Disney Ride Ends for Angels With Accord Reached

The city of Anaheim and Walt Disney Co. apparently have reached an agreement that would clear the way for the entertainment giant to buy the Angels and fund most of a renovation of Anaheim Stadium.

The accord, reached after months of roller-coaster negotiations, is expected to be endorsed by the City Council today. A news conference to be attended by Disney, city and team officials is scheduled to take place immediately after a special council meeting.

Both sides were reluctant to share details of the negotiations, but City Councilman Bob Zemel characterized the proposal as a lopsided deal that would give Disney control of virtually all stadium revenues, block the NFL from playing at the Big A this fall and force the city to settle for a shorter lease than the 30-year commitment they had been seeking.

Under the deal, Disney will put up $70 million toward a $100 stadium renovation, and the city will pay the rest. But Zemel said the city would be hard-pressed to recoup its share of renovation costs after essentially ceding Disney the stadium revenues from tickets, parking, concessions, ballpark advertising and the stadium’s name.

The proposal also would exempt Disney Sports Enterprises from any future sports taxes the city might want to impose, Zemel said.

“If there was any way that the taxpayers would be paid back, then I would be for this deal. But clearly there aren’t any revenue streams here,” Zemel said while attending the Angel home-opener Tuesday.

Zemel’s view of the proposal was in marked contrast to Mayor Tom Daly’s opinion that the deal was good for the team and the community.

“This agreement will be a fair deal for the taxpayers and it will bring new energy to Anaheim Stadium and the surrounding area,” Daly said, declining to elaborate on the proposed agreement. “It will be good for Anaheim and good for the local economy.”

Councilman Lou Lopez also was optimistic, saying, “We definitely want Disney to be the eventual owner. I’m hoping that we will have a deal that will meet both the city’s and Disney’s needs.”

If an agreement is reached today, Disney would follow through on plans to buy 25% and operational control of the Angels. The company would have the option of taking over full ownership after the death of owner Gene Autry, 88.

The deal, which would transform the Big A into a more intimate, baseball-only facility, would further boost Disney’s financial stake in the city. The company operates Disneyland and the Mighty Duck hockey team, whose financial and marketing success is the envy of civic, tourism and baseball leaders hopeful the company could do the same for the Angels.

On March 13, Disney announced it would not buy the team.

Although the proposal appears to have the blessing of a majority of the council, Zemel accused negotiators on both sides of “trying to slam the deal shut before the public knows about it.”

Times staff writers Chris Foster and Lorenza Munoz contributed to this story.