Mark Richard Daniels, a former member of the Cultural & Heritage Commission, with Mayor Ashleigh Aitken in November 2025.
By DUANE J. ROBERTS Editor & Publisher
A recent mailer sent to voters in West Anaheim by Mayor Ashleigh Aitken’s reelection campaign highlights as a key endorser a former city commissioner who was forced to step down after making a sexually demeaning remark about a woman with whom he disagreed.
The endorser, Mark Richard Daniels, served on Anaheim’s Cultural & Heritage Commission as an appointee of former Councilwoman Denise Barnes. He resigned in October 2020 after the comment became the subject of intense public scrutiny and controversy.
Daniels’ name highlighted in yellow.
The story about it first appeared in the Anaheim Independent, a right-wing blog run by Matthew Cunningham, a former consultant with the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. The website has since been rebranded as the Anaheim Observer, although new content is rarely posted.
Despite its political perspective, the central facts of this controversy were never in dispute. The matter focused on Daniels’ own comments, which were documented on video and later acknowledged in the resignation letter he sent to city officials, including Barnes herself.
According to the Independent, Daniels was recorded during an Anaheim Police operation near Beach Boulevard and Ball Road while speaking with homeless advocate R. Joshua Collins. During the conversation, he made disparaging comments about Jodie Mosley, a homeowner.
The most controversial remark reported by the blog was Daniels’ statement that Mosley was “probably blowing every one of those cops.” The comment drew fierce criticism from West Anaheim residents and prompted calls that he be removed from the commission.
This ultimately led to action by Barnes, who was infuriated with her appointee. In a letter, the councilwoman wrote, “I am deeply offended by what Mr. Daniels said. I do not condone that sort of language, in any circumstances.” She further added he was asked to resign.
Barnes and Daniels in an undated photo.
Daniels subsequently quit and issued a written apology. “I would like to apologize to Jodie Mosley for the pain I have clearly caused her with my words, which have unfortunately been made public …,” he said. “Mrs. Mosley, I am genuinely sorry, and I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”
Last Friday, the Anaheim Investigator contacted Aitken’s campaign team seeking comment on Daniels’ inclusion as an endorser and whether they considered the circumstances surrounding his 2020 resignation when preparing the mailer. So far, we haven’t received any response back.
Ex-City Manager James Vanderpool and his husband (center) dining with councilmembers at the Nixon Library on June 24, 2026.
By DUANE J. ROBERTS Editor & Publisher
The Anaheim Investigator has obtained photographs showing ex‑Anaheim city manager James Vanderpool dining with councilmembers at an awards gala held on June 24, 2026 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda. Vanderpool attended the event with his husband, Hernan Cortez, solely because he had been nominated for City Manager of the Year—a distinction that he ultimately did not receive, despite his long public tenure and the considerable political power he once wielded.
But his appearance at this private gathering comes as he still remains a deeply controversial figure in Anaheim, shadowed by scrutiny over his role in influence‑peddling scandals and the turmoil that followed. The gala’s exclusive nature raises questions about whether the same networks that shaped city policy in the shadows continue to operate with confidence, familiarity, and ease even as residents demand genuine accountability rather than recycled political theater that offers little meaningful reform.
The gala, formally titled the Annual Leadership Summit and Golden Hub of Innovation Awards, was hosted by the Association of California Cities–Orange County, a taxpayer‑subsidized nonprofit long criticized for operating as a parallel decision‑making arena. ACC‑OC’s events routinely bring together elected officials, city staffers, lobbyists, consultants, and business figures in settings shielded from public view, reinforcing concerns policy is often influenced socially rather than through democratic processes.
Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava with Kris Murray at the June 24th gala.
Vanderpool and Murray (circled in red) being sworn in by Curt Pringle in April 2018.
The gala’s keynote speaker was Molly Jolly, President of Angels Baseball, a choice that reflects ACC-OC’s recent practice of placing business figures with vested interests in Anaheim policy at the center of high-profile events. Also nominated for an award—but not chosen—was Dukku Lee, retired Anaheim Public Utilities general manager. Interim city manager Greg Garcianoted in his calendar five councilmembers attended: Ryan Bailus, Norma Campos‑Kurtz, Kristen Maahs, Natalie Meeks, and Natalie Rubalcava.
