ANAHEIM, Calif. — Avelino Valencia meant business.

With a steely look in his eyes, as a member of the Anaheim City Council and native Anaheimer, Valencia seemed brokenhearted by the allegations of corruption against Mayor Harry Sidhu.

The FBI is investigating Sidhu on corruption, bribery and witness tampering, among other charges relating to the controversial $320 million Angel Stadium land deal.

"I'm saddened and angry," said Valencia during last night's city council meeting.

"As an Anaheim native, I can't recall such a dark day in Anaheim's history as yesterday," he said. "It's daunting, to say the least. The news that our city's mayor is under FBI investigation really put a cloud over our city. Everyone is entitled to legal defense. However, the evidence released [Monday], on tape, on audiotape by the attorney's general office makes it very clear that Mayor Sidhu has broken the law and violated his oath of office to this city."

Valencia called on Sidhu, who was not present on the dais, to resign.

"If you are watching, you have one last opportunity to do the right thing for our city. Please resign from the mayorship of the city of Anaheim," said Valencia, adding that Sidhu should focus on his legal defense.

Tuesday's city council meeting — the first time the members met since the news broke on Monday — capped off a tumultuous two days in Anaheim's City Hall. 

The allegations against Sidhu, who was the city's chief negotiator in the stadium deal, add another layer of controversy to the ongoing sale of Angel Stadium and its surrounding parking lots to Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno's development firm. 

Additionally, a longtime Sidhu proponent, former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Ament, was facing charges of making false statements to a financial institution to secure the purchase of a $1.5 million home in Big Bear. 

Spectrum News' request for comment from Ament's attorney was not returned as of press time.

The 55-page court filing, which included a federal search warrant, is akin to a political drama. The FBI worked with a cooperating witness and tapped the witness' phone conversations with Sidhu.

The FBI claims Sidhu committed bribery, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and even fraud for supposedly registering his yellow helicopter to an Arizona address to avoid paying for California sales tax.

Among some of the most serious charges, the FBI investigator alleged that Sidhu shared confidential information with representatives from the Angels "with the expectation of receiving a sizeable contribution to his reelection campaign." 

According to the investigator, Sidhu, who was elected mayor in 2018, planned to ask a senior level Angels representative for a $1 million donation once the city completed the stadium land deal. 

The money would have been placed in a political action committee to fund "mailers and television ads supporting Sidhu and/or attacking his opponents."

The city council planned to finalize the $320 million deal next month. An Orange County judge has since paused the deal.

"I believe Sidhu illustrated his intent to solicit campaign contributions, in the amount of $1,000,000, from Angels Representative 1, in exchange for performing official acts intended to finalize the stadium sale for the Angels, despite the State of California's threat to levy a multi-million dollar fine should Anaheim move forward with the deal in its current state," wrote FBI Special Agent Brian Adkins.

Sidhu could not be reached on Wednesday.

Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster told Spectrum News that city staff has not spoken to the mayor "in several days."

Sidhu is still serving as mayor as of Wednesday.

If he were to step down, the city council could appoint someone to fill the vacancy. But if they can't reach an agreement, it calls for a special election, said Lyster.

However, the city is in a unique position, given that the mayor's seat is up for election in November.

"We would look at the council and determine the best course from there," said Lyster.

The Angels did not return a Spectrum News request for comment regarding the FBI probe on Sidhu as of press time.

On Tuesday night, many city council members reacted to the developments.

"I'm devastated, heartbroken, saddened," said Councilman Stephen Faessel. "The evidence is pretty damning."

Councilwoman Gloria Ma'ae said she felt betrayed and preached trust and unity in the city government.

Councilman Jose Moreno asked the city attorney to launch an independent investigation and hire an outside firm to investigate city staff who may have participated in the mayor's alleged criminal activities. 

Several council audience members echoed Valencia's request during the public comment portion and urged Sidhu to step down. 

Mayor Pro Tem Trevor O'Neil, who led the meeting, called for residents to trust the legal process. 

"What has been shared is news to all of us," said O'Neil. "The issues raised are concerning and an issue we take very seriously. At this point, we don't know all of the facts, so we need to respect the process."