Arte Moreno
When the legal dispute between the Angels and the city of Anaheim over the team’s name first broke out, I used to ascribe owner Arte Moreno’s confrontational course to a number of different external factors, none of which quite add up in retrospect.
At first, I thought the new owner must simply be getting some bad advice, that as an outsider from Arizona no one close to him had clearly explained Anaheim’s politics to him.
Moreno’s not dealing with some small-time mayor here; Curt Pringle is the former speaker of the state Assembly, who, when elevated to that post, was the first Republican-elected speaker California had seen in 25 years.
Pringle continues to hold deep ties to state and national leaders and many consider him perhaps still to be the most influential Republican in the state today. But someone must have explained this to the Angels owner along the way.
Later, I surmised that perhaps Moreno’s confrontational instincts were just baked-in due to his professional experience; the billboard industry in which he built his fortune can be particularly nasty at times.
Rather than wading through bureaucracy and wrangling with oft-contentious local officials, the heavily-regulated billboard business is often pursued in this way: Plant your pole and dare the municipality to sue you. If it threatens to, make it go away by flashing your superior financial resources.
Yet this doesn’t add up, either, since Anaheim has proven itself as a business-friendly city.
The NFL is seriously considering the city once again, the NBA’s next wayward franchise is likely to end up at the Pond, developers are falling all over themselves to get involved with the Platinum Triangle and both major political parties are considering Anaheim for their 2008 conventions.
Could all these entities be wrong about the city and Moreno be right in his confrontational stance?
Perhaps someone should ask Henry Samueli, who quickly has made the Pond the nation’s hottest concert venue. And without any help from the name, “Los Angeles.” Go figure.
Finally, I started to think in recent days that perhaps Moreno just doesn’t have a feel for PR, but that’s silly given his business background.
Indeed, it must have at least crossed his mind that threatening to slash payroll and later move the team could change fans’ perception of him from being a free-spending winner to that of heavy-handed villain.
And yet, he doesn’t seem to care. Why not?
Inherent in his statements about Los Angeles being a major-market is his contention that Orange County isn’t.
Really? Ask Fox.
Even as the Platinum Triangle blossoms literally all around the stadium, Moreno continues to say he has no interest in his development rights. How could he not? And clearly, by disregarding the public’s perception of his recent bullying tactics, he shows that residents’ opinions matter not.
Only one thing, then, could explain how far he has taken this fight: Ego. He is Arte Moreno, billionaire businessman, and quaint little Orange County is simply beneath him.
Those who agree should be hoping he prevails.
For the rest of us, the white hat in this feud rests firmly on the head of Anaheim and its city leaders.
Chip Hanlon
Huntington Beach
GOP Scandals
Re the Jan. 16 Viewpoint:
Assemblyman DeVore’s attack on Democrats and the three foundations would be more believable if it didn’t come in the middle of so many Republican scandals. Also, his attacks on organizations show how not conservative he and the Republican Party really have become.
He attacks things like the publishers of Consumer Reports. Haven’t we all used this as a basis of making sound purchases for years?
Further, he attacks organizations like the League of Conservation Voters.
Conservation, doesn’t that sound a lot like conservative? You would think they might be fighting for the same cause, conservativeness.
With the Abramoff scandal, the DeLay scandal, the Frist scandal, the “Duke” scandal, and, let’s not forget the really big scandal, the president lying about wiretaps and admitting he broke the law, and the loss of personal freedoms being orchestrated by his administration, “those who live in glass houses …”
Isn’t personal freedom usually a Republican issue? Have you “Googled” lately?
If Democrats are spending tremendous energy to create this country in their image, they are doing a very bad job. This country is controlled,the presidency, the entire Congress and the judiciary,by one, and only one party, the Republicans, who have done more to reshape this country into a broke, hated, scandal-ridden image of their corruption than the Democrats were able to do in 40 years of congressional control.
Ed St. Amour
Mesa Verde