Brochure page showing sponsors of the June 24th gala.
Brochure page showing nominees for City Manager of the Year.
Remarkably, most media reports discussing this email have completely overlooked the fact that one of the invited consultants was Murray, who then was on the Anaheim Chamber payroll working on Anaheim First—something The Investigator first discovered in 2019. Her attendance at the retreat should be no surprise given she and Vanderpool already shared deep longstanding ties through their active involvement in the ACC-OC, dating back years before they even served together on its board.
Laura’s email also listed another attendee central to Anaheim’s power structure at that time. Besides the fact her husband, Matt Cunningham, a political consultant, would be present, Todd Ament, then president and CEO of the Anaheim Chamber, and his wife, also were going to be there. The inclusion of Ament placed Vanderpool squarely within a circle of individuals later linked to FBI corruption probes and influence‑peddling allegations detailed in the city-commissioned JL Group report.
Murray’s name (highlighted in yellow) in the leaked email.
The report, released in July 2023, was not kind to Vanderpool. Its findings characterized him as a major participant in Anaheim’s informal influence networks, describing back‑channel communications, undisclosed relationships with lobbyists, and a pattern of coordinating with consultants outside public view. Investigators concluded the city manager repeatedly blurred professional boundaries, maintained selective alliances, and engaged in behavior that undermined transparency and public trust.
The Investigator later uncovered evidence which independently corroborated several claims the JL Group made about Vanderpool’s behind‑the‑scenes conduct. Months after the report came out, photos surfaced from early 2023 showing the city manager at a Ducks Chamber Night event—a private gathering at the Honda Center—comfortably mingling with Ducks lobbyist George Urch, OC Vibe executive Morrel Morean, and the Cunninghams, offering a rare glimpse into the networks that he navigated.
In one photo, Vanderpool and his husband have their arms wrapped around Laura Cunningham, who was now president and CEO of the Anaheim Chamber. The image is astonishing given her past role as a spokeswoman for the “Yes on Proposition 8” campaign in 2008, the ballot measure which tried to outlaw same-sex marriage in California. At the time, she worked for Jeff Flint, then a partner at the Sacramento‑based consulting firm Schubert Flint Public Affairs, which ran the statewide effort.
Morrel Morean and Laura Cunningham in 2023.
George Urch and Vanderpool with Matt Cunningham (center) in 2023.
Vanderpool and his husband with Laura (center) in 2023.
Their relationship was further reflected in a 2022 Facebook message where Vanderpool shared photos of him and his husband at a beach. Both Flint and Laura–along with Kris Murray–posted positive comments about the couple, reinforcing the impression of tight personal bonds. Before Flint, who is mentioned prominently in the JL Group report, became a consultant, he had served as Pringle’s deputy chief of staff while he was in the state assembly; Matt Cunninghambriefly worked as his press secretary.
Taken together, these findings illustrate networks that have existed for decades, linking lobbyists, consultants, former elected officials, and senior city staff through personal relationships and private social events. Vanderpool’s presence within these circles—even after being exposed by the JL Group—suggests that Anaheim’s political culture is being shaped by longstanding alliances rather than public accountability. These ties did not fade away but persist to this day with remarkable continuity.
Jeff Flint and Todd Ament with Murray (center) in December 2018.
Ament, Flint and Vanderpool may have been pushed off Anaheim’s political stage, but the influence networks they cultivated continue operating with striking resilience. The Cunninghams still move quietly through the same circles, appearing at private gatherings—including last month’s gala–despite no longer being part of the Anaheim Chamber. Around them, new lobbyists and consultants have emerged, molded by the same processes, ensuring these networks will endure regardless of who comes and goes.
ACC‑OC, now led by Murray, appears to have become the latest hub where these reconstituted networks gather. The group’s events routinely bring together elected officials, city staffers, lobbyists, consultants, and business figures–some of whom previously operated through the Anaheim Chamber. Photos and records show that these individuals continue to interact socially and politically, maintaining influence through informal access points that mirror the same dynamics documented in the JL Group report.
