The Brief

It’s been more than two years since the former head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in the corruption scandal that erupted in Anaheim two years ago.

Todd Ament, who in 2022 admitted to wire fraud, lying to a mortgage lender, lying on his tax returns and other crimes, faces a possible sentence of 30 years or more in prison, according to the US Department of Justice.

But, for now, he remains free on bail.

What the federal complaint outlined

In a federal complaint filed in 2022, prosecutors identified Ament as one of the ringleaders of a “cabal” of elected officials, political consultants and business leaders who worked behind the scenes to influence Anaheim politics. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Ament laundered money meant for the Chamber of Commerce to his coffers. Prosecutors said he would use that money later to defraud a mortgage lender to buy a home in Big Bear.

He is also accused of orchestrating meetings between power brokers to discuss public matters in private.

Former Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu also pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the corruption scandal, specifically related to the $320 million sale of Angels stadium. Like Ament, he has yet to be sentenced.

Some politicians and residents are wondering the reasons for the delay.

“I think for those of us who are observing and paying attention it just feels we're just back to where a lot of this really started,” said former councilmember Jose Moreno.

He said there has been “radio silence” at City Hall about the corruption scandal and that it's been “business as usual.”

Why the sentencing delay?

LAist reached out to attorneys on both sides of the case to understand why the sentencing is now going on years. Prosecutors refused to comment. Ament’s defense lawyer, Salvatore Ciulla, did not respond to requests for comment. As of Monday, the docket report for Ament’s case listed the sentencing date as Dec. 9, 2022, but it did not show whether the hearing has been rescheduled.

Former federal prosecutors, who are not tied to Ament’s case, told LAist there are likely several reasons for the delay: The investigation is still ongoing and prosecutors are hoping to leverage Ament to charge other possible defendants.

Experts said sentencing can be delayed if Ament is cooperating with prosecutors.

Larry Rosenthal, former federal prosecutor and professor of law at Chapman University, said Ament’s plea agreement has a cooperation provision built in. That means if he cooperates with prosecutors, answering questions, providing documents and even wearing a wire if they require it, he could have his sentence reduced.

“My practice when I was a prosecutor is that I wanted individuals who I expected to testify in future cases not to be sentenced, so that the sentencing would remain hanging over them,” Rosenthal said.

Sometimes, he said, judges will ask lawyers specific reasons to delay a sentencing. Prosecutors could provide this information in a sealed file if they don’t want to alert people that the investigation is ongoing, Rosenthal said.

Rosenthal said sentencing can also be delayed if a defendant has breached the cooperation provision, for example, by providing false information. If that happens, a plea agreement or parts of it can be revoked.

Why the delay doesn't surprise experts

Laurie Levenson, a law professor at Loyola Law School and a former federal prosecutor, said it's not surprising that Ament’s sentencing is taking long. If he is cooperating with prosecutors, the authorities will use him “to look at other possible defendants, and they want to make sure they get the full extent of his information before he's sentenced.”

She said sentencing could take “months and even years” because prosecutors will go back and forth to confirm information with Ament, and “if the cooperation involves him testifying against others, then you have to build in the time for those charges as well as trials.”

Because multiple parties including Ament and former Mayor Harry Sidhu are involved, Levenson said, prosecutors will leverage them to further the investigation.

“He's (Ament) probably the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “It involved people who are of high political power, and for that reason, not only do they (prosecutors) have to be careful how they do the investigation, but they must make sure that they get to the heart of it, who is really benefiting from it, and who's calling the shots.”

The backstory

Catch up on what we know about Ament and the corruption scandal:

• In a 2022 federal criminal complaint, Ament was named a ringleader of a “cabal” that “wielded significant influence over the inner workings of Anaheim’s government.” Ament and an unnamed political consultant were accused of diverting funds from the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce to Ament’s personal coffers, laundered through the consultant’s firm. Prosecutors said Ament used the funds to “fraudulently secure financing” for a second home in Big Bear. 
• Ament also agreed to a plea bargain in which he admitted to his role in attempting to defraud a cannabis company that wanted to do business in the city. 
• An independent report commissioned by the city of Anaheim found that city leaders awarded large contracts to the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, which Ament headed, "with little or no oversight or meaningful deliverables."
• According to the report, Ament and the former mayor of Anaheim engaged in “influence peddling,” meaning that. anyone who wanted an audience with the mayor would have to meet Ament first. The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce collected residents' personal information and used it to make unsolicited calls about political campaigns. 
• A state audit earlier this year showed that the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce misused public funds for political lobbying and to support Disneyland-friendly candidates. 
• An LAist report earlier this year revealed the FBI is investigating Santa Ana Unified School District's agreements with companies that provided COVID-19 testing to students. Some of the companies were owned or affiliated with Ament.

