Protect Anaheim Blog

OC Register Has It Wrong -- Part 2

To finish the critique of yesterday's way-off-base editorial on the Anaheim Resort District fight, let's proceed down the editorial, which makes this statement:

Supporters of a second Disney-backed initiative, which would require all proposed housing projects to be put to a citywide vote, are still collecting signatures for it.

An increasingly prevalent perception -- but one that's incorrect.

The Disney/SOAR initiative doesn't apply only to housing. It would mandate that any amendment or modification of the permitted and conditionally permitted uses under  Anaheim Resort Specific Plan, Disneyland Specific Plan and Hotel Circle Specific Plan would have to go to a city-wide vote of the people. Forever.

OC Register Has It Wrong

Today's OC Register's editorial on the Anaheim Resort District fight boils down to "a pox on both your houses," with an extra-heavy helping of pox tossed at SunCal.

But the Register seems to have bought into the Resort District mythology created by the myth-makers at Disney, and the editorial paints an inaccurate picture.

For example:

"Disney made good on its promise to build a second theme park, California Adventure, along with Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian Hotel."

But Disney didn't promise Anaheim city government and affected property owners California Adventure. Disney promised the far-more ambitious WestCOT.

Property Rights Should Trump Local Government's Quest For Cash

One of California's leading Republican commentators, Jon Fleischman, wrote a solid criticism today of what the Disney Corporation's new "economic study" of the Anaheim Resort District says about how Disney and its allies view property rights:

In America (and in Anaheim) Property Rights Should Trump Local Government's Quest For Cash

I know that everyone here at the Red County/OC Blog is probably tired of hashing and rehashing the politics and antics going on inside of Anaheim these days, but like moths to the flame, bloggers here are drawn to controversy.

This morning the Register is reporting that study paid for by SOAR (Disney) shows that a hotel being built on the parcel of land near Disneyland that SunCal would like to make into residential units would produce more revenue for city government.

Guess what?  If you are a homeowner in Anaheim, there are uses for your land that are more economically beneficial for government than your house, or condominium.

The good news for you is that it is YOUR house, not the government's.

We had all buckle in for a scary movie if local governments start restricting reasonable use property by those who own it because the city isn't getting a big enough cash take from the chosen use of the owner.

Not Even Close Enough For Government Work

Throughout the spring, as they gathered signatures for for the Disney/SOAR initiative and subsequently for the Disney/SOAR referendum, Disney circulators invariably told voters the Anaheim Resort District was "just 5% percent of Anaheim but generated 50% of city revenue" and that development of SunCal's Platinum Pointe would destroy that (in addition to bringing in icky poor people, drugs, prostitution, frogs, locusts and boils, etc). It's a statistic that's been bruited about for months as gospel.

Sarah Tully has a story in today's OC Register about a memo prepared by City of Anaheim Budget Manager Blaze Bruney, which shows the scare statistic isn't true. It isn't even close enough for government work.

You can read Sarah's story here, and you can read the actual report from Bruney here.

Do Anaheim Residents Want To Subsidize More Hotels?

Dave McKibben of the Los Angeles Times wrote a valuable article on Tuesday about the market for luxury hotels in the Anaheim Resort District, focusing on a proposed residential development within the resort district: the site of a closed Toys 'R' Us on Harbor between Orangewood and Chapman.

McKibben quotes Derek Baak, the developer of the project:

"If the city is waiting for a luxury hotel-condo project on that site, who knows how long the land will sit there vacant?" he said. "You just can't build a hotel now without some kind of subsidy." With more condos added in his new plan, "the condos subsidize the hotel."

Dave McKibben of the Los Angeles Times wrote a valuable article on Tuesday about the market for luxury hotels in the Anaheim Resort District, focusing on a proposed residential development within the resort district: the site of a closed Toys 'R' Us on Harbor between Orangewood and Chapman.

McKibben quotes Derek Baak, the developer of the project:

"If the city is waiting for a luxury hotel-condo project on that site, who knows how long the land will sit there vacant?" he said. "You just can't build a hotel now without some kind of subsidy." With more condos added in his new plan, "the condos subsidize the hotel."

Disney CEO Speaks Out On Property He Doesn't Own

In this article on the OC Register website on Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger's first comments on his company's attempt to control a 26-acre lot his company doesn't own.

After some standard talking points blather, Iger gets down to cases:

"But we don't believe that the property that's being talked about is property that should be developed for housing. We just don't believe it's what's called recreation- or business-friendly, nor would it throw off as much in taxes as the businesses that could go into that place."

