The Anaheim City Council withdrew July 12 an ordinance that would have prohibited councilors from voting on matters with which they have a financial conflict of interest—after discussing it for the third time.
The campaign reform ordinance was introduced after the city’s mayor, Harry Sidhu, resigned May 24 following the release of an FBI investigation report detailing his possible involvement in corruption during negotiations for the sale of the Angel Stadium.
The council failed to agree on the specifics of the ordinance; and the author of the motion, Councilman Stephen Faessel, withdrew it after seeing his colleagues’ lack of support.
Councilors previously discussed the matter, at the request of Councilman Jose Moreno, on June 7 and June 21, but failed to receive enough votes to pass.
The ordinance would have done the following:
- Require councilors to sit out on any votes involving donors that contributed more than $250 to their campaign in the last 12 months, excluding independent expenditures—donations made without coordination with the candidate or his or her authorized political committee.
- Prohibit city officials from accepting donations 3 months after a vote related to a donor’s interest.
- Disclose any contribution of more than $250 within the last 12 months.
- Require a councilor who decides to vote on a matter to return the contribution or the portion exceeding $250, within 30 days of knowing about the conflict of interest.
