20130328_Public Comment'The T o Maces of Disney: word vs. deed on Anaheim Districting. Orange Juice Wage 2 of 11
Maybe I was a weird kid, but I never liked or trusted Disney. Hated Disneyland and the gigantic, grinning, overbearing
anthropomorphic animals, and didn't like Disney's films or cartoons. They just gave me the feeling, even as a kid, that they
were lying to me, covering up important things about life. Much preferred Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and, The Wizard oJ'Oz,
and the books of Lewis Carroll.
Years later, as a thirty -year old father, I came to appreciate... well, at least Mary Poppins and Dumbo. And as a tolerant
American I realize Disney brings joy to millions, employment to thousands, and contributes to Anaheim's economy
although not nearly as much as it could and should.
5o maybe I was especially qualified, when Disney released its celebrated August statement last year in support of district
elections in Anaheim, to look at it a little skeptically. The headlines in all the papers read "Disney Comes Out in Support of
District Elections!" But I read the statement closely, and several times. Here .it is, and I've taken the liberty of bolding the
third paragraph;
Dear Honorable Mayor Tait and Members of the Anaheim City Council:
Anaheim has been the home of the Disneyland Resort for nearly six decades. As the city's largest employer and an
active community partner, one of our primary areas of focus has always been what is best for the city !and its residents.
As co€ n)unities evolve, so should their policies and structures. Such is the case in Anaheim, where it is time to
consider a change in the way future city leaders are elected.
We believe that city leadership should reflect the diversity of its entire populatian. We support a city council elected
frorn districts and encourage the City of Anaheim to move from at -large elections to district voting. This shift will
allow each valued neighborhood to be represented by a local council member of their choosing. 'Though there are
many ways to accomplish this change, we believe the most responsive way would be to place a charter amendment
switching to district elections on an upcoming ballot for the voters of Anaheim to consider.
At the same time, the city could begirt an open and transparent, citywide dialogue with an independent,
unbiased and equitably distributed group of Anaheim residents to determine the number: of seats, district
boundaries, and a new governance structure for the city — one that fairly represents residents in every Anaheim
Neighborhood.
Anaheim is a culturally rich and vibrantly diverse city. We believe this change would: be a step toward an even
stronger and more prosperous Anaheim.
Sincerely,
George M. Kalogridis
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The Two Maces of Disney: word vs. deed on Anaheim Districting. I Orange Juice Page 3 of 11
President
Disneyland Resort,
So. That hit the world on the morning of August S, the day that we all knew Mayor Tait was planning to propose putting
the matter on November's ballot (just as Disney had suggested.) All the media reported this uncritically as a straightforward
endorsement for the reform, but I. couldn't help reading that third paragraph as a blueprint for procrastination, and having
it Loth ways: Disney and its allies could appear to come out on the right, progressive side of history --- in favor of
democracy and diversity — while still putting off any change for as long as possible (since the status quo is serving them SO
damn well) by the mechanism of endless endless study.
Disney's loyal council team — Sidhu replaced by
Brandman, and :Eastman and Murray.
And events since then suggest that interpretation was correct. At that evening's epic Council meeting at Anaheim High
School (which I immortalized in t�lai thy) then- council candidate Jordan Bray dman (who was to be a record recipient of
Disney contributions) read, haltingly, a speech that basically said the same thing as the statement above but in slightly
different words. And then, when the Mayor moved to put districting on the ballot, the three- rnember!Disney- supported
majority all voted N®, and instead proceeded to form the new Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) as suggested by
Disney above, but with a job description vastly expanded from what Kalogridis wrote.
This committee would be formed of ten members, two each appointed by the five council€nembers — that would be four
appointees from districting advocates Mayor `fait and Lorri Galloway, vs. six appointees from the three- member Disney -
backed majority who spore ambiguously but had just rejected Tait's districting motion. After several months of study
(which is still: ongoing) they would present their recommendations to the Council, recommendations that could be FOR or
AGAINST districting -- and then the Council could follow their recommendations or NOT. After which the question
MIGHT get put o nto the low - turnout June 2014 ballot, leaving very little time — assuming it passed -- for voters to .learn their
districts and candidates to emerge.
Meanwhile, the Disney- supported majority continued and still continues to FIGHT AGAINST the districting lawsuit, at a
cost so far to Anaheim taxpayers of $287,000. (If you've been under a rock all this time, and I hope you haven't been,
you can get a quick refresher course on the issue and. the Iawsuit from the LA. Times lama -e, written by editors who see things
somewhat like I do and are similarly leery of the council majority's intentions.)