Despite Anaheim’s attempts at “reform,” the underlying power structure remains largely unchanged. The same constellation of actors continues to exert undue influence on the city, simply relocating their activity to venues less associated with past scandals. These networks have survived by adapting, not retreating, preserving relationships that allow them to shape policy discussions far away from public view. While the geography of influence has shifted, the architecture of power still remains firmly in place.
Urch and Murray with Pringle (center) in April 2012.
Vanderpool with Matt Hicks, now a lobbyist for OC Vibe, in July 2016.
The Investigator reached out to Mike Lyster, the city’s chief communications officer, and the five councilmembers who attended, seeking answers about the June 24th gala: who nominated Vanderpool for the City Manager of the Year award; who paid for his and his husband’s tickets; who covered councilmembers’ and spouses’ tickets; whether the city paid for them and, if so, how much did they each cost; and how much membership dues does the city pay to the ACC‑OC on an annual basis.
Because Lyster was on vacation, Esther Kwon Baek, his deputy communications officer, responded by saying the “city paid for our councilmembers to attend, in addition to two spouses. The city did not pay for Jim Vanderpool or his spouse.” Councilwoman Campos-Kurtz acknowledged she was there, adding that “Mayor Aiken did rsvp for herself and a guest so tickets were also made available for her.” Councilman Ryan Bailus said the tickets cost $150 each and that he nominated Dukku Lee for an award.
Gloria Ma’ae, James Vanderpool, Jose Diaz, and Scott Voigts at a holiday party thrown by Curt Pringle & Associates in December 2022.
By DUANE J. ROBERTS Editor & Publisher
Photographs obtained by The Anaheim Investigator reveal that City Manager James Vanderpool not only attended an annual holiday party thrown by Curt Pringle & Associates, a prominent lobbyist firm, in December 2022, but he was there along with two other elected officials, including then Councilman Jose Diaz and current Councilwoman Natalie Meeks.
Our article pointed out Meek’s close relationship with this lobbyist began almost twenty years ago when she served as director of public works while he was mayor. In 2022, both Pringle and his wife Alexis pumped $4,400 into her city council campaign. A photo we published showed her hanging out at his annual holiday party about a month after she won the election.
The party that the councilwoman attended, an invitation only event, was held on December 7, 2022 at The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon, located less than two miles away from the offices of Curt Pringle & Associates. Besides Diaz, Meeks, and Vanderpool being present, so was outgoing Councilwoman Gloria Ma’ae. And of course, Pringle and his wife were there.
Meeks at Pringle’s holiday party in December 2022.
The Investigator has photos of Vanderpool at events going all the way back to the days when he was deputy city manager of Buena Park. For example, in October 2011, he attended a private reception co-hosted by Pringle that was held at the The Catch, a defunct restaurant previously owned by an Arizona businessman who had close ties to Mayor Harry Sidhu.
One image shows him talking to an OCTA official and a Buena Park councilman. In others, just standing amongst the crowd. And he was in good company: Cunningham, Meeks, and Sidhu were present. So were Todd Ament, president/CEO of the Anaheim Chamber, Carrie Nocella, a controversial Disney executive, and Councilwoman Kris Murray.
Vanderpool at The Catch restaurant in October 2011.
In May 2019, Vanderpool went to the SCAG conference again. This time, however, he was accompanied by Sunny Park, a Buena Park councilwoman. One photo, which was taken inside of a restaurant, shows both of them hanging out with Jennifer Fitzgerald, who was vice president of Curt Pringle & Associates until she moved to Texas in 2021.
Vanderpool and Cunningham (wearing sunglasses) with Pringle’s daughter.
Vanderpool, Park, and Fitzgerald in May 2019.
The Investigator also has photos of Vanderpool attending a charity fundraiser at the offices of Curt Pringle & Associates in April 2019. In one image he can be seen behind Paul Simonds, then senior vice-president of the firm, and Councilman Trevor O’Neil, who voted to make him Anaheim city manager in 2020 after Mayor Sidhu abruptly fired the previous one.
Vanderpool (circled in red) at a Pringle charity fundraiser in April 2019.
For the record, there were no rules in Buena Park or Anaheim which forbid Vanderpool from attending these private parties and receptions, much less report them. Moreover, though Curt Pringle & Associates has been a lobbyist for companies seeking city contracts in both municipalities, The Investigator has no evidence he improperly used his power on their behalf.
