General (26)
Susana Barrios
From:Stephanie Mercadante <burglin.stephanie@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, July 14, 2026 6:01 PM
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] On Behalf of Marc Herbert
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open
attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message.
For public comment on July 14, 2026:
Two Takes on What Accountability Looks Like
First Take- In 2018, the California Highway Patrol discovered suspicious overtime practices. Did they
investigate themselves and immediately declare everything was fine?
No - they did not.
They opened a criminal investigation, partnered with the California Department of Justice, and in 2022,
54 current and former CHP officers were criminally charged directly related to the suspicious overtime
practices.
This is what accountability looks like.
Second Take- In 2024, suspicious overtime practices prompted then Police Chief Rick Amendariz to
order a review. As part of the review, an audit was initiated to examine the overtime associated with the
Downtown Disney Police Detail. Records reflect APD Police Sgt Tony Lee was transferred out of the
Downtown Disney assignment with no explanation given.
The audit raises many questions about why Sgt. Lee was moved out of the Disney assignment: a) What
were the red flags that merited an audit?
b) When does overtime become excessive or suspicious?
c) Is there a point where overtime affects job performance?
d) What were the findings of the audit?
e) If the audit didn’t reflect any findings, why was Sgt. Lee transferred out of the Disney assignment?
This is what accountability in Anaheim looks like.
The Mayor, Council, and Staff may not have questions about the audit, but the residents do. For
instance, the audit raises questions about why Lee was removed from the assignment.
Another question in this matter is whether Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava took a personal interest in
Sgt. Tony Lee's reassignment?
If a Councilmember intervenes in an individual personnel matter, residents have the right to ask
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questions.
Did Councilmember Rubalcava attempt to influence City leadership to reverse Tony Lee's reassignment
from the Downtown Disney detail?
If so, why?
The public deserves accountability from its Mayor, Council, and Police. It can start with some answers
to these questions.
As the California Highway Patrol demonstrated, public confidence isn't built by investigating yourself.
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