Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken Friday wrote an open letter to Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno and the team's executives seeking to re-set the relationship with the city a week after a state audit found fault with the city's lease with the team for Angel Stadium.
Noting it was the home opener for the Angels, Aitken wrote, "Like so many who grew up in Anaheim, spring in our city means Opening Day. Anaheim summers mean sneaking away to day games and enjoying peanuts in the sun."
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The mayor added that in her position, her relationship with the Moreno family "is the source of a lot of speculation. But honestly, we don't really have one. I want to change that for the better."
Aitken emphasized that she wants to keep the team in Anaheim.
"Past (City Councils) and the Angels have endlessly quibbled over vague, nearly 30-year-old lease terms and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees," Aitken wrote. "I am not interested in re-litigating the past."
The mayor said she would like to spark a new "open and honest" conversation with the team "guided by and respecting the process that has been laid out for us."
Aitken called for "full access to the stadium for inspections and an open exchange of information."
State Auditor Grant Parks criticized a lack of access for inspections of the nearly 60-year-old stadium and the revenue-sharing terms of the lease with the team.
Aitken suggested "community outreach around what the residents envision for the property, through surveys, community meetings and stakeholder engagement."
She added there should be "regular updates, focusing on transparency and partnership" for the community.
The mayor also wants commitments "to include a local and skilled workforce, both in any stadium improvements and long-term staffing, through a community work agreement."
She also recommended "investment in the city of Anaheim's residents and their schools, parks, workforce training programs, affordable housing and open space."
Aitken concluded "acknowledging the greatness of Anaheim's history and its contributions to Orange County, by recognizing `ANAHEIM' prominently as the team's location and partner," a reference to the team changing its name to the Los Angeles Angels.
The letter comes a week after her predecessor, Harry Sidhu, was sentenced to two months in federal prison for his corruption in the city's effort to sell Angel Stadium to the team.
Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey said, "We appreciate Mayor Aitken's letter and the desire to strengthen the relationship between the city and Angels Baseball. We look forward to Opening Day at the Big A and the future of Angels Baseball in Anaheim."
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