But in this era of increased transparency, it does raise serious questions if the public calendar policy, which was adopted in 2023, should require elected officials and city staffers to disclose all of their interactions with registered lobbyists, even reporting their attendance at private events where no city business was discussed–something not currently being done.
“Council members are expected to use judgment and always keep the best interest of the city and those we serve in mind,” said Mike Lyster, a spokesperson for the city. “A holiday party in and of itself would not necessarily require reporting. If significant city business were discussed, a member would be expected to report that on their calendars.”
In addition, the public calendar policy imposes absolutely no civil or criminal penalties on persons who are found to be in direct violation of it. Though the city council moved quickly last year to make it a crime for unsheltered individuals to sleep on a sidewalk, they seem to be loath to regulate themselves when it comes to them abusing their own power.
The Investigator did make a good faith effort to contact Vanderpool for this article. Because we wanted to better understand his longstanding relationship with lobbyists linked to Curt Pringle & Associates, we aggressively sought his comments. But so far, as of publication date, he hasn’t bothered to respond to any of the email messages we sent him.
Matt Cunningham, James Vanderpool, Molly Jolly, and Laura Cunningham having lunch with Mayor Ashleigh Aitken.
By DUANE J. ROBERTS Editor & Publisher
The Anaheim Investigator has reviewed more than 200 photographs that were taken of a luncheon held at Angel Stadium on June 6th which not only clearly show Mayor Ashleigh Aitkensharing a table with Laura Cunningham, president and CEO of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, but Molly Jolly, senior vice president of Finance/Administration for Angels Baseball.
In one photo, the mayor can be seen talking to Matthew Hicks, vice president of Public Affairs for ocV!BE, a $4 billion mixed-use development surrounding the Honda Center that is controlled by Henry Samueli, a Newport Beach billionaire. In another, John Carpino, president of Angels Baseball and right-hand man for team owner Arte Moreno, is standing directly behind her.
Mayor Aitken was not alone at this event. Photos show Councilman Stephen Faessel sat at the ocV!BE table between Hicks and George Urch, their lobbyist. Councilwomen Natalie Meeks and Norma Campos-Kurtz were huddled together off to the side, not far from Mike Lyster, chief communications officer for the City of Anaheim. Fire ChiefPat Russell was also present.
Mayor Pro Tem Natalie Rubalcava and Councilman Jose Diaz were seated at the same table as Aitken was. So was City Manager James Vanderpool, who was stuck in the middle of Jolly and Matt Cunningham, Laura’s husband. Also joining them was Alicia Valadez-Gonzalez of Northgate Markets. One photo shows Berenice Ballinas, Aitken’s Chief of Staff, taking selfies with her.
The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce table.
The luncheon, an annual event that is organized by the Anaheim Chamber, typically brings in a little league baseball team from the local community to meet and interact with persons who played for Angels Baseball, both past and present. Some of the featured guests on June 6th included Patrick Sandoval, Chuck Finley, and Clyde Wright, three generations of Angels pitchers.
Neither Mayor Aitken or any of the five council members who attended this luncheon responded to questions The Investigator emailed them asking about who paid for their tickets and what actions they took to avoid violating the Brown Act, the state law which regulates the conduct of elected officials at meetings. Instead, they directed our questions to Lyster.
“The Brown Act,”he told us via email, “allows a majority of or all Council members to attend public events without discussing city business among themselves. Our Council members are made aware of and follow this practice.” Though Lyster is technically correct, there is one slight problem: tickets to this luncheon cost a whopping $200 per person and were “limited.”
It could be conceivably argued that despite the fact this event was “open” to the public, the steep price of admission created a barrier to access based on wealth and social class: only people with money could afford to attend. The Brown Actmakes it illegal for public meetings to be held in facilities which require payment to enter, but that provision doesn’t seem to apply here.
With respect to the tickets that the mayor, city council, and city staff received from the Anaheim Chamber, Lyster said as follows:
Mayor Aitken, Mayor Pro Tem Rubalcava and Council Members Faessel, Diaz, Campos Kurtz and Meeks attended and were provided tickets.
For Aitken, Faessel and Kurtz, their tickets fall under ceremonial job duties as Aitken addressed attendees, Faessel did the invocation and Kurtz led the pledge of allegiance.
