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Anaheim’s mayor is facing an extraordinary workplace complaint from her own chief of staff that paints a picture of booze, alleged harassment and political-business-as-usual gone badly off the rails. Chief of Staff Berenice Ballinas claims Mayor Ashleigh Aitken repeatedly appeared intoxicated at city functions — including one City Council meeting — and that on one occasion the mayor allegedly ended up pawing through a former city manager’s car on the ride home. Ballinas’ 25-page claim, released by the city Thursday, also accuses Aitken of making crude comments about her sexuality and using a racial slur against her. Among the allegations,...

Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken is pushing back against accusations that she called her chief of staff a “dirty Mexican,” issuing her first direct denial as the controversy threatens to engulf City Hall. Aitken released the statement Thursday after her chief of staff, Berenice Ballinas, made the damning allegations that also claimed the mayor questioned the staffer’s sexuality during a trip to Disneyland. “These allegations are extremely serious, and they deserve to be investigated. I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community,” Aitken, a Democrat, said in her...

A father was savagely beaten during a bloody Disneyland brawl after he confronted a family who were trying to cut the line for the Indiana Jones ride, his traumatized relatives claim. The dad, who hasn’t been identified publicly, was brutally attacked at the Anaheim amusement park while he was waiting for the ride with his teenage daughter on Tuesday, according to his family. The beatdown, which the victim’s relatives detailed in a Reddit thread, left the man in need of multiple stitches and covered in bruises.The chaos erupted just before 1 p.m. when the alleged assailant flew into a rage...

The Anaheim Police Department have said “there is no indication of any operating issue with the attraction"The Anaheim Police Department have said “there is no indication of any operating issue with the attraction" A woman in her 60s has died after riding the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland. No cause of death has been given. The Anaheim Police Department reported that the woman was found unresponsive immediately upon exiting the ride-through attraction (as per Variety). Disneyland’s website describes the ride as “dark” and containing “mildly frightening scenes”, but “slow-moving”, having “no gore” and being “creepy fun for little ones”. The...

Skip to Main Content Pay & ApplyFind & ReportCommunity InfoDepartments HomeDepartmentsCity AdministrationCommunicationsAnaheim ContigoClick the bottom right to translate to another language • Haga clic abajo a la derecha de la página para traducir a otro idiomaImmigration enforcement: timely updatesANAHEIM, Calif. (Aug. 19, 2025) — We are watching for any federal immigration enforcement in Anaheim Tuesday and continue to advise caution.We looked into a report in the area of Gilbert Street and Lincoln Avenue around midday Tuesday with no indication of federal enforcement activity, based on a canvassing of the area, talks with area businesses and consultation with our police.We are...

A federal judge denied a motion Monday for a new trial in the case of a Chinese-born engineer convicted of conspiring to export U.S. defense technology to China. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney rejected Chi Mak's motion after a hearing that included testimony from several defense witnesses. Carney set Mak's sentencing for March 24. Mak could face up to 45 years in prison. Mak, 67, was convicted last May of conspiring to export U.S. defense technology to China, including data on an electronic propulsion system that prosecutors said could make submarines virtually undetectable. A jury also found him guilty of...

Anaheim will direct $250,000 to an assistance fund created to help families affected by the recent surge in federal immigration enforcement that will give grants for rent, utilities and other household expenses. Last month, the city partnered with the nonprofit Anaheim Community Foundation to launch Anaheim Contigo, which accepts donations from the community to fund emergency assistance grants for families affected by the sweeps. The $250,000 in new money for Anaheim Contigo, approved by a split 5-2 City Council on Tuesday, July 15, would significantly bolster the fund, which had received $35,000 in donations to date. ... Councilmembers Natalie Meeks...

Homicide detectives have arrested Orange County Superior Court Jeffrey Ferguson, 72-year-old, for the murder of his wife in Anaheim Hills. According to the Anaheim Police Department, officers were called around 8 p.m. for a reported shooting. When police arrived at the 8500 block of Canyon Vista Drive they found Sheryl Ferguson, age 65, with at least one gun shot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Ferguson was arrested and booked into the Anaheim Police Department's Detention Facility on a $1 million bail. Detectives have not released any additional details because the investigation is ongoing.

A mother was hauled out of Disney California Adventure Park alongside her hysterical children after she tried passing the kids off as toddlers so they could sneak into the park for free. Footage posted to TikTok on Wednesday captured the unidentified mother surrounded by Disney security and being led out of the park in cuffs by Anaheim police officers. Her two young girls are seen holding onto their mother on both sides, bawling their eyes out and shouting “Help!” in Spanish. Another officer is seen pushing a side-by-side stroller behind them during the incident. The video, which has racked up...

