Angel Stadium Sale May Face New Hurdles With Proposed Legislation

Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 16, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

ANAHEIM, Calif.—New legislation filed by California State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) could create another hurdle for Anaheim’s sale of Angel Stadium.

Senate Bill (SB) 361 would prohibit the sale of a parcel of land if it is not in compliance with the state’s Surplus Land Act, a law that requires all public land sales and leases to prioritize low-income housing.

“Recent events in Anaheim have shed light on unforeseen consequences within the Surplus Land Act,” according to information released by Umberg’s office.

California’s Department of Housing and Community Development claimed Anaheim officials broke the law by only offering the stadium to Angels team owner Arte Moreno’s development company SRB Management.

Under the law, the agency selling the land must notify affordable housing developers and engage in good-faith negotiations with anyone who expresses interest in developing affordable housing on the land, according to the state’s Attorney General’s Office.

The state department issued a violation in December 2021 to the City of Anaheim following the $320 million sale agreement. The state’s Attorney General’s Office settled the Surplus Land Act violation with Anaheim in April.

Umberg—a critic of the stadium sale—introduced the legislation in February 2021 but as a different bill. The text in the original bill was replaced earlier this month and new information was added to address the “emergent issue,” his spokeswoman Jackie Koenig told The Epoch Times.

The bill is making its way through the legislature. It passed the state Senate April 29 and is now being considered in the Housing and Community Development Committee in the Assembly.

Anaheim is waiting for the legislative process to unfold before making any comments, a city spokesman told The Epoch Times.

“We are aware of the proposed legislation,” Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said. “But at this point, we don’t have anything to add as we want to respect the legislative process for the proposal.”

In response to the state violation, Anaheim claimed the law did not apply to the stadium deal, but later agreed to fund nearly $123 million in affordable housing as part of a stipulated settlement with the state. Of that, the city agreed to pay $96 million into a local housing trust fund for the construction of new affordable housing. An additional $27 million was committed to paying for the construction of up to 466 rental units on-site.

Anaheim’s decision to pay the $96 million into an affordable housing fund negated the intended effects of the Surplus Land Act, according to Umberg.

In May, the stadium sale was abandoned by Anaheim City Council after an FBI probe revealed alleged corruption by former Mayor Harry Sidhu in relation to the stadium sale. Sidhu has since resigned.

The proposed new law would prohibit any future public agency from selling or disposing of land until the state’s housing department has determined that the agency is not violating the Surplus Land Act.

The bill would also require any public agency to provide at least a 14-day notice before holding any public meeting to discuss land sales.

SB 361 would end Jan. 1, 2030.