Disney-backed candidates take big leads in Anaheim City Council races

Two out of three Anaheim City Council candidates supported by robust Disney spending enjoyed early, wide margins after Election Day.

Early returns showed Ryan Balius, a candidate in District 1, and Norma Campos Kurtz, an incumbent in District 4, far outpacing their opponents on their way to lopsided victories.

By Thursday afternoon, Balius, a parks and recreation commissioner, bested Ojaala Ahmad, a former Anaheim housing and community development commissioner, by more than 6,100 votes.

Campos Kurtz, who was appointed to council following former Councilman Avelino Valencia’s election to State Assembly, is beating aircraft mechanic Francisco Rosas by more than 4,000 votes.

Both Balius and Campos Kurtz have earned more than 70% of ballots cast in their respective districts.

The race is tighter in District 5, where three candidates are vying for the seat. Kristen Maahs, a cultural and heritage commissioner, has taken an early lead over former La Mirada mayor and retired cop Andrew Sarega and Disney union worker Cristal Ruiz.

Maahs leads Sarega by more than 1,200 votes with Ruiz placing third.

“Our campaign has been focused on building a broad coalition to support our community,” Maahs told TimesOC. “Leading in this race shows the strength of our shared vision for an Anaheim that balances growth with the needs of our families, protects neighborhood integrity, and ensures a high quality of life for all.”

As in past Anaheim City Council elections, Disney spent big.

The company has contributed nearly $850,000 in independent expenditures in support of three favored candidates, according to campaign finance documents. The sum is down from the media giant’s past spending in Anaheim City Council election cycles and is being channeled through a new political action committee.

Disney abandoned the Support Our Anaheim Resort Area (S.O.A.R.) PAC, which spent $1.1 million of the company’s contributions on a trio of council races in 2018 and most recently opposed the failed recall of Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava in June.

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This time around, the corporate cash is flowing through Anaheim Residents, Small Businesses, and Public Safety Leaders committees in support of Maahs, Campos Kurtz and Balius.

To date, Disney has contributed $374,000 in support of Campos Kurtz’s candidacy through the PAC. It has also contributed $324,000 to back Balius and $150,000 in favor of Maahs.

Sarega, with support from the Anaheim Police Assn., was the sole candidate not backed by Disney in any race to have had independent expenditures spent on his behalf.

“One of the consequences of district elections in Anaheim is that it has made it cheaper for Disney,” said Jodi Balma, a Fullerton college political science professor. “It’s marginally cheaper to cover a district, rather than the entire city.”

Balma also opined that Disney’s favored candidates also had strong ballot designations heading into the race.

The election results come two years after an FBI investigation rooted out cannabis corruption, halted the sale of Angel Stadium and led to the conviction of former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu.

A criminal complaint against former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce chief executive Todd Ament described “Company A,” which was Disney, as “an influential company located in Anaheim.” It also described an employee, Carrie Nocella, as being a ringleader “to some extent” of a self-described “cabal” that ran Anaheim.

Neither Disney nor Nocella have been accused of any wrongdoing.

Since the explosive revelations, Anaheim ordered an independent investigation and enacted a series of reforms, including the recent hiring of an ethics officer.

Tensions renewed a year ago when Sidhu’s plea agreement revealed a consultant’s emailed plan to rehearse a council meeting in support of the Angel Stadium deal that included city officials and Angel executives.

The revelation led Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken to call on any city staff or council member involved to resign.

Anti-Disney sentiment flared with the Rubalcava recall attempt and with critics opposed to Anaheim City Council’s unanimous approval of DisneylandForward, a $1.9-billion expansion plan.

But the recent election, Balma said, seemed to ease political polarization, whether related to Disney or allegations of corruption.

Maahs enjoyed the endorsement of both Aitken and District 5 Councilman Stephen Faessel, who traded barbs with each other over mock council meeting allegations.

Former Councilman James Vanderbilt, a key vote in the Disney critical council majority under former Mayor Tom Tait, endorsed Balius.

“It felt like the temperature had dropped in these races,” she said.