City officials and the Angels can\u2019t even agree on whether the city is allowed to inspect the stadium, and the Angels claim that taxpayers owe them over $36 million for how much they\u2019ve spent on a stadium they do not own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While auditors explicitly stated they found no evidence that the Angels violated the terms of the lease, they say the city needs to step up its oversight, including forcing the team to let them conduct regular examinations of the stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnaheim should negotiate with Angels ownership or seek to obtain a court order allowing it to perform physical inspections of the stadium on an annual or bi-annual basis,\u201d auditors wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752625200_137_OC-STADIUMS-ANAHEIM-2025-MCKENNA-11.jpg\")
The Iconic \u201cA\u201d signage at Angel Stadium is lit up in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 25, 2025. The ballpark has been home to the Los Angeles Angels since 1966.<\/p>\n
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken and the rest of the city council did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.<\/p>\n
City Manager Jim Vanderpool said in a March 10 letter to auditors that they agree with recommendations to clarify language in future leases regarding the city\u2019s right to inspect the stadium and requiring maintenance inspection reports from the Angels.<\/p>\n
He also agrees with recommendations to audit Angels\u2019 financial records related to revenue from the stadium \u2013 as well as for physical inspections by the city to verify maintenance work done by the ball club and to publicly post the findings of those checks for residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the City leadership team continues to review, clarify and validate all the draft findings contained within the report with the State Auditor team, the City of Anaheim has no objection to and welcomes the recommendations put forward by the State Auditor,\u201d reads Vanderpool\u2019s response to the audit\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n
The findings come after a state audit request from State Assemblyman Avelino Valencia and State Senator Tom Umberg<\/a> last fall into whether the Angels have lived up to their end of the lease when it comes to revenue sharing and maintenance.<\/p>\n In a Thursday statement after this story was published, Umberg said the audit confirms the Angels are operating under a \u201csweetheart deal\u201d that doesn\u2019t in any way benefit the stadium\u2019s owners \u2013 Anaheim taxpayers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe audit uncovered that, unbelievably, the worse the Angels do, the less they need to pay in rent (the city\u2019s share of revenue is tied to attendance). The failure of the Angels to put a decent product on the field means that the city is basically paying the Angels to play baseball in their stadium,\u201d reads Umberg\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n \u201cAny discussions of further lease extensions with a losing sports franchise that refuses to publicly associate their name with Anaheim while exploiting the city and endangering its residents should be dramatically reshaped.\u201d<\/p>\n Valencia, a former Anaheim City Councilman who was critical of the failed stadium sale, said the lease leaves Anaheim vulnerable.<\/p>\n \u201cThe state auditor\u2019s findings on Anaheim\u2019s lease agreement with Angels ownership are deeply alarming and frustrating. This agreement, meant to safeguard the city\u2019s interests, has instead left Anaheim vulnerable to significant risks and missed opportunities,\u201d Valencia said in a Thursday statement after this story was published.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n He also said it might be time for city officials to get a judge involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe agreement lacks a requirement for Angels ownership to provide regular updates on the stadium\u2019s condition. Anaheim must act immediately, whether by negotiating a separate agreement or seeking a court order, to ensure it has the ability to properly monitor and protect its own property,\u201d Valencia said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Angels Spokeswoman Marie Garvey said the team will continue investing in the stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Angels have and will continue to invest millions in the Stadium to enhance the fan experience.\u201d<\/p>\n In a Major League Baseball article<\/a> last month, Team Owner Arte Moreno said he put millions of dollars in the stadium annually.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m not going to put $200 or $300 million into a stadium that a city owns without any of their participation. Maybe we\u2019ll get a new mayor and council that wants us to stay,\u201d Moreno was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n The city has not reviewed the work the Angels claim to have completed according to the audit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Auditors say the Angels want the city to reimburse them for maintenance costs.<\/p>\n \u201cAngels ownership believes that it is entitled to receive reimbursement from Anaheim for any excess spending balance at the end of lease term. Although Anaheim disagrees with Angels ownership\u2019s interpretation of the lease agreement, it has not resolved this disagreement,\u201d auditors found, adding city officials haven\u2019t verified the work done at the stadium.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFurther, Anaheim has not verified the work for which Angels ownership claimed to have used the capital reserve funds,\u201d auditors wrote. \u201cVerifying this work is critical because Angels ownership claims that such excess spending equals nearly $36 million.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s the Actual Condition of Angel Stadium?<\/p>\n Their report comes two years after the city commissioned a study to determine the state of the stadium that was initially estimated to take two months.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s still unclear when that study will be completed.<\/p>\n [Read: How Long Does it Take to Figure Out If Angel Stadium is Trashed?<\/a>]<\/p>\n The study \u2013 when completed \u2013 will mark the first time city officials formally inspected the stadium since it was last renovated 25 years ago according to auditors.\u00a0<\/p>\n The state audit came on Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season, and also lands a day before a federal judge is scheduled to sentence disgraced former Mayor Harry Sidhu, who pleaded guilty obstruction of justice for deleting records surrounding stadium negotiations.<\/p>\n Federal investigators say Sidhu destroyed emails about stadium negotiations, including one containing critical information he sent to a team consultant.\u00a0<\/p>\n [Read: Will Disgraced Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu Serve Prison Time?<\/a>]<\/p>\n Sidhu also spearheaded the lease\u2019s reinstatement in January 2019 after the Angels terminated the lease in October 2018. At the time, he billed the move as a temporary one-year lease extension.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shortly after the corruption scandal broke in May 2022, City Attorney Rob Fabela publicly said city officials might be able to nullify the lease<\/a> if any wrongdoing was found in connection with the sale negotiations.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Feb. 5, city officials announced that Angels Baseball extended that lease<\/a> to 2032.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the same time, top city staff privately met with Angels executives and a real estate consultant in January to discuss a state law regarding selling public land \u2013 sparking questions if another land sale is in the works.<\/p>\n City officials adamantly denied any negotiations about the stadium.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AngelStadium.2009.9.EDIT-10.jpg\")
The Angels vs Cleveland Indians game on September 9.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752625202_741_OC-STADIUMS-ANAHEIM-2025-MCKENNA-20.jpg\")
The marquee sign at Angel Stadium is lit up in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 24, 2025. The ballpark has been home to the Los Angeles Angels since 1966. Credit: KADE MCKENNA, Voice of OC<\/p>\n