In this article on the OC Register website on Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger's first comments on his company's attempt to control a 26-acre lot his company doesn't own.

After some standard talking points blather, Iger gets down to cases:

"But we don't believe that the property that's being talked about is property that should be developed for housing. We just don't believe it's what's called recreation- or business-friendly, nor would it throw off as much in taxes as the businesses that could go into that place."

Disney Turns In Signatures Early, Shutting Off Rising Tide Of Recission Requests

Approximately 2,300 Anaheim residents had signed rescission cards asking to have their signatures removed from Disney's referendum petition. Protect Anaheim was poised to turn in thousands of additional rescission cards today and has been gathering rescission cards at a clip of several hundred per day.

That may be why Disney/SOAR decided to turn in their signatures this morning instead continuing to gather referendum signatures for the remaining three days available to them.

According to Protect Anaheim spokesman Frank Elfend:

"We are not surprised by the 21,000 raw signatures submitted to the City today, once we learned that The Disney Corporation was paying in excess of $10.00 per signature.  We believe that the reason The Disney Corporation chose to submit their signatures several days before the deadline was because they were aware of the steady growing numbers of Anaheim residents who had requested their signatures be withdrawn from the Referendum Petition."

"Conversely, over the last few months, over 18,000 Anaheim households have shared their support for the City Council’s action in approving this project, and concurrently voicing their disapproval of The Disney Corporation’s heavy handed tactics."

The Anaheim City Clerk turned the signatures and rescission cards over to the Orange County Registrar of Voters today for verification, which should be completed in approximately two weeks.

Disney Corporation Half-Truths, Part 2

The other notable half-truth from Bill Leonard's May 13 "Reader Rebuttal" is a favorite arrow from the Disney Corporation's quiver of spin:

The city stands to lose $4.6 million per year in tax revenues if housing is allowed at the site.

That figure comes from a 2005 city-commissioned study of the suitability of allowing residential development in outlying portions of the Anaheim Resort District. It's a study the Disney forces quote or condemn depending on whether it fits their purposes.

In Leonard's letter, it is taken totally out of context.

Disney Corporation Half-Truths, Part 1

A Jim Leonard of Anaheim wrote this "Reader Rebuttal" from last Sunday's OC Register Commentary section.

It's basic Disney Corporation/SOAR propaganda, but a couple of paragraphs deserve special scrutiny because they are key examples of misinformation being presented to voters by Disney/SOAR.

First, there's the new "SunCal's project is super-dense" canard:

Ballot-Box Zoning Is Bad Government

David DiRienzo, whose company is trying to develop a 449-unit residential project on the extreme edge of the resort district in the teeth of Disney Corporation opposition, published this excellent opinion article in today's OC Register:

Zoning By Popular Vote Is The Wrong Answer
Popular referendum is wrong answer for zoning and land-use planning.

There has been much discussion regarding the Anaheim Resort Area Specific Plan, which does not allow for residential development. Disney wants to ensure that the plan is never changed. The Anaheim City Council disagrees and has proposed allowing some residential as well as commercial development.

Parc Anaheim Owner Puzzled By Disney's Opposition

The Los Angeles Times published an article today on another residential project proposed for the outer edges of the Anaheim Resort District: Parc Anaheim, which is being built on the site of what was Traveland USA on Ball Road.

The 449-unit development's investors had previously been assured by the Disney Corporation that the entertainment giant didn't opposed their project, so they proceeded to empty the RV park over the course of 2006.

Disney, however, wants to seem as if it has always opposed any housing in the resort district, and so has flipped over to opposition to Parc Anaheim. This has essentially put the project on ice and forced the investors to re-open the RV park in order to realize at least some revenue.

You can read the whole article here. It's enlightening.

OC Register Editorial: No Tax Money For Anaheim Chamber

An editorial from today's Orange County Register:

No Tax Money For Chamber

Anaheim Councilwoman Lorri Galloway, upset that the local Chamber of Commerce is taking an opposing view from hers in a local development squabble, has suggested that the city pull its funding from the business organization.

That's a good idea.

Lorri Galloway Responds To Critics

The Orange County Register published this column today by Anaheim Councilwoman Lorri Galloway:

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle has proposed what he calls a compromise between Disney and a developer, to allow some residential units to be built in at least part of the Resort Area, but keep the front of this property for hotels and commercial uses only ["A compromise for the Resort Area,"  The Orange Grove, April 11]. I have a different proposal.