Critics say it's transparency without reforms

Then-Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu at an Orange County parade just a few months before he resigned.

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Daniel Knighton

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Getty Images

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Sidhu, the former mayor of Anaheim, pleaded guilty in 2023 to charges of obstructing an FBI investigation, lying to federal authorities and cheating on his taxes, according to court documents. In his plea agreement, Sidhu admitted to passing confidential information related to the sale of the stadium to the owners of the Angels baseball team, who were trying to buy it.

Last month, the Angels baseball team owners, received a settlement from the city because the stadium deal did not go through.

Moreno, the former council member, called the settlement “really disappointing” as it was the Angels’ consultant who received illegal information from the city.

He also said council members and the current mayor continue to refuse to talk to the public about the corruption scandal.

LAist has reached out to Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken for comment. She has not yet responded.

Moreno said the current City Council has made moves to improve transparency by sharing information publicly about meetings with corporate entities, like Disney.

The criminal complaint references an unnamed company federal investigators allege was a major player in the so-called "cabal." The Los Angeles Times identified that company as Disneyland Resort, but it has not been charged in connection with the scandal.

Moreno told LAist that the changes by the City Council are not enough.

It's just transparency without reforms, he said.

More sentencing delays

Ament is not the only one whose sentencing hearing has been delayed.

Former Orange County Democratic Party leader Melahat Rafiei, who revealed she was a cooperating witness in the FBI investigation, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. She has not been sentenced yet either. Rafiei was expected to be sentenced in May, but that hearing has also been delayed with recent developments in the case sealed.

Alaleh Kamran, Rafiei’s attorney, said cases are often postponed continued to accommodate the attorneys' schedules.

What we know about Rafiei's role

• In 2022, Rafiei, then a high ranking Democratic Party official, revealed to the Voice of OC that she was a cooperating witness into the FBI’s probe of corruption in Anaheim. She would later resign from her positions. 
• Then in 2023, she agreed to a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for attempting to defraud one of her clients.
• In the plea agreement, Rafiei is accused of telling a commercial cannabis company she would work to have Anaheim pass a cannabis ordinance in exchange for a payment of $300,000. Prosecutors say she falsely said two thirds of that payment would go to the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, instead Rafiei intended to split the money between herself and an unnamed associate. 
• In the plea agreement, she is also accused of attempting to bribe two Irvine council members in 2018 with at least $225,000 to pass a cannabis ordinance which would have allowed her clients, a cannabis company, to open offices in the city. The bribes were to be passed off as legal payments as part of Rafiei’s political consulting work. Rafiei was not charged in relation to the scheme and the two council members were not named in the agreement. 

The cases involving Ament and Rafiei have both been assigned to the same judge.

When that happens, Rosenthal said, it's because prosecutors have identified the cases as related. It also signals that the investigation may be ongoing and more charges may be expected against more defendants.

Lawmakers and the governor on Monday failed to extend a state grant program that helped schools upgrade their air conditioner systems, a decision that will allow utilities that funded the program to claw back funds for their ratepayers.

The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Efficiency program — CalSHAPE for short — set aside nearly $1 billion in utility funds to help schools assess and upgrade aging HVAC and plumbing systems. But the California Energy Commission abruptly closed applications in 2024, leaving $191 million unused — money that must now be returned to utilities by law.

After last-minute negotiations, lawmakers passed a budget trailer bill giving schools that had already received funding an additional three years to finish projects before the state claws back the money. But they dropped a separate measure that would have reopened applications for schools to make upgrades because it did not have support from Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

“I don't understand why [Newsom] doesn't have the backs of everyday people in California, and why he doesn't think that children deserve a safe place to learn with air conditioning,” said Leah Stokes, a political science associate professor at UC Santa Barbara who has advocated for the program. “This is all on him.”

Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for the governor, declined to comment on the matter.