For Rubalcava, Meeks, Diaz and City Manager Jim Vanderpool, it will fall to them to list their tickets as part of a form 700 due in spring 2024.
In a follow up email, he confirmed the city didn’t pay for the tickets and that the Anaheim Chamber gave them away for free.
Carpino, Aitken and Meeks.
Because this is a breaking news story, The Investigator is still in the process of gathering information about this luncheon. Last week, we filed multiple public records act requests with the city to see if there are any emails and other documents which might shed more light on this matter. If we find anything else significant to report on, a follow up article will be written.
For matter of record, The Investigator does not possess the legal expertise to determine if the mayor and city council violated the Brown Act. And even if Lyster is fundamentally correct, none of this changes the fact they were having private conversations with representatives from the Anaheim Chamber, Angels Baseball, and other business interests out of public view.
Interestingly enough, there also seems have been a conscious decision by elected officials to keep this luncheon a secret. With the exception of a notation Aitken posted on her June calendar, nobody has talked about it. If it wasn’t for The Investigator’s dogged determination to expose what politicians do behind closed doors, the public would have never known it occurred.
Hari S. Lal, a candidate running for Anaheim City Council in District 6, has alleged that a blogger threatened to kill him.
By DUANE ROBERTS Editor & Publisher
In a statement sent last month to The Anaheim Investigator by Hari S. Lal, a candidate running for Anaheim City Council in District 6, he alleged that Matt Cunningham, a political consultant who runs the Anaheim Observer, a right-wing news blog, not only made a “direct threat to my life,” but took responsibility for “hundreds” of his campaign signs “being destroyed, stolen, or having swastikas painted on them,” even causing his mailbox to be vandalized. “It is now a matter for the Anaheim Police,” he told us.
However, The Investigator has subsequently learned Lal has never bothered to report any of these purported criminal acts–some of which can be prosecuted as felonies under state law–to the Anaheim Police Department for further investigation. Additionally, the candidate has repeatedly ignored every request we have made asking that he provide us with evidence that some of these crimes actually occurred, such as show us photographs taken of those campaign signs he claimed were defaced by swastikas.
The whole brouhaha between Lal and Cunningham erupted on September 13th when the latter published an article which accurately reported the Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s website showed the candidate then-owed $146,337.93 in delinquent property taxes on his Anaheim Hills mansion. In response, Lal threatened to sue the blogger demanding he “immediately withdraw your false and misleading articles regarding myself with respect to the property tax in the amount of $140,000.”
Lal’s mansion in Anaheim Hills.
So far, no lawsuit has been filed. And an updated version of the article is still online. But in the statement Lal sent, he claims Cunningham “doxxed” him in the first one that was posted, revealing “personal details” about his life which “went far beyond” what is considered public record. “This appeared to be a malicious attempt to threaten my family and incite vandalism towards my property,” he told us. “It succeeded: my mailbox was spray painted that night. I hold Mr. Cunningham directly accountable for this.”
Furthermore, Lal also alleged the blogger threatened to kill him, and took credit for trashing his signs: “I was called on my personal cell phone that evening by a blocked number; the caller identified himself as ‘Cunningham, of course!’ He mocked me and–in a reference to hundreds of my campaign signs in Anaheim Hills being destroyed, stolen, or having swastikas painted on them–shouted: ‘We have flattened your signs and we will flatten you!’ This was a direct threat to my life! It is now a matter for the Anaheim Police.”
However, Lal never bothered to report any of these purported criminal acts to the Anaheim Police for further investigation. Sergeant Shane Carringer, public information officer for the department, told The Investigator via email on October 17th they have “confirmed there are no records showing Lal contacted APD.” And the candidate has repeatedly ignored our requests to provide us with evidence some of these crimes actually occurred, such as show us photographs taken of campaign signs defaced by swastikas.
Reacting to Lal’s allegations, Cunningham had this to say: “It is true I unpublished the article as a courtesy to Mr. Lal while I further investigated his claims and explanations, which turned out to be false. I then re-published an expanded version with additional information. The rest of his allegations about me are false–especially his absurd claim that I made a threatening phone call to him. I have never spoken to Hari Lal–I do not even have his cell phone number. All my communication with him was via e-mail.”
There are no records Lal contacted Anaheim Police.
And these aren’t the only bizarre claims Lal has made. In his statement, the candidate says the reason why he didn’t pay $146,337.93 in delinquent property taxes was because he applied for a “reassessment” under Proposition 60–which would enable him to transfer value from a previous home he owned to his current one. “For reasons unknown to me, the application was not granted, and the case was set aside to be adjudicated,” he told us. “This adjudication never occurred, due in part to COVID-19.”
But The Investigator filed a public records act request with the Orange County Assessor Department–the only agency through which Lal could apply for a “reassessment”–asking they release all “emails, letters, faxes, correspondence, petitions, and other documents, legal or otherwise, which deal with, address, and/or pertain to any attempts by Hari S. Lal, through various provisions of Proposition 60 or Proposition 90, to transfer the base year value of his last primary residence to the residence he currently owns.”
In reply, the Orange County Assessor sent a letter back stating the “assessor had no responsive records.” Joanne Kim, a quality assurance manager for the department, told The Investigator via phone and email last month that Lal never applied for any “reassessments” of his Anaheim Hills mansion under provisions of Proposition 60, Proposition 90, or Proposition 19. In fact, Kim said that they have no records the candidate had ever contacted them. “We don’t have anything from him,” she reiterated.
In his statement, Lal also claims that his “case is now pending appeal for a declaratory relief regarding my eligibility for Prop 60/90,” suggesting this issue is perhaps being litigated in court. But for some reason, the candidate–who himself is a lawyer by trade–wouldn’t tell The Investigator what venue he was pursuing this matter in, who the presiding judicial officer is, and when the next hearing date will be. He repeatedly ignored all of our requests to provide us with any information about it.
There are no records Lal contacted the Assessor.
During our month-long inquiry intothis affair, The Investigator couldn’t find any proof that would support any of Lal’s claims. The fact the candidate himself was uncooperative and refused to provide us with evidence wasn’t especially helpful. Nevertheless, we did find one thing that he was being quite truthful about: somebody has been taking down his campaign signs in Anaheim Hills. And not only do we know the name of the “culprit,” but we also know the name of their employer.
In one of the public records act requests we filed with the City of Anaheim, a document was released to us by the Planning & Building Department which reported that a part-time clerk was dispatched to remove one of Lal’s campaign signs that had been illegally posted on city property near 8225E. Santa Ana Canyon Roadin Anaheim Hills. They apparently retrieved it sometime before noon on Tuesday, September 27th because by 11:50 a.m. the case file on this matter had been closed.
Below is the statement sent last month to The Anaheim Investigator by Hari S. Lal, a candidate running for Anaheim City Council in District 6.
Reliable sources have told The Investigator that Cunningham, along with several associates, attended the September board meeting and delivered a presentation about his new blog, OC Independent, to members of that body. In addition, they claim shortly after he finished speaking, Gerry Serrano, president of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, actively lobbied the board to write out a check to help fund it.
The Investigator first became aware of this matter back in December when it obtained emails exchanged between police officers stating the owner of the Anaheim Independent had gotten $10,000 from Serrano for his new blog and alleged it might be used as a platform to attack certain Santa Ana politicians. The Anaheim Independent is the previous name of the Anaheim Observer, an older blog that Cunningham still operates.
Excerpt from the board meeting minutes.
This newfound alliance between Cunningham and Serrano is yet another unexpected twist in The Investigator’s ongoing coverage of the embattled police union president of whom, at least from our perspective, has made what could be aptly described as a Faustian bargain with a political consultant who is sometimes at odds with–if not been completely opposed to–the goals of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association.
For example, on April 2, 2020, Cunningham made an urgent appeal to all of his Santa Ana friends on Facebook to vote “no” on the recall of Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias, a right-wing Republican the police union spent $341,000 to remove from her seat. Beneath his message was one of her anti-recall videos which not only portrayed Serrano as a greedy “union boss,” but characterized people like him as “bullies.”
The Investigator has been aware for quite some time now that O’Neil is a close friend of Cunningham, even occasionally stumbling across email communications between the two during routine public records act requests. However, what is not known publicly is that both men have had a longstanding relationship with Fred Whitaker, a local attorney who has been chairman of the Orange County Republican Party since 2015.
