Is Disney Really Part of a Shadowy Cabal?
I’m not much for clickbait headlines, but those aren’t my words. Yes, according to an LA Times report, an Anaheim “secret cabal” exists.
The journalism in the piece suggests that Disney has remained an integral part of this entity for years.
Photo: Forbes
So, let’s throw on our tinfoil hats and decipher the truth from the fiction in what’s unquestionably the strangest Disney-related story this year.
Does Disney Influence Politics?
You’re not a child. You fully understand the outsized influence that corporations and political insiders maintain over society.
Photo:visitorlando.com
City leaders often provide additional benefits to the most powerful employers in the area as a way to ensure that they don’t leave for greener pastures.
In the case of Disney, two different states have always kowtowed to its hefty demands…as they should!
Disney’s work in Hollywood drove the success of the early decades of the film industry.
Photo: wikipedia
Later, Walt Disney built a theme park in Anaheim, and it’s become one of the signature aspects of Southern California tourism.
Similarly, Uncle Walt purchased useless swampland in Florida and elevated it into THE most popular paid tourist attraction of its kind in the world.
Photo: Disney
You can understand why elected officials would provide Disney with the benefit of the doubt.
In fact, before the recent Florida Feud, Disney possessed outsized political influence in both states, and I expect that behavior to return over time.
Photo: Getty Images
Disney matters, and its words carry weight with local city managers. On its own merit, there’s nothing wrong with such behavior.
Those of us who grew up in towns with one main corporation employing many residents know that the government MUST satisfy this entity.
Photo: The Wall Street Journal
If not, some other town in need of employment will incentivize the company to leave. It’s just good business, even if duly elected officials are the ones doing it.
Is Disney Part of a Secret Cabal in Anaheim?
Maybe? A lot depends on your definition of “secret” as well as what you deem a “cabal.” Here’s what we know.
Photo: LA Times
According to the journalism in this LA Times article, a former member of the Anaheim City Council, Jordan Brandman, looooved his position.
Specifically, Brandman enjoyed hobnobbing with influential Southern Californians, and it eventually led to his downfall.
Photo: OC Register
The article cites Brandman’s desperation to remain relevant as follows:
“(When) questions about his mental health emerged, Brandman tried so hard to stay in their good graces that he signed over access to information about his psychological care to a prominent local lobbyist…”
That’s someone who loved the idea of being among Anaheim’s elite so much that he would have done virtually anything to stay useful to them.
Photo: LinkedIn
Specifically, Brandman developed a close relationship with Disney’s Director of External Affairs, Carrie Nocella.
Here’s the connection the two shared, according to the article:
“The pair shared the same March birthday. And months before Brandman’s election, he said, Nocella gave him her father’s Mickey Mouse watch shortly after his death, telling Brandman that her father would have wanted him to have it.”
Photo: Disney
For her part, Nocella explains the kind gesture thusly:
“(Her) mother gave the watch to Brandman shortly after the death of Nocella’s father, whom she said Brandman knew well.”
Photo: Voice of OC
Neither party denies that they shared a friendly relationship and interacted on several occasions.
The debate ensues about whether Brandman exploited his leadership position to curry favor with influential people like Nocella.
Photo: Voice of OC
Questionable Actions by a Friend of Disney
At one point, Brandman unexpectedly “joined other council members in approving a controversial $158-million hotel tax subsidy for the developer of two four-star hotels.”
A different reporter at the time described this contentious vote by saying:
Photo: Getty
“The Anaheim City Council Tuesday night approved a $158-million room tax subsidy for local hoteliers despite impassioned pleas and angry condemnations from many who packed the council chambers to protest what they saw as a giveaway of public money to big business.”
Remember a few years ago when Disney canceled its Downtown Disney hotel due to resistance from the Anaheim City Council?
Photo: LA Times
In an odd way, the aftermath of this town council meeting led to the vote that upended Disney’s plans.
Voters didn’t want hoteliers to gain that subsidy. They later expressed their outrage in other City Council elections, ultimately leading to an unfriendly board for Disney.
Photo: Moneycrashers.com
Specifically, Brandman was among the City Council members who sided with Disney in granting the $267 million tax incentive. Voters revolted against them.
Brandman defended his vote by stating that “he used his leverage as the council’s swing vote to successfully push Disney to guarantee union jobs, wages and benefits for construction workers on the planned hotel.”
Photo: Disney
As a reminder, Disney never earned that tax incentive. After the political firestorm regarding this tax break, company officials rejected it.
In fact, Disney’s new stance is that it will never accept tax benefits from Anaheim.
That modified philosophy stems from Brandman’s getting voted off the Anaheim City Council partially due to his Disney ties.
Photo: Wikipedia
Disney’s Friends Get in Trouble
Not coincidentally, “The resort poured more than $1.2 million into a political action committee that supported Brandman and two other candidates in the 2018 council races.”
You won’t be surprised to learn that Brandman won back his City Council seat in that election.
Photo: Spectrum news
In reporting on the matter for MickeyBlog at the time, I noted that Disney would always take an active interest in City Council votes after the 2016 debacle.
At the time, Disney also supported the candidacy of Harry Sidhu, who became Mayor of Anaheim in 2018…but isn’t anymore.
Photos: Voice of OC
While Brandman is a Democrat and Sidhu a Republican, they’re both Disney allies. It’s a bad look that both are answering questions now about that relationship.
Sidhu resigned in the face of an FBI probe regarding corruption in the Mayor’s office.
Photo: OC independent
You can describe these relationships as politics making strange bedfellows.
Alternatively, you can argue that a secret cabal has been running politics in Anaheim…and Disney objectively holds influence over this group.
FBI
I’ll side with the FBI on this one. And it describes the entity as “a covert group that appeared to exert significant influence over the City of Anaheim.”
One FBI report pointedly describes Disney’s Nocella as a “cabal ringleader.” There’s a title you don’t see every day on LinkedIn.
FBI
Is Disney Part of a Shadowy Cabal?
Perhaps the most alarming part of this story involves a lobbyist so influential that he “wrote scripts for the Mayor.” And Nocella thought Sidhu read them “so poorly.”
Importantly, none of these incidents cost Mayor Sidhu his job. His corruption allegations stem from a new Anaheim Angels baseball stadium.
Photo: mynewsla.com
Also, nobody at Disney faces any sort of charges here because the company did nothing wrong. It asked for and received political favors.
That happens every day. In fact, it’s happening in Orlando right now, just not with Disney but rather with Universal Studios.
Image Credit: Universal Orlando
If anything, the noteworthy part is how terrible these politicians were at hiding their desire to please Anaheim power brokers like the Angels and Disney.
To a larger point, these discussions demonstrate the significance of elections on daily operations at Disney theme parks.
Credit: WESH2
Remember that Florida’s current governor, Ron DeSantis, won the 2018 election by a measly 32,463 votes.
If Disney had that one to do all over again, it would have lobbied HARD against DeSantis.
Photo: Yahoo Sports!
The same statement applies to Anaheim’s City Council. Disney ignored the 2016 election too much and then had to work harder afterward to reset the status quo.
Whether you deem these the actions of a shadowy cabal or just smart politics is entirely up to you.
Photo: MickeyBlog
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Feature Photo: Disney
