Jordan Brandman is bad for Anaheim because he is part of the pay to play culture.

In politics, pay to play refers to a system, akin to payola in the music industry, by which one pays (or must pay) money to become a player.

The payer(s), in this case, SOAR (a.k.a. Disney), OCBC, OCTAX, The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, and the GardenWalk hotel developers, made campaign contributions to Kris Murray, Gail Eastman, Harry Sidhu, and Jordan Brandman (Jordan Brandman only verbally supported this deal), and in return received $158 million in tax subsidies to build two privately owned hotels at the failed GardenWalk mall. 

When did all this begin?

In January 2012, the Anaheim City Council approved up to $158 million in TOT subsidies to a private developer named Bill O'Connell to build two luxury hotels at the failed GardenWalk mall. This was an amendment to a previously exisiting agreement which gave Bill O'Connell upwards of $40 million in TOT subsidies.

What is TOT and why is it important?

TOT, or Transient Occupancy Tax, is charged to guests who stay in a hotel in the City of Anaheim. The TOT funds acquired are used by the City of Anaheim to support vital services, such as police and fire services. Under this agreement, the developer, once the hotels are built, would keep 80% of the TOT funds for up to 15 years or $158 million dollars. The other 20% would go to pay off bonds used to revitalize the areas around Disneyland. This means the City of Anaheim would receive no TOT for almost TWO DECADES.

This tax giveaway will rob the City of Anaheim of vital future TOT revenue to fund services that directly affect the residents, such as POLICE and FIRE services! 

Who was AGAINST this giveaway of our public tax funds to a private developer?

Mayor Tom Tait, Mayor Pro Tem Lorri Galloway, and City Manager Bob Wigenroth all OPPOSED this giveaway of tax funds. In addition, the report issued by the city staff also opposed the deal.

The reasoning behind their decision to OPPOSE this project is highlighted in the video below.

(only 1 1/2 minutes in length)

What does this have to do with Jordan Brandman? 

Jordan Brandman was a vocal supporter of this tax giveaway, as seen here:

This was taken from a questionnaire Jordan Brandman turned into the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce's PAC on July 19, 2012.

Why would Jordan Brandman support this giveaway of our public tax funds?

Jordan Brandman claims it is all about jobs; jobs for the students that he oversees as a board member of the Anaheim Union High School District, as well as their parents. "Highly skilled jobs," as he puts it, but the reality is that the average hotel employee makes around $37,000 a year. In addition, it has been over 3 years since the original agreement was put in place and there are still NO JOBS.

So what's the real reason Jordan Brandman supported this giveaway of public tax funds?

Jordan Brandman received up to $8900 in campaign contributions for his 2012 City Council run in the months leading up to his speech at the council meeting from the developers, unions, and other folks directly involved with the GardenWalk project. Furthermore, Jordan Brandman calls former Mayor Curt Pringle his "mentor," and Mr. Pringle, now a lobbyist, represented hotelier Bill O'Connell in his efforts to secure this tax subsidy of up to $158 million.

The video below is from the council meeting in which the aforementioned agreement was approved. It has been edited to show each of the individuals and organizations that supported Jordan Brandman and the amounts they contributed to his campaign:

Why did Harry Sidhu, Kris Murray, and Gail Eastman vote to give away $158 million in future TOT revenue?:

In my opinion, their votes were bought and paid for by Save Our Anaheim Resort (SOAR) a.k.a. Disney, the Orange County Business Council (OCBC), OC Taxpayers Association (OCTAX), the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, and the developers and unions.

How much money did each of these groups spend to help elect Kris Murray and Gail Eastman?

Kris Murray

OCTAX $7,924 - Kris Murray now sits on the Board of Directors

OCBC $1700 - Kris Murray now sits on a Advocacy and Government Affairs Committee

SOAR $34,101 - Kris Murray now sits on the SOAR Advisory Committee

Anaheim Chamber of Commerce $65,000+ (slate mailer featuring all 3 candidates)

Gail Eastman

OCTAX $1,000

SOAR $35,929 - Gail Eastman now sits on the SOAR Advisory Committee

Anaheim Chamber of Commerce $65,000+ (slate mailer featuring all 3 candidates)

Gail Eastman and GardenWalk Hotel developer Bill O'Connell (to the right) in 2008.

Did SOAR publically support this giveaway of future tax funds as Jordan Brandman did?

SOAR, as you will see from the video below, heavily supported this giveaway of future tax revenue to the City of Anaheim. 

How much did Disney contributed to SOAR during the 2010 election?

$47,000 in 2010 - election year

How much did Disney give to the other organizations listed during the 2010 election?

OCTAX $10,000 

OCBC $15,000

Anaheim Chamber of Commerce $55,000

Why is Disney interested in this project?

This is an excerpt from the original agreement:

Where can I see the documents containing the contributions made by Disney to SOAR and the funds used by SOAR to elect Kris Murray and Gail Eastman? 

-Click to enlarge- 

Did any Anaheim City Council members receive gifts from Disney?

Yes. Here is Gail Eastman's 700 form that shows over $3500 worth of FREE admissions to Disneyland before, and after, she was elected in 2010:

-Click to enlarge- 

How are Kris Murray and Gail Eastman involved with SOAR?

SOAR is made up of an Advisory Committe and a PAC. Kris Murray and Gail Eastman sit on the SOAR Advisory Committee along with their pals: GardenWalk hotel developer Bill O'Connell, Disney lobbyist Carrie Nocella, OCTAX President Reed Royalty, and Anaheim Chamber of Commerce President Todd Ament.

What is a PAC?

A PAC is a political action committee. Essentially it is a group that can collect unlimited amounts of contributions and use them to support political candidates.

In the video below, Kris Murray and Gail Eastman clarify their involvement with SOAR. They state that they received no benefits, but when you look at the money SOAR spent to have them elected, you may conclude otherwise.

Is Jordan Brandman involved with SOAR?

SOAR Announced their support of Jordan Brandman on June 22, 2012, however Jordan Brandman has been involved with them for some time. This photo was taken at a SOAR event in September of 2011 with another candidate, annointed by former Mayor Curt Pringle, by the name of Steve Lodge.

Is Disney connected to Jordan Brandman?

Disney has already given $1000 towards his campaign. Now that he has been endorsed by SOAR, he will undoubtedly recieve upwards of $30,000 (based on their previous investments in Kris Murray and Gail Eastman) in the form of campain mailers, robocalls, etc.

-Click to enlarge- 

Disney lobbyist Carrie Nocella pictured below with Kris Murray and Jordan Brandman.

Jordan Brandman and Disneyland Resort President George Kalogridis below.

Where can I see the list of contributors to Jordan Brandman's campaign?

Click this link for Jordan Brandman's campaign contributors.

Enter 'Jordan Brandman' into the search by name section. Click on 'Jordan Brandman.' Click on file date '1/31/12.' Please note BIZPAC is the OC Business Council's PAC. A PAC or political action committee is a group that campaigns for or against specific candidates or legislation.

What is Jordan Brandman's position on allowing the voters to approve of future TOT giveways?

 

This was taken from a questionnaire Jordan Brandman turned into the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce's PAC on July 19, 2012. This, in part, illustrates why he is bad for Anaheim. Jordan Brandman states he is against giving the people the right to vote because it is "contrary to my fundamental beliefs in representative democracy."

-click to enlarge-

 

 

 

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