Cunningham and Whitaker.
There is no evidence the OC Independent receives any direct funding from the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. But it is not a coincidence many political consultants with links to the Orange County Republican Party gravitate to this business advocacy group. This entity has always been an important hub of social networks for jobs because it is connected to many key players in industry and government.
For matter of record, The Investigator emailed several questions to Cunningham asking him about the $10,000 donation he received from the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, if he had conversations with Serrano or anybody else about the OC Independent running “negative articles about certain Santa Ana politicians,” and if he plans to approach other public employee unions for money to help fund this blog.
In response to our inquiry, Cunningham wrote the following:
OC Independent, like other independent news organizations, has a broad base of supporters to pursue its mission. We will not sell, share or trade our donors’ names or personal information with any other entity, nor send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations to respect donor privacy. As editor, I ensure our news stories are researched thoroughly, all subjects and stakeholders have an opportunity to comment, and then present the news to the public.
The Investigator also made three attempts to contact Serrano about this matter, emailing him questions quite similar to those we posed to Cunningham. But despite giving him an ample amount of time to issue a response, the police union president so far has not bothered replying to any of our messages. However, if we do eventually hear from him, we will most assuredly let our readers know.
Below is copy of the draft minutes of the September 23, 2021 board meeting of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association.
Matthew and Laura Cunningham are greeted as they arrive at Mayor Harry Sidhu’s “State of the City” address at the City National Grove last March
By DUANE ROBERTS Editor & Publisher
For several months now, Matthew Cunningham, the publisher of the Anaheim Blog, a website that covers city politics from a right-wing perspective, has shamelessly promoted Anaheim First, a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, as being a “grass-roots community organization.”
In one article after another, Cunningham has lauded it as a being a “non-political” group made up of “residents of all ages, from every walk of life and every part of the city” who got together “to develop a resident-driven plan for guiding city investment in their neighborhoods,” blasting critics who call it a “front” for big business.
But in all of the articles he has penned about Anaheim First so far, he has neglected to mention two crucial details. First, his wife, Laura Cunningham, has played a behind-the-scenes role in organizing “town hall forums” for this non-profit. And second, she has been Senior Vice President of the AnaheimChamber at least since July.
Laura Cunningham oversees a breakout group at the Anaheim First Neighborhood Leadership Summit on July 10th.
From the back of the room, Laura Cunningham directed [Karen] Gulley to wrap up her presentation so that the town hall could turn to breakout groups. She’s the wife of Anaheim Blog’s Matt Cunningham who, unsurprisingly, wrote uncritically of the event while finding an opportunity to hammer away at Unite Here Local 11 union members for crashing the discussion session. Todd Ament, Anaheim Chamber of Commerce president and Anaheim First board member, confirmed to the Weekly that Laura worked for the Chamber, but not Anaheim First. The distinction didn’t seem to matter much during the town hall–or after. Laura helped clean up the gym to close out the night.
“This is a meeting to discuss the next steps of the group and our role,” wrote Garcia. “PlaceWorks [a consulting firm hired by Anaheim First] will be a part of the meeting to talk us through their plan.” Attendees included representatives from the Anaheim Chamber: Todd Ament, President and CEO, and Laura, who was listed as a contact.
In another email obtained by the Investigator, Mike Lyster, Chief Communications Officer for the City of Anaheim, was contacted by Laura on August 21st about setting up a meeting with him on an unrelated matter. She signed off using the title “Senior Vice President.” Attached to it was the logo of the Anaheim Chamber.
But most curiously, Matthew Cunningham has said nary a word about Laura’s work with Anaheim First. Of course, to acknowledge this would tear to shreds the narrative he has woven about it being a “grass-roots community organization.” Since when do ordinary people recruit business executives to set up their neighborhood meetings?
Furthermore, his wife’s relationship with the Anaheim Chamberraises questions as to how the Anaheim Blog reports the news. For example, does the favorable coverage that Cunningham offers Anaheim First reflect his genuine love and affection for that group? Or is he really doing it because he wants to help his wife succeed at her job?
Cunningham has long since denied his blog is being paid for by the Anaheim Chamber. But does it really matter? Both he and his wife have received thousands of dollars of income from them over the years. Doesn’t that serve as a strong enough disincentive for him to post articles on his blog that they might not like?
