When Lorri Galloway decided to back a high-end housing developer over the city of Anaheims primary meal ticket, Disneyland, she had to know she would be in for the fight of her life during the upcoming election cycle. As expected Disney has been helping her current political opponent in her election. The LA Times has more on the battle.
I usually don’t make poltical endorsements on The Disney Blog, but I will say that I hope the citizens of Anaheim vote out Galloway who clearly placed the profits of one housing developer over the needs of the city’s tourism based economy.
I find your characterization of Councilwomen Galloway’s decision to support the development of new housing units in the resort area to be unfair. Your assumption is that she decided to back a developer at the determent to the city. However, what she did was support a developer that was proposing to develop more Affordable Housing in a part of the city that desperately needs it. Providing more housing close to the resort is the best thing for the City, and that’s why Councilwoman Galloway acted as she did.
I have no doubt that Disney is opposing her reelection because of her decision, and she would have known that they were going to do that. It makes no sense for her to support a developer and anger Disney unless she felt it was the best thing for the City.
You paint Ms. Galloway as being for developer and against the good of the City, when the truth of the matter is that the other contenders for Anaheim City Council do put the wants of developers before the needs of the City.
What is best for Disney isn’t always what’s best for the City of Anaheim. For too long, the Anaheim City Council has bent to the will of Dinsey. By voting for anybody other than Lorri Galloway is ensuring that the status quo is maintained.
Grant, Less than 15% of the units in the development would have been for affordable housing. Note that’s not ‘low income housing’ but affordable housing, which allows a much higher staring price. With acres of property available to rezone and develop within a short distance of the Anaheim Tourist District, there is no reason to build high-end condos within the district and affect the tax base that drives 50% of the tax base for the city of Anaheim. Galloway was willing to cut off her nose to save her face, and now she should be cut off the city council.
Don’t forget that the project would have replaced existing mobile homes, which I think would actually reduce the amount of “affordable housing” – so that argument on behalf of the developer wasn’t a good one.
The area was zoned as part of the Resort District, and there was no reason to change that. Someone can build resort-oriented things there, or the mobile homes can stay.
Considering what has been going on with housing lately, I’m sure the City Council is relieved that they didn’t go forward with the change.
Here are some interesting comments from a No on Galloway Blog (which has a LOT more details).
http://noongallowayanaheim.blogspot.com/
>>Lorri Galloway is currently running a negative campaign against Disney and Planning Commmisioner Gail Eastman. Lorri fed incorrect information to columnist Frank Mickadeit, who, instead of verifying the info, reprinted it as gospel. Mickadeit has since corrected the info, but Lorri’s campaign team still used the misleading Register headline to create a phony case against Disney and the candidate most likely to beat Galloway in this election. Galloway has been quoted saying she will oppose ANY development Disney is involved with, regardless of its merits. We don’t think hating the City’s largest employer, and the source of over 50% of our General Fund revenue, is a great campaign platform. Using a Council seat for personal vengeance is not the leadership we are looking for.
Galloway will complain to anyone who listens about special interests in this election. Yet, her own campaign has been funded by Public Employee Unions, Service Sector Unions (the protestors fighting Resort employers) and developers who have profited immensely from Galloway’s decisions. Who is in who’s pocket? <<
Should be interesting to watch the resutls Tuesday Night. You can follow the results at this link….
http://www.ocvote.com/
Sorry to tell you Grant, but Lorri Galoway did decide to back a developer to the detriment of the community. The SunCal nightmare would have pulled TOT revenue from Anaheim’s general fund, while benefittig only one developer, who oddly enough has been very generous to both Galloway and the campaign of Diane Singer. Follow the money. The No On Galloway blog David mentioned shows who is paying for those anti-Disney ads currently running! Included in the list are unions, developers, including SunCal, and another developer that got their affordable housing profits increased by 35% of the funds that should have gone to the poor. That increase was compliments of Lorri Galloway. She needs to go.
Comments are closed.