Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu announced Monday that he was resigning following news of a federal investigation surrounding his role in the sale of the Anaheim Angels stadium.
As we previously reported, an affidavit filed in federal court says authorities are investigating whether Sidhu “shared privileged and confidential information with the Angels during stadium sale negotiations, actively concealed same from a Grand Jury inquiry, and expects to receive campaign contributions as a result.”
Sidhu is accused of bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
According to the L.A. Times, Side’s resignation followed the demand by the other Anaheim City Council members that the mayor step down.
Sidhu’s resignation came after Melahat Rafiei announced she was stepping down as a member of the Democratic National Committee and state party secretary after being named in connection with the investigation. Per the L.A. Times, Rafiei denied wrongdoing and said she voluntarily cooperated with the investigation because of her patriotism.
“I have never attempted to improperly influence any elected official and I am certain the work I undertook to root out corruption was in the best interest of the people of the state and the Democratic party,” she wrote.
The city of Anaheim had previously agreed to provide Angels owner Arte Moreno and his development company with $124 million in credits to include 466 units of affordable housing within a neighborhood to be built on the Angel Stadium parking lot.
To resolve the city’s violation of the state affordable housing law, the city, state and Moreno agreed to use $96 million of that money toward the construction of about 1,000 units of affordable housing elsewhere in the city of Anaheim.