Anaheim Ca Finances

In what promises to be one of the largest and most closely watched municipal bond deals of the year, Anaheim on Monday said it would pay out more than $1.7 billion in principal and interest over 40 years to expand the city's Convention Center and improve streets for the Disneyland Resort expansion. Under the terms of a $518-million bond offering unveiled Monday, the Walt Disney Co.

Los Angeles tourism officials are watching with a mixture of envy and fear as Anaheim gets ready to unveil a larger convention center and a revitalized tourist district that's already pulling business south to Orange County. More than $3 billion in state, city and Disney dollars have been poured into Anaheim over the last five years, funding everything from a wider freeway with sleek offramps that zip cars into the Disneyland resort to additional hotel rooms to a new companion theme park.

Gov. Pete Wilson on Monday declared a state of emergency in Orange County, paving the way for the city of Anaheim to recover million of dollars in earthquake damage at Anaheim Stadium. "The main reason for the declaration was that the city of Anaheim had filed a request because of the major damage in and around the stadium," said Kevin Eckery, the governor's press secretary. "The amount of damage outstripped their resources."

The City Council today will consider approving $107,000 for increased code enforcement. The additional funding would go toward commercial strip-center inspections, weekend code enforcement and housing inspections.

City officials released a study Friday showing that more than a third of the people arrested in Anaheim during a recent 60-day period admitted to being in the country illegally. The survey results may boost the city's efforts to get federal approval of a $37,000 pilot program that would place at the city jail an INS official who would have access to federal computer records to help identify a suspect's immigration status and criminal history.

Responding to community demands for leadership in the city's defense against gangs and drugs, the City Council on Tuesday approved the appointment of a city parks executive to coordinate law enforcement and community efforts designed to combat gangs. In a unanimous vote, the council named Steven E. Swaim to the newly created position in the city manager's office. "What people are demanding is participation," Swaim said Tuesday. "We want to empower the people." Police Chief Joseph T.

In a case closely watched by firefighters and public officials across the state, Anaheim firefighters have won a 15% wage increase through binding arbitration, their first raise since 1996. Made public Friday, the decision angered city officials, who say the award is unjustified and may result in a reduction of other services. The city did win on other issues, including drug testing and personal use of e-mail at work.

The Anaheim city attorney may begin prosecuting violations of Placentia's municipal code under an agreement that will be considered today by council members in both cities. Under the agreement, Anaheim would handle for Placentia the prosecution of code violations such as operating an unlicensed business or illegally converting a garage into a bedroom. Placentia's code violations are currently prosecuted by the Orange County district attorney's office.

After a day of uncertainty that involved final negotiations with a Japanese bank and a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, city officials announced Friday that they will pay part of a $99.5-million debt due next week by tapping into a line of credit. City officials simultaneously requested a $75-million line of credit from Industrial Bank of Japan and a $29-million emergency cash disbursement in bankruptcy court.

December was the month when this city, home of Disneyland and three professional sports teams, expected to add the final details to its blueprint for the next century. City officials hoped to reach an agreement by year's end to build a new baseball stadium for the California Angels and to choose the designer for a dazzling entertainment complex that would surround it.

The hard hats and construction signs around Disneyland will be gone soon. The new Grand Californian luxury hotel opens in January along with an entertainment zone called Downtown Disney. The new park, California Adventure, debuts in February. But the city of Anaheim, which spent $546 million on improvements, finds itself several years behind schedule in creating its vision of a world-class urban resort that would stretch beyond Walt Disney Co.'s properties.

The city of Anaheim, which invested $546 million in public improvements around Disneyland in an effort to create a world-class urban resort stretching beyond Walt Disney Co.'s properties, finds itself several years behind schedule and far short of fulfilling its goals. The city renovated its Convention Center, refurbished a two-mile area with lush landscaping and new streets and put in other improvements as Disney spent $1.

In a case closely watched by firefighters and public officials across the state, Anaheim firefighters have won a 15% wage increase through binding arbitration, their first raise since 1996. Made public Friday, the decision angered city officials, who say the award is unjustified and may result in a reduction of other services. The city did win on other issues, including drug testing and personal use of e-mail at work.

Seeking to clarify its options for new parks, the City Council delayed approval of Anaheim's $660-million annual budget for one week. Although the budget would put $5 million toward the construction of several parks and the design of several others, it excluded several council pet projects such as a skateboard park, the revamping of Pearson Park and possible acquisition of Maag Ranch in Anaheim Hills.

Mention Anaheim and many people think: Disneyland. If not the Magic Kingdom, then Edison Field, the Mighty Ducks or the Convention Center might pop to mind. What Anaheim isn't known for is the arts, or for being a mecca of fine culture. The city has no symphony, no indoor playhouse and only one small museum. "There are a lot of things we're missing," said Joyce Franklin, director of the Anaheim Museum.

Only months after eliminating jobs to balance the city's budget, officials already are projecting another multimillion-dollar budget shortfall next year in Anaheim. City Councilman Tom Daly said Tuesday that the shortfall is forecast at between $3 million and $6 million because of lagging sales tax revenue and a slowed tourist industry. City officials said sales tax revenue is already $1.

Should the Walt Disney Co. bring a hockey team to the new, $103-million Anaheim Arena by next fall, the city would be rescued from a multimillion-dollar financial obligation and the embarrassment of opening an arena with no major sporting tenant. For a financially strapped city faced with hiring freezes and budget cutbacks, the timing of the Disney announcement is fortuitous.