The $320 million sale of Angel Stadium to a company controlled by club owner Arte Moreno has been voided by the Anaheim City Council.
The council voted unanimously late Tuesday to terminate the sale after hours of public comments opposing the deal and deliberation among members concerning the city’s potential legal liability and concerns of a conflict of interest between buyer and seller.
- The voided sale was labeled as “a pandemic of corruption” by councilman Jose Moreno.
- The Orange County Superior Court must declare the sale invalid for it to be official.
The council’s willingness to void the sale follows Harry Sidhu’s resignation as mayor on Tuesday amid a federal corruption investigation concerning the transaction. Sidhu, who was elected as mayor in 2018, is being accused of bribery, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.
In a filed affidavit, an FBI special agent alleges that Sidhu gave the Los Angeles Angels confidential information during the city’s negotiations with the team. It also alleges that he sought a campaign donation worth $1 million and obstructed a grand jury investigation into the deal.
Long Process
Even though the Anaheim City Council voted to “immediately void” the sale of Angel Stadium, a complete scrapping of the deal could be “litigated for the next several years,” councilman Stephen Faessel told the Los Angeles Times.
If the sale is officially terminated, Anaheim could refund the $50 million Moreno has already allocated toward the deal, as well as up to $5 million in transaction costs and potential legal fees.