‘A disillusioning conclusion’ 

School administrators have praised CalSHAPE, saying the program offered schools the chance to improve class environments for students.

The program helped more than 4,500 schools assess the status of their HVAC systems. Of those, 172 schools made significant upgrades with program funds.

But the program’s future has been in question since 2024, when the California Energy Commission abruptly stopped accepting applications. Much of the controversy centered on whether ratepayers should be responsible for funding a school grant program.

Consumer advocates said the program doesn’t directly benefit ratepayers, while school advocates questioned why the state would pull back money already designated for schools.

In its June 2024 notice pausing the program, the commission cited budget constraints. Later that year, the governor signed an executive order directing the commission to examine ratepayer-supported programs “whose funding might more appropriately come from a source other than ratepayers.”

In a letter opposing the budget measure to extend CalSHAPE, San Diego Gas & Electric Senior Vice President Mitch Mitchell said its customers contributed about $189.6 million to the program.

The company stands to get back $100 million — the most of any participating utility — which would amount to about $24 per customer, divided into $2 monthly payments over a year, according to a legislative analysis. Utility officials said they are committed to returning all unspent funds to customers through bill relief.

“Policymakers cannot credibly elevate affordability while simultaneously redirecting unused customer dollars away from bill relief,” Mitchell said in the letter. “If affordability is truly a legislative priority, then these funds should be returned to customers as intended under existing law.”

School advocates questioned whether returning the money would make any meaningful impact for ratepayers. SoCal Edison ratepayers would receive $1.25 per month for a year and Pacific Gas & Electric customers would receive 20 cents per month for a year, according to the legislative analysis.

Meanwhile, the CalSHAPE-funded assessments revealed HVAC systems in California schools are aging and in disrepair.

“Extending CalSHAPE deadlines so existing funds could go to repair or replace broken school HVAC systems should have been an easy win,” said JuNelle Harris, founder of Clean Air Allies, a nonprofit that advocates for healthy air in schools. “Instead, this campaign has been a multiyear saga that’s come to a disillusioning conclusion.”

Schools cope with heat 

The most recent heat wave left classrooms sweltering as many students returned for their first weeks back to school. School districts throughout the state reported having to adjust school times or cancel classes altogether.

In Los Angeles, where students endured temperatures above 90 degrees for 12 consecutive days, the Los Angeles Unified School District limited outdoor time for some students. The district received $27 million to assess their air conditioning systems from CalSHAPE but no funds for upgrades.

In San Diego, average temperatures stayed in the mid to high 80s, far above the average for the coastal city. The Coronado Unified School District shut down classes for all students.

Cody Petterson, a trustee on the board of the San Diego Unified School District, said he’s disappointed the governor would rather see CalSHAPE funds returned to ratepayers, when there is so much need for air conditioning in schools. He also criticized the CalSHAPE process, saying it limited schools from completing projects on time and disincentivized applications.

“No child should be in a classroom that is overheating because they cannot learn, they cannot achieve, they cannot grow,” he said. Petterson added that he’d prefer the state fund HVAC upgrades as categorical investments, rather than through a grant program.

San Diego Unified received $12 million to assess school air conditioning systems, but no funds to upgrade them.

Advocates said they were confused about the governor’s lack of support, but will continue to advocate for school HVAC investments from the state.

“It’s deeply disappointing that lawmakers, starting and ending with the Governor, have chosen to treat our children’s and teachers’ interests as secondary to those of big utility companies,” Harris said. “As our outdoor environment is transformed by more extreme weather events and wildfires, safe classrooms where children can learn and grow have never been more important.”

Stokes said Newsom “sat on it as an executive for years,” while disadvantaged communities went without air conditioning. “Why would he do that? Seems very Trumpian to me.”

California schools won’t be able to access more funds for upgrades, but hundreds of schools could have more time to complete projects in the works. According to the energy commission, 216 out of 719 school districts that were awarded a grant have pending projects.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

The largest cyclospora food poisoning outbreak in U.S. history is over, U.S. health officials said Friday.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said they are confident that all recalled iceberg lettuce related to this specific outbreak is off the market.

Nearly 13,000 reported cyclospora cases were tied to the multistate outbreak, federal officials say. They represent the bulk of an unprecedented surge in the parasitic diarrheal illness this year.

Even with the outbreak deemed over, several questions remain, including about its origin. The parasite is spