State Lawmaker Targets Angels

Attention: The Angels play their home games in Anaheim, not Los Angeles.

That’s the type of warning a state legislator wants the Angels to put on their tickets and advertisements. Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) says he will introduce the “Truth in Sports Advertising Act” today in Sacramento, contending that owner Arte Moreno is misleading fans when he calls his team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

“His whole intent is to create the misimpression this is a Los Angeles team,” Umberg said Monday.

Under the bill, California pro sports teams that use one geographical area in their name but play in another would have to disclose that fact, in much the same way federal law requires cigarette containers and advertisements to include warnings about the dangers of smoking.

The bill would require disclaimers in letters at least 12 inches high on billboards and for at least five seconds in television ads, among other restrictions. The Angels have blanketed the Southland with 480 billboards this winter, with the team logo and the words “City of Angels.”

If the bill were to pass the Assembly and Senate, and be signed by the governor, it would become law Jan. 1.

Moreno had no comment on the legislation, Angel spokesman Tim Mead said. Moreno dropped the Anaheim Angels name last month, saying the team could generate more revenue from broadcasters and sponsors by identifying itself with the Los Angeles region.

Although the Angels are a private business, Umberg said existing laws that regulate advertising provide a precedent for legislative intervention.

“When somebody advertises something that’s not accurate, it’s not uncommon for the Legislature to require warnings,” he said, “so consumers know what is being represented isn’t actually true.”

The city of Anaheim has sued the Angels, charging the new name violates the team’s stadium lease. Mayor Curt Pringle said the city did not ask Umberg, whose district includes Angel Stadium, to introduce the measure.

“There’s a lot of people other than the City Council members in the city of Anaheim that care about this issue and want to address it,” Pringle said. “We welcome their support.”

The legislation does not mention the Angels by name, but it is aimed specifically at them. In order to accommodate Anaheim’s concerns that the NFL might bypass the city if forbidden from playing there under the Los Angeles name, Umberg’s bill would allow a host city to exempt a team from the disclosure requirements.

Anaheim is one of four Southland sites under NFL consideration. The NFL can negotiate for the right to play under the Los Angeles name, Pringle has said, but the Angels have contractually agreed to play under the Anaheim name.

In an interview last week, Moreno said he has met with NFL officials to discuss an Anaheim franchise -- the stadium is proposed for the Angel Stadium parking lot -- and said he did not believe the controversy surrounding the name change would deter the NFL from selecting Anaheim.

“I think they are way beyond looking at a squabble between ourselves and the city,” he said. “I think that whether it’s Anaheim or Pasadena or Carson or L.A., whoever delivers to them the best opportunity to place a franchise in the metropolitan area is going to get the deal.”

Moreno, asked whether he would pursue ownership of that franchise, said, “My commitment is to win a championship with the Angels.”

Should the NFL choose Anaheim and pursue a proposal to build shops and restaurants adjacent to Angel Stadium and the football stadium, Moreno said he would consider involvement in those ventures, provided the lawsuit is resolved.

“We need to cross this bridge,” he said, “and once we do that we’ll make a decision on where we go from there.”