ANAHEIM, Calif. (CNS) — The advisory committee appointed by Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken to review a report on corruption at Anaheim City Hall will have its first meeting Friday.

What You Need To Know

  • The advisory committee that will review a report on corruption at Anaheim City Hall will have its first meeting Friday

  • The eight-member committee includes former Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly and former Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove
  • The 353-page report from the Laguna Niguel-based investigative firm JL Group released July 31 found a “potential criminal conspiracy” regarding $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds and alleged former Mayor Harry Sidhu and a former head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce participated in influence peddling
  • Sidhu announced his resignation, May 23, 2022, effective the following day, saying he did not want to be a “distraction” as the FBI probes allegations 

The eight-member committee includes former Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly and former Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove.

“This committee and I will begin meeting tomorrow to review and prioritize the report’s findings, invite public input, and bring recommendations forward to the council,” Aitken said in a statement released Thursday. “I know my colleagues on the City Council will also have ideas and insights into how we can improve our processes and procedures.

“Together, we will chart a course toward a more honest and transparent government,” Aitken added.

The 353-page report from the Laguna Niguel-based investigative firm JL Group released July 31 found a “potential criminal conspiracy” regarding $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds and alleged former Mayor Harry Sidhu and a former head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce participated in influence peddling.

The report detailed numerous lobbyist meetings that weren’t reported as required by the city, raised concerns about the close relationship between the city and Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, and characterized Sidhu’s signature Anaheim First initiative as “nothing more than a fig leaf for potential future public corruption and the wrongful diversion of public funds and influence peddling.”

JL Group found that $1.5 million of $6.5 million in COVID-19 recovery funds sent to Visit Anaheim was diverted by Visit Anaheim to an Anaheim Chamber of Commerce-controlled nonprofit organization and “there was a conspiracy between” Sidhu, then-Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Todd Ament and Jay Burress, the CEO and president of Visit Anaheim.

Ament pleaded guilty to four federal felonies last year as part of a deal to fully cooperate with the government.

Sidhu has not been criminally charged. He has denied wrongdoing.

Sidhu announced his resignation, May 23, 2022, effective the following day, saying he did not want to be a “distraction” as the FBI probes allegations he fed insider information to the Los Angeles Angels in the proposed sale of Angel Stadium in the hopes of a substantial campaign donation, as well as cheating on sales taxes for a helicopter he bought.

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The remainder of the committee consists of:

  • James Guziak: a labor and employment lawyer and member of the Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement District Board of Directors;
  • Paul Kott, an Anaheim business leader;
  • Ed Lopez, the president of the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees;
  • Bobby McDonald, the president of the Black Chamber of Orange County;
  • Ryan Ruelas, a member of the Anaheim Elementary School District Board of Education; and
  • Cynthia Ward, vice chair of the Orange County Cemetery District Board of Trustees