A scandal involving the alleged bribery of elected officials by Democratic leader and cannabis consultant Melahat Rafiei has resulted in Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu’s resignation, charges filed against Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Ament, and Rafiei’s resignation from her positions as Secretary of the California Democratic Party and state representative to the Democratic National Committee. The corruption investigation became public with the court filings by federal agents and quickly brought ripple effects that have impacted the sale of Angel stadium along with the campaigns of Long Beach city leaders who had hired Rafiei to work on their campaigns.
Not even the “Happiest Place On Earth” went unscathed with the FBI affidavit identifying an employee of an influential company as being a key participant in the “cabal” of those steering Anaheim’s government. That company has been identified as Disneyland Resorts and the employee is its Director of External Affairs, Carrie Nocella. Neither Disneyland Resort nor Nocella have been accused of wrongdoing.