeks stated that she supports the members of this City Council, the City Manager, and the Executive Team and believes that they can help move the City forward. She stated that she even supports some of the ideas championed by the former Mayor, although not the way they were implemented. She supports the emergency homeless shelter that was opened quickly after the former Mayor was elected. The shelter allows for dozens of people to be served in the coldest months and returns parks to the tax-paying residents. She mentioned she did not support implementing contracts that personally benefited anyone or didn't provide full value for the funds being expended. She is in support of investing $250 million in neighborhoods over the next ten years with input from the Anaheim Public Financing Authority Minutes of August 29, 2023 Page 5 of 8 community but does not support implementation of an outside process, outside of competitive bidding. She supports keeping the Angels in Anaheim but does not support a negotiation that is done in secret. She supports a negotiation process that includes transparency and an open conversation. Furthermore, she believes in scheduling a special meeting or several meetings to discuss and act on reforms as a good path forward. This way the Council can take their time to explore and understand all issues and options. This will allow for adequate research and educated recommendations. It will allow the public to review proposed actions and provide input. Having these special meetings agendized will also allow Council to stay on task at regular meetings and keep moving forward with the business of the City which is serving the people of Anaheim. Vice-Chairperson/Mayor Pro Tern Rubalcava thanked members of the public and City Council colleagues who provided remarks. She thanked Community Services for all their work during the celebration of Chicano Heritage Month. She also recognized the Anaheim Public Library for implementing an educational element for Chicano Heritage Month which has a longer lasting impact in the community. Vice-Chairperson/Mayor Pro Tern Rubalcava announced a new mural planned at Little People's Park to recognize and solidify the Chicano heritage in that area. September is suicide awareness month and in collaboration with Authority Member/Council Member Kurtz, and Anaheim High School an event will be hosted for youth. For more information, she encouraged residents to reach out to the District 3 office. Vice- Chairperson/Mayor Pro Tern Rubalcava shared that longtime District 3 resident Albert Hernandez passed away on August 16`h. She also recognized Loretta Louise Negrete, a lifelong resident of the City, and shared that she grew up with her three sons. Ms. Negrete graduated from Anaheim High School and her husband worked for the City's Public Works Department for 30 years. Vice-Chairperson/Mayor Pro Tern Rubalcava read Ms. Negrete's obituary as follows: "In memory of Loretta Negrete who was born on October 14, 1958. She has left a long-lasting impact on the lives of those who have held her dear. She was a devoted wife to her beloved husband Joe Negrete and a nurturing mother to her three sons Joe, Louie, and Cesar. Loretta's role as a grandmother brought immense joy to her heart as she cherished her five grandchildren, Joseph, Jordan, Jacob, Diego, and Nico. Her family circle extended to include two cherished daughters-in-law, Christina and Stacie. Her love and influence were not confined to her immediate family, she shared strong bonds with her sisters, Helen and Debra. Her legacy lives through the nieces and nephews who were touched by her kindness and guidance. Loretta's journey has come to an end; however, her honor will always be remembered." Vice- Chairperson/Mayor Pro Tern Rubalcava shared that she spent many years with Ms. Negrete and also benefited from her kindness and she wanted to ensure the City recognized someone who has contributed so much to the City of Anaheim with this memory. She requested that the meeting close in memory of Loretta Negrete. Authority Member/Council Member Diaz stated that he has lived near Beach Boulevard for more than 20 years and raised his kids there. He has always listened to politicians promising to clean up the area with no results. After Propositions 47 and 57 passed, he decided to run for office to clean up Beach Boulevard. He shared that on July 1, 2023, California Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 357, the Safer for All Act, which allows the solicitation of prostitution to be legal. This allows for resources to help the women involved with prostitution. Additionally, the amount of phone call complaints and crime surrounding Beach Boulevard has diminished by 90%. He shared that remediation work has started at the vacant lot at the corner of Beach Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue and construction will commence soon. Authority Member/Council Member Diaz stated that his concentration and commitment to the residents who elected him is to continue cleaning up and improving Beach Boulevard for the future. He highlighted and displayed photographs of El Rancho Meat Market. The market is open every day from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 Anaheim Public Financing Authority Minutes of August 29,2023 Page 6 of 8 p.m. and mentioned the owner is always there working long hours. They offer a great selection of food, produce, and meat and offer great prices and excellent customer service. He shared that the working class does their grocery shopping there because the prices at El Rancho Meat Market are more affordable compared to big supermarkets. El Rancho Meat Market is located at 221 South Magnolia Street. Authority Member/Council Member Diaz encouraged everyone to support local businesses because most owners work tremendous amounts of hours to support their families. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken highlighted and displayed photographs of events she participated in. She thanked the Economic Development Department team for the amazing tour of the Brookhurst Street Corridor. The community was invited out there to walk the area, give ideas moving forward, and make sure it is a plan that benefits the community at large. While in the area she was able to stop by Cortina's Italian Market, one of her favorite places. She highlighted Cortina's has walls of olive oil, amazing desserts, and is an amazing family business. She also shared that Yesenia Rojas invited her to participate in an event where the Governor of Guanajuato, Mexico Diego Sinhue Rodriguez Vallejo and former Mexico President Vicente Fox participated in a ceremony where Anaheim residents were able to obtain their dual citizenship and participate fully in some of the elections and benefits of citizenship in Mexico. She attended the one-year anniversary of the Little Arabia designation at House of Mandi, a local Yemeni restaurant. It was wonderful to see the excitement in the community and the pride in their culture. She looks forward to working with everyone as the City moves forward with the Brookhurst Street Corridor. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken shared that she would like for immigrants to know that they are welcome in Anaheim, whether they have been here a while or are new to the City. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken stated she was concerned that she was going to hear from dais and people in the community that the City should just move forward and not address any of the problems that were in the JL Group report. She clarified that she was not willing to do that and as far as one of her City Council colleagues is concerned, she was very thoughtful not to mention a name in her statement. What she asked was that if the certain Council Member has information or participated in something that was outlined in the FBI and Attorney General corruption probe, that Council Member should come forward and shed light and information on what has been done and if in fact those things were done, that the certain Council Member should resign. She stated that she stands by her statement. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken stated that she is worried that everyone is focusing on what is illegal and legal and not also acknowledging that there is a duty to do what is ethical. Council Members should hold themselves to a higher standard. She stated that laws were broken and the fact that people were using their personal emails, avoiding government records, and not turning over personal emails either in lawsuits, Brown Act lawsuits, and California Records Act requests is against the law. She stated that having meetings, discussions, rehearsed meetings with Council colleagues, and not listening to public comment, might not be illegal but it is certainly unethical. When there is a group of Council Members getting together with the sole purpose of coordinating an attack on a Council colleague, that may not be illegal, but it is certainly unethical. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken stated that she couldn't believe that half of the reforms had to be placed on the agenda, but clearly, the City must right some wrongs. As the City moves forward, she does not mind that she is not acknowledged for some of the reforms she brought forward because what she cares about is getting things done. She was born and raised in the City, she loves the City, and she is not going to brush the investigation under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken stated that she has a problem when the only reform brought forward by a Council colleague since the JL Group report came out was to go after the first female elected Mayor. She commented that there is a saying in Spanish, "Dime con quien andas, y to dire quien eres," which translates to "Tell me who you walk with and that shows me who you are." She stated there is a problem with someone who is only aligned with special interests, a Anaheim Public Financing Authority Minutes of August 29, 2023 Page 7 of 8 corrupt Mayor, and the only suggestion to make this City a better place is to go after somebody who is advocating for reform. CITY MANAGER'S UPDATE: City Manager Vanderpool shared that on Saturday, September 9th, the Community Services Active Older Adult program will be co-hosting a Care Giver Workshop in collaboration with A.A.R.P. and Congressman Lou Correa's Office at the Downtown Anaheim Community Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This workshop is designed to provide information, resources, and supportive services to residents who are caring for their aging family members and people of all ages with intellectual and physical disabilities. Multiple speakers will cover information on systems of support and will be available to answer any questions attendees may have. This workshop is free. For registration or any additional information, please contact Janet Brown with Congressman Lou Correa's Office at (714) 401-2834. Remediation work at 39 Commons has begun on-site. Earlier this month, the Orange County Health Care Agency approved a cleanup plan for the Davis Mudd Pitt, a former landfill along the western edge of the property. Removal of soil will take place over the coming months, and new soil will be brought in to prepare the site for the first phase of retail development. City staff is working with the developer, 39 Commons Partners on the submittal of plans to plan-check. The first phase of retail will consist of new eateries and shops. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2024. City Manager Vanderpool stated that the Public Works Department was phenomenal during the recent storm. Public Works distributed over 40 tons of sand (2,500 sandbags) helping residents and businesses in preparation for the storm. The Public Works, Police, and Fire and Rescue departments responded to 117 calls for service of which 108 were calls for down trees and branches. Staff also collected over 120 tons of debris from the storm. The Public Works team was on hand to take care of the community during the storm and will continue to provide excellent services to the City. At 7:35 P.M., Mayor/Chairperson Aitken recessed the City Council, Anaheim Housing and Public Improvements Authority, and Anaheim Housing Authority to address the Public Financing Authority agenda. CONSENT CALENDAR: At 7:35 P.M., the consent calendar was considered. MOTION: Authority Member Meeks moved to approve the consent calendar as presented, in accordance with reports, certifications, and recommendations furnished each authority member and as listed on the consent calendar, seconded by Authority Member Faessel. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES — 7 (Chairperson Aitken and Authority Members Rubalcava, Diaz, Leon, Kurtz, Faessel, and Meeks); NOES — 0. Motion carried. R100 1. RESOLUTION NO. APFA-2023-003 A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ANAHEIM PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY amending the dates and times for regular meetings of the Authority for the 2023 calendar year and rescinding Resolution No. APFA-2023-002 (rescheduling the meeting of September 19 to September 12, 2023). Anaheim Public Financing Authority Minutes of August 29, 2023 Page 8 of 8 PFA187 2. Approve minutes of the Public Financing Authority meeting of March 28, 2023. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to conduct, without objection, Chairperson Aitken adjourned the meeting of the Anaheim Public Financing Authority at 7:36 P.M. Respectfully submitted, #Theresa ,s, CMC Secretary, Anaheim Public Financing Authority