Theresa Smith, the “anti-police activist” founder of LEAN, with Stephen Faessel, an Anaheim City Councilman, who was elected to his seat with $17,389 worth of support from the Anaheim Police Association.
Insider, a regular contributor to that blog, reported about a special event which took place earlier that week where Anaheim City Councilman Jose Moreno, who represents the Third District, received an award from a group characterized as being started by “anti-police activists.”
“This past weekend,” Insider wrote, “Moreno was awarded the Public Service Award by the Law Enforcement Accountability Network, or LEAN“:
LEAN was started by local anti-police activists who frequent Anaheim City Council meetings to criticize the police in the harshest, over-the-top terms. It is ‘fiscally sponsored’ by the ACLU. Despite the group’s soft-pedaled official ‘we want to improve policing’ rhetoric, the people behind it view the police as violent, anti-Latino trigger-happy thugs and are in the bait of denouncing officer-involved shootings as ‘murders.’
In an attempt to prove his point, Insider zeroed in on comments one attendee made on her Facebook page, claiming she “helped organize the protest” in the Palais neighborhood “that predictably degenerated into a riot, leading to ‘protesters’ vandalizing the home of an elderly couple of breaking car windows.”
“This is the spirit of LEAN supporters, and they’ve let us know that Jose F. Moreno is their kind of councilmember,” Insider said.
But a two-month investigation by the Anaheim Investigatorhas uncovered dozens of photographs, emails, and other evidence, some of it obtained from the City of Anaheim through California Public Records Act requests, suggesting Insider’s account of this event was not only inaccurate, but misleading. Contrary to Insider’s assertion that “LEAN supporters” were people who “view the police as violent, anti-Latino trigger-happy thugs,” photos show that several prominent Anaheim politicians and businessmen, all of whom have close ties to law enforcement, attended this function.
The Investigatorhas confirmed that Taormina wrote out a $1,000 check to LEAN at their June 25th fundraiser–a huge amount of money, especially since James Gilliam, Deputy Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California, boasted on Facebook: “We helped [Smith] raise almost $4,000 this afternoon.”
William Taormina (in the plaid shirt) sitting behind Smith.
But the biggest donor to LEAN, however, was not Taormina: it was the City of Anaheim. Emails, letters, and documents the Investigator obtained under Public Records Act requests show that Mayor Tait and Councilmen Faessel and Moreno collectively donated sports tickets worth $2,108. According to a California Form 802, “Agency Report of Ceremonial Role Events and Ticket/Pass Distributions,” Tait gave LEAN four “suite” tickets at Angels Stadium for a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics. The tickets were valued at $225 each, or $900 total. Another Form 802 shows Moreno also gave LEAN four “suite” tickets at Angels Stadium also worth $900, but for a different game. As for Faessel, his contribution was much smaller, but still significant. A Form 802 reports he donated four “suite” tickets at the Honda Center for a “P&G Gymnastics Championship,” valued at $77 each, or $308 total, a fact later verified via email by Crystal Norman, his former Senior Policy Aide.
The Investigator has learned all of the sports tickets LEAN received from the Mayor and the Councilmen were put up for “silent auction” during the fundraiser. But the winning bidders didn’t receive the actual tickets that day. Instead, they were given a form letter printed on official City of Anaheim stationery, each signed by Tait, Faessal, or Moreno, that entitled the bearer to contact the Office of the Mayor and City Council to make arrangements to pick up the tickets they won. “Enjoy and thank you for supporting LEAN,” all of them said.
A copy of Tait’s letter is below:
All together, the Investigator calculates that Tait, Faessal, Moreno, and Taormina, made donations to LEAN worth a whopping $3,108. Of the estimated 50 people in attendance at the June 25th “Garden Party Fundraiser,” nobody contributed as much to the financial success of this benefit as did these four men.
But all of this begs the following question: Why are members of Anaheim’s political and business elite, all of whom have close ties to law enforcement, showering LEAN with gifts and money?
Will you make a small $5 gift today? Your contribution will allow The Anaheim Investigator to keep delivering hard-hitting investigative journalism that’s open for everyone to see! Nobody covers Anaheim City Hall like like we do. That's why your support is so important to us!
