Anaheim Council Kept in Dark on Disney Dealings

Because of potential conflicts of interest involving Disneyland, City Council members have not been briefed since January on the status of the city’s own negotiations with the Walt Disney Co. over its planned $3-billion expansion in the city.

Deputy City Manager Tom Wood said Friday that regular, closed briefings were halted on the recommendation of City Atty. Jack White after it was discovered that some council members may have exceeded annual gift limits by accepting free tickets from the theme park.

“We’re just going on blind faith right now,” said Councilman William D. Ehrle, “and that’s not a good way to do business. I’m getting no information whatsoever. It seems to me that we ought to have something a little more concrete.”

Early this year, it was feared that a council majority could be barred by state law from voting or considering any aspect of the expansion plan after gift reports showed that council members had accepted about $8,000 in free meals and tickets from the theme park.

It was at that time, Wood said Friday, that the city attorney recommended it would be “absolutely best to hold off” on any further council updates until the matter was resolved. Wood, along with attorney Thomas Winfield, heads up the city’s negotiating team and both had been providing regular briefings on the negotiations with Disney.

For the better part of this year, only Ehrle and Councilman Tom Daly stood eligible to cast votes under a state law that bars officials who accept more than $250 in gifts in a year from voting on issues involving the donor for a year.

Last month, a state Fair Political Practices Commission ruling restored a council majority by clearing Mayor Fred Hunter of any conflict, but continues to restrict the voting eligibility of Councilmen Irv Pickler and Bob Simpson.

“I understand that the staff has been legally unable to brief the council because of the conflict issue,” Daly said, “but the last few months have not been easy in terms of not having access.”

Ehrle said the situation has become particularly frustrating since no decision has been made as to how much the city will be expected to contribute in the form of public works improvements for the project.

Last estimates put that cost near $1 billion, but Ehrle said the council does not know and hasn’t been told whether those demands have changed because of the recession.

“If it isn’t feasible, we have to know so we can regroup and go in a different direction,” the councilman said. “We deserve to have more information. You can’t keep everything secret.”

In an informal slide show promoting the Disneyland Resort project that company officials presented this week to the Orange County League of Cities, Ehrle said he saw subtle changes in the World’s Fair-styled project that was originally unveiled a year ago.

“Here we are sitting with other people at the meeting and I see some things that are different. It’s looks nice, but gee, it would have been nice if we had been told about this.”

In the slide presentation, Ehrle said Disney officials were providing more detailed information about the 470-acre expansion. He said company officials had sharpened their focus on proposed exhibit areas that would feature cultural displays from China, France and Africa.

Daly said he was puzzled earlier this week after reading articles in The Times confirming that contracts to build a 30,000-vehicle parking complex for the expanded theme park had already been awarded by Disney.

During previous briefings, Daly said, it still had not been determined whether the city or Disney would be responsible for building parking facilities. Parking facility construction costs have been estimated at about $500 million.

“It makes my task more difficult, because I don’t have the information,” Daly said. “In some instances, I have less information than reporters.”

Wood said he had hoped to restart the briefings in some form by next week. During the past few months, however, Wood said there have been no urgent matters that have needed immediate council attention.

The deputy city manager said staffers have been busy preparing a state-mandated environmental study of the development which is expected to be presented to the council sometime late this summer, possibly by August.