Anaheim could soon have a new city manager to run Orange County’s biggest city and oversee a nearly $2.6 billion budget after the previous one, Jim Vanderpool, resigned earlier this year amid questions over his close ties to resort interests investigated by FBI agents.
On Monday and Tuesday mornings at 8 a.m., Anaheim City Council members are expected to meet behind closed doors to discuss the appointment of a new city manager, roughly seven months since Vanderpool quit.
Vanderpool, who served as the city’s top executive during the COVID-19 pandemic, was one of the longest serving city managers in Anaheim in the past 15 years – a tenure that some city council members have previously hailed as bringing consistency to the leadership role.
Yet his tenure was also plagued
Yet his tenure was also plagued by a city hall corruption scandal – first sparked by an FBI probe that went public in 2022 and later spurred by the city’s own probe into the inner workings of city hall.
It is a scandal that over the years has raised questions on whether Vanderpool and top city officials prioritized the interests of Disneyland resort interests and developers over the interests of residents.
Vanderpool ultimately resigned in February after facing questions on why he didn’t disclose he went on an Anaheim Chamber of Commerce paid trip to Lake Havasu on the verge of city officials voting to finalize the chamber-backed Angel Stadium deal in 2020 that the corruption scandal ended up imploding.
About a month later, city council members voted
About a month later, city council members voted to hire a consulting firm to do a nationwide search for his replacement.
Whoever council members pick as Vanderpool’s successor will take the reins at city hall as Angels Owner Arte Moreno is expected to finalize a deal to sell his Major League Baseball team to Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke early next year.
The team sale and next week deliberations on a new city manager come as residents continue to wait for the results of an assessment of the condition of Angel Stadium that was first approved four years ago – the results of which could be used in any potential future negotiations over a stadium deal.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.
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