Anaheim lawmakers love their freebies

City officials in Anaheim aren’t giving up their free tickets to Angels games without kicking and screaming. Now, however, they've come up against a potentially higher power-- 15 Catholic nuns. The sisters, from a convent in Montebello, are part of a letter-writing campaign that says taking the freebies just isn’t right.

The spat wound up before the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which held a hearing on a proposal to limit the acceptance of sports and concert tickets to those for which attendance is part of conducting government business.

Two attorneys for the city of Anaheim wrote an eight-page (!) legal paper, which warned that limiting access to the freebies was unconstitutional, unfair and ill-advised. Anaheim City Council members and department managers have for years received free tickets to events held at that city’s Angel Stadium, the Honda Center, the Grove of Anaheim and the Anaheim Convention Center.

"The proposed regulation ignores the right and longstanding practice of a public agency to provide perquisites to its public officials and employees in addition to compensation," wrote City Atty. Jack L. White and Senior Assistant City Atty. Cristina L Talley.

The letter, which stops just short of saying, "See you in court,"  cites four legal cases supporting the city’s argument in favor of hanging onto the freebies.

Meanwhile, the commission is sifting through more than 250 letters in favor of stopping the flow of freebies. Among the writers -- 15 from nuns at the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary Casa Guadalupe, a convent for retired sisters.

"I personally consider these actions immoral and unethical by elected or appointed officials," says the form letter, which calls for an end to "this pillaging."

Sister Mary Milligan, one of the nuns who signed the letters, said she hopes the FPPC will act. "I don’t like any position to have all kinds of privileges with no accountability," Milligan said in an interview. The nuns signed the letters at the request of Char Yonai, an activist who supports the monastery and is active in state political causes.

The letter-writing campaign was organized by a group called Stop Government Greed. Unfortunately, the sisters will have to wait for any action. The panel briefly discussed the proposal today but put off a final vote until December.

Meanwhile, the Angels clinched the AL West last night. Any guesses about where Anaheim's lawmakers will be during the playoffs?

--Patrick McGreevy

Photo: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[El Grande]

It is clear that Anaheim's politicians do not represent the people, but rather the corporations that keep them in the expensive seats. How long before the USA goes under?