While many are paying attention to the midterms, we are focused on the local races in Anaheim. Many are wondering if a new mayor and a new city council will be able to repair the fractured relationship with the Disneyland Resort. Also on the ballot is Measure L which would raise the minimum wage for certain businesses that receive subsidies from the city. While the city has said the measure will not apply to the Disneyland Resort, other interested parties disagree
While we do not endorse candidates or political positions, we are sharing the results as well as which candidates for City Council were supported by the Disneyland Resort. Look for analysis once the results are in.
UPDATED 11/13/18 5:00pm PT
Anaheim Mayor
Completed Precincts: 129 of 129
| Candidate | Vote Count | Percentage |
| Ashleigh Aitken | 18,626 | 31% |
| Cynthia Ward | 5,444 | 9.1% |
| Robert WIlliams | 1,919 | 3.3% |
| Tony D. Martin | 816 | 1.4% |
| Fuji Shioura | 2,015 | 3.3% |
| Harry Sidhu | 20,834 | 34.6% |
| Lorri Galloway | 8,846 | 14.7% |
| Rudy Gaona | 1,651 | 2.7% |
Anaheim City Council District 2
Completed Precincts: 20 of 20
| Candidate | Vote Count | Precinct |
| Duane Roberts | 1,793 | 21.8% |
| James Derek Vanderbilt * | 2,532 | 30.7% |
| Robert Trimble | 373 | 4.5% |
| Jordan Brandman | 3,357 | 40.8% |
| Donald Bruhns | 181 | 2.2% |
(*) Indicates Current Serving Councilmember
Green Indicates Candidate Supported by Disneyland Resort
Anaheim City Council District 3
Completed Precincts: 14 of 14
| Candidate | Vote Count | Percentage |
| Mitch Caldwell | 2.604 | 31.9% |
| Robert R. Nelson | 1,282 | 15.7% |
| Jose F. Moreno* | 4,280 | 52.4% |
(*) Indicates Current Serving Councilmember
Green Indicates Candidate Supported by Disneyland Resort
Anaheim City Council District 6
Completed Precincts: 37 of 37
| Candidate | Vote Count | Percentage |
| Grant Henninger | 3,569 | 19.5% |
| Trevor O’Neil | 8,383 | 45.8% |
| Patty Gaby | 6,346 | 34.7% |
Green Indicates Candidate Supported by Disneyland Resort
Measure L, Initiative Ordinance to Increase Minimum Wage
Completed Precincts: 129 of 129
| Vote Count | Percentage | |
| Yes | 31.890 | 51.9% |
| No | 29,554 | 48.1% |
Analysis:
With Sidhu, Brandman, and O’Neil wins, Disney will once again have a favorable majority on the Anaheim City Council. They will join pro-Disney councilmembers Kring and Faessel to bring their votes to 5 while Moreno will rejoin Barnes in the minority with 2 votes.
But while Anaheim and Disneyland look to reset their relationship, they may be limited to what sort of economic assistance the city would provide due to Measure L. While the initiative to increase the minimum wage for certain business that receive economic assistance from Anaheim is leading by 422 votes, it is still too early to call as there are provisional ballots as well as mail-in ballots that need to be counted.
While Anaheim believes the measure does not currently apply to the Disneyland Resort, expect labor unions to challenge that interpretation. They outspent the Disneyland Resort in campaign contributions to support candidates and the measure having spent $1.9 million compared to the Disneyland Resort’s $1.6 million.