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The Two Faces of Disney: word vs. deed on Anaheim Districting. J Orange Juice Page 5 of 11
For her part, the allegedly incompetent chairwoman Vivian ham, a 'fait appointee and district enthusiast, t the t ",)rec_o(
OC'that city staff have refused to provide relevant information, ignoring her requests for specific speakers. Pham, who also
agrees that the Committee she chairs has become nothing more than a delaying tactic, co 1� aims to roc ayn that "the
presentations we have had are €Here. fluff. 1. feel like they're distracting us from the real issue of districting... We can't make
an informed decision because they won't give us the information."
For your sake 1 hope you've missed it, but the OC blogosphere has grown a .malignant tumor in recent M. onths — a
corporatist, explicitly anti- districting blog run by wordsmith-for-hire Matt; Cunningham am which claims that the mission of
the CAC never was how to make districting happen but to look at countless other alternatives including doing nothing —
and, you know what, he has a point there, if you look at the bullet list above.
Well ... but is this really i is ey's fault?
My title dings Disney for its "two faces," for pretending to be for districting
while meanwhile secretly plotting to delay it as many years as humanly possible. But is that fair'? What if Disney really
meant what they wrote, and the Council majority took it upon themselves to sabotage things?
What if Kris Murray's clique, with its history of mammoth support from Disney and its corporate allies, with its long
dependable record of giving Disney everything its voracious heart desires, simply went rogue?
Wow, in that case, my whole Disney -with -two -faces thesis falls right apart! But, really, how credible is that scenario'?
Last August l detailed, in my celebrated post "Disrics 's ln,cest Problem," the strong personal connections between Disney
brass, uber- lobbyist Pringle, and the Council corporatists who give them everything they want. Particularly touching is the
intensely intimate relationship between Disney's "government relations executive" Carrie Nocella and the Council's Alpha
Dog Kris Murray. (Cue soft music...)
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As reported in "!Disney's Incest Problem," Nocella loves to boast. of "the power of three votes" that Disney regularly
ensures itself on the Anaheim Council, and she has threatened, on the occasions that Murray has been threatened with :recall,
that "Disney will fight with ever7thi g we have." Meanwhile the dapper (and now departed) Kalogridis, writer of the
above districting- friendly words, when warned about Carrie's rogue actions, expressed unconditional support for her and
emphasized that his only job is "protecting Disney's interests."
And it only makes good business sense that Disney and its corporate allies would prefer not to take :a chance on a new
system which could conceivably spell an end to the gravy train they've been enjoying so long — in fact from a business point
of view it would be reckless to risk such a dramatic change. Look what they've been getting from their current crop of
puppets — everything from a taxpayer - funded ,,� 30 uhillion str eta � r ja i E gr jfics.tly f ov cd _Disn �:xp rksa��3�, to:a
permanent kibbosh on any talk of a $1 gate tax to help fund community services!
So why would they want to tape a chance changing to districting? If that does happen, they'll certainly try to work it to their
advantage, but what business .minds would risk losing the current batch of sweethearts? Any thought of Disney's "pro -
districting" staternent not being disingenuous and duplicitous seems hopelessly naive.
So ... anyway ... Let's see what happens next Tuesday in court. Will the Budge continue to give the City: endless tinge for
dithering, or will his -or -her Honor move things along? I'll be there to report, and let's hope for the best!
http:// www .orangejuiceblog /03 /the- two - faces- of- dsney- word -'vs- deed- on- anaheim... 3/21/2013 -
i,al'"Je tJ}" A rer �4yci" c 409
. SOAR PAC
SOAR Advisory Committee Members
Paul Ko. tt
i
Paul Kott Realtors
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.
Todd Ament, Co -Chair
Anaheim Chamber Of Commerce and Member,
Anaheim Planning Commission
Gail Eastman, Co -Chair
Anaheim City Couneflmember
Larry Slagle, Cc -Chair
Yellow Cab of Greater Orange County
Mitchell Caldwell
President, Anaheim Neighborhood Association
L Sandy Day
Anaheim Hills Neighborhood Leader
Craig Farrow
Retired Anaheim Police sergeant
Frank & S ally Feled Batas
West Anaheim Neighborhood Leaders
Bill Gunderson
Anaheim Marriott
Jimmie m Kennedy
Former Chief, Anaheim Police Department
Carrie No cella
Disneyland Resort
G loria Ma "ae
Rancho Anaheim Nei Leader
Andrea Cranes 6C
The Fun Starts Heref
Kris Murray
Anaheim City Councilmember
Frances Noteboorn
South Anaheim Neighborhood Leader
Bill O'Connell
Stovall: Hotels of Anaheim
Stan Pawlowski
Pacific Western Bank
Pat Pepper
Chairman, Anaheim Budget Advisory
Committee
Shaun Robinson
Anaheim Milton
Reed Royalty
President, Orange County Taxpayers
Association