According to the Los Angeles Times, an employee of an influential, unnamed company is a key participant in a “cabal” steering Anaheim’s government.
What’s Happening:
- The employee of the firm, called “Company A” in the affidavit that’s part of a federal public corruption probe, helped script a statement read by an elected official before the City Council voted to issue bonds and provided input on whom to invite to a covert retreat for community powerbrokers.
- Company A is Disneyland Resort, according to a person familiar with the investigation, and the employee is Disneyland Resort Director of External Affairs Carrie Nocella.
- Though neither the company nor Nocella have been accused of wrongdoing, their connection to the wide-ranging investigation that led to Harry Sidhu resigning as Anaheim mayor Monday underscores the immense influence the company wields in the city of 350,000 with a budget fueled by millions of visitors each year to the Disneyland Resort.
- In response to questions from The Times about its identification as Company A, Disney said in a statement that: “We have seen media reports of the complaint and no authorities have reached out to us about it.” Nocella, who deleted her Facebook and Instagram accounts last week, declined to comment.
- The agent wrote that Ament and an unnamed political consultant “were the ringleaders of a small group of individuals who met in person to discuss strategy surrounding several matters within Anaheim — matters that were often pending, or soon to be pending, before the Anaheim City Council,” Adkins wrote.
- The affidavit described Company A Employee — Nocella — as one of the group’s ringleaders “to some extent.”
- Details about the consultant in the affidavit match Jeff Flint, chief executive and senior partner at FSB Public Affairs, who has represented Disneyland Resort. Flint, who announced last week that he was taking a leave of absence as CEO, denied doing anything wrong.
- More information on the affidavit and the City of Anaheim’s history with the Disneyland Resort can be found in the Los Angeles Times article.
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