Anaheim council voids sale of Angel Stadium amid scandal

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This article was published 25/05/2022 (1251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Anaheim City Council has voted to cancel the sale of Angel Stadium to Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno amid a political scandal that led the mayor to resign.

The unanimous vote Tuesday directed the city attorney to void a 2020 agreement to sell the city-owned ballpark and 151 acres (61 hectares) as part of a plan to develop the land around it.

“The vote follows the May 16 notice of a federal investigation into former mayor Harry Sidhu stemming from actions he may have taken related to the stadium site proposal,” the city said in a statement.

Mayor Pro Tem Trevor O’Neil said the stadium proposal was evaluated and approved on its merits.

“However knowing that there may have been an element of corruption that brought the final product to us, we cannot move forward in good conscience,” he said.

Sidhu, whose resignation took effect Tuesday, has not been charged with a crime. His lawyer, Paul S. Meyer, said in a statement Monday that the stadium negotiations were lawful.

“Mayor Harry Sidhu has always, as his foremost priority, acted in the best interests of the City of Anaheim, and he does so today,” Meyer said.