Senate Judiciary Chair Tom Umberg Responds to Anaheim Stadium Audit

Anaheim Stadium, Creative Commons

(Sacramento, CA) – Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the California Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the statement below in response to findings released March 27 from the California State Auditor regarding the City of Anaheim’s lease agreement with the Angels ownership.

“This audit confirms what we have long suspected. The Angels have been operating under a sweetheart deal, negotiated and signed by previous city officials, that in no way, shape, or form benefits the residents of Anaheim. In fact, it may put them at risk of physical harm.

The audit uncovered that, unbelievably, the worse the Angels do, the less they need to pay in rent (the city’s share of revenue is tied to attendance). The failure of the Angels to put a decent product on the field means that the city is basically paying the Angels to play baseball in their stadium.

To add insult to injury, the city has no authority to inspect the stadium for health and welfare, public safety, or earthquake standards. A safety inspection hasn’t occurred in over 30 years.

It’s clear that compared to other California cities that own professional sports facilities (San Diego, Santa Clara), the former city council of Anaheim was railroaded by the Angels for decades.

The value of the land where the stadium sits is substantial. Any discussions of further lease extensions with a losing sports franchise that refuses to publicly associate their name with Anaheim while exploiting the city and endangering its residents should be dramatically reshaped.

I look forward to working with the current mayor and city officials to help put this relationship on more solid footing — complete with transparency, maximized revenue sharing, and harm mitigation to the actual owners of the Anaheim stadium — the city’s residents.”

The audit was requested by Senator Umberg and Assemblymember Avelino Valencia in August of 2024 (attached) in response to federal criminal indictments surrounding the attempted sale of Anaheim Stadium.