Anaheim is once again at war with its own baseball team.
The city is anticipating a pair of lawsuits from the team regarding a planned fire station in the Angel Stadium parking lot. Angels’ attorney Allan Abshez has pushed back, saying the city lacks the authority to do so.
Abshez added that if the city does not cancel the contract for the station within 30 days, the team would consider Anaheim in default of its stadium lease and work to cancel its contract with the city.
The city owns the stadium and surrounding area — a fact that has caused ongoing legal tangles throughout the year.
- In 2019, the city agreed to sell Angel Stadium for $320 million as part of a 151-acre property to a company controlled by team owner Arte Moreno. The city was to receive $150 million in cash.
- Moreno’s company was to use $170 million in development credits to include affordable housing and parks as part of a development that would create homes, retail, restaurants, office space, and hotels.
- The deal fell apart amid allegations that then-mayor Harry Sidhu passed confidential information to the team on multiple occasions. Sidhu resigned as mayor effective May 24, 2022.
- Moreno is now in the process of selling the team.
New Vibe
The fire station in question was in part meant to accommodate a $4 billion planned development called ocV!be around the Honda Center, home to the Anaheim Ducks and half a mile from Angel Stadium.
The city council voted last week to approve the project, which is scheduled to open in 2024.