@BehizyTweets BREAKING: Tucker Carlson has tens of thousands of people at his paid event in Anaheim, California California is hungry for freedom THIS IS BEAUTIFUL 🔥 [15 sec video clip]

A former children’s ministry volunteer at a California church has been sentenced to more than 120 years to life in prison for molesting girls as young as 6, and possessing hundreds of pornographic images of children. The ministry volunteer also took sexually suggestive images of a minor he met through the church. Orange County District Attorney Tood Spitzer's office said in a statement last week that Newport Beach resident Todd Christian Hartman was sentenced to 120 years to life plus an additional four years and four months in prison following convictions on two felony counts of a lewd act upon...

This is the terrifying moment a 45-foot tall animatronic dragon caught fire on Disneyland's Tom Sawyer island in California and caused families to flee the park. The popular attraction exploded and erupted into a fireball during the theme park's 'Fantasmic!' show at Walt Disney World Resort on Saturday night. Cast members were forced to flee the scene after the head of Maleficent Dragon's became engulfed in flames in the middle of the performance. They quickly evacuated around 1,000 people from the site around Frontierland as the thick black smoke plume spread across the theme park. The Anaheim Fire Department responded...

California school district is using lesson plans designed by its Black Lives Matter Task Force (BLM) to help teach 7th graders about their implicit bias during Black History Month, according to the curriculum obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. In an effort to address “issues related to racial justice,” Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) requires 7th through 12th grade teachers to use a curriculum created by the schools’ Black Lives Matter Task Force, a coalition dedicated to creating equity for African American students and staff within the district, according to screenshots of the curriculum obtained by the DCNF....

Tim Reid, "America's Muslims object to Obama's push for more self-surveillance," Reuters, December 8, 2015. They said they found Obama's request insulting, with some questioning why the same message is not sent to Christian churches after mass shootings carried out by non-Muslims. "It is unfair to speak about the Muslim community in this way," said Moustafa Kamel, the imam of the West Coast Islamic Center. An immigrant from Egypt 13 years ago, Kamel added, "there is a lot of suspicion of the FBI here."* * * *Imam Moustafa Kamel of Anaheim, CA Quotes Hadith about Killing of the Jews by...

Inflation is impacting the entire United States population as prices continue to be a burden for families, but certain California cities are feeling the impact more than others. In a new study from WalletHub, cities were ranked on how much inflation is rising. The study pointed to the year-over-year inflation rate of 8.2% last month, but noted that some cities are feeling costs increase more than others. In the report, 23 Metropolitan Statistical Areas were examined. The site looked at the Consumer Price Index information available for the most recent month and compared it to two months ago and one...

CHICAGO: The 26-year-old son of Egypt’s Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs, Nabila Makram, is facing charges of premeditated murder over the killing of two men in California in April. Ramy Hani Mounir Fahim, who lives in Irvine, California, has also been charged with two enhancements each of lying in wait and the personal use of a deadly weapon after a co-worker and his roommate were stabbed to death in their Anaheim apartment early last month. The special circumstances of “lying in wait” and multiple murders make Fahim eligible for the death penalty, officials said. Police allege that Fahim attacked...

Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu announced on Monday that he has resigned from office amid an investigation that finds him accused of trying to shake down officials at Angel Stadium and other public corruption. Sidhu said he is stepping down after being accused of bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering, according to the L.A. Times

Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu has resigned. The announcement comes just days after it was revealed that Sidhu is one of the subjects of an FBI corruption probe. Last week, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra asked an Orange County judge to put a hold on a deal to sell Angel Stadium, citing federal documents alleging that Sidhu was trying to leverage the deal to secure campaign contributions from the Angels. The city of Anaheim had planned to sell the stadium to Los Angeles Angels team own Arte Moreno's company and would use money from the sale to fund affordable housing throughout...

A 26-year-old Irvine man has been charged with ambushing two Chapman University alumni who were stabbed to death in their apartment near Angel Stadium. Ramy Fahim, the defendant, worked at the office of a wealth management firm in Newport Beach with one of the victims, 23-year-old Griffin Robert Cuomo, Anaheim police said. The other man who was killed, Jonathan Andrew Bahm, also 23, had no prior connection to Fahim, Sgt. Shane Carringer said.

The city of Anaheim, California, canceled an “America First” rally to be led by Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Saturday, raising concerns that it is violating the First Amendment. A city spokesman cited “values” as the reason for canceling the rally, which violates the long-established constitutional principle that the government must be content-neutral with regard to any regulations applied to speech and assembly. “A planned America First rally at a private venue in our city is cancelled,” Mike Lyster, spokesman for the city of Anaheim said on Twitter. “The city of Anaheim shared public safety...