Judge Rejects Attempt to Block $320M Angel Stadium Sale

The sale of Angel Stadium moved closer to being finalized on Monday after a judge rejected claims that the City of Anaheim failed to meet due process requirements.

The lawsuit dates back to a 2019 agreement by the city to sell the stadium and surrounding 150 acres to SRB Management, a new company started by Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno.

“None of these claims have merit,” Orange County Superior Court Judge David Hoffer wrote, rejecting the People’s Homeless Task Force’s notion that the sale was negotiated without sufficient public input.

• The $320 million transaction calls for $150 million for the city and $170 million for affordable housing and a park.
• The deal entails the construction of a mini-city surrounding the stadium with hotels, shops, and restaurants.
• Moreno agreed to keep the Angels in Anaheim through 2050 as part of the pact. The team’s current lease runs to 2038.
• The city would get 466 units of affordable housing and $652 million in tax revenue over 30 years, according to a study commissioned by Moreno.

The two sides have 10 days to file an appeal of Hoffer’s ruling.

State Settlement

The sale also received pushback from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which ruled that it violated an affordable housing law. 

Anaheim and the state government are negotiating a settlement, which could force the city to pay a $96 million fine that would be used to expand affordable housing in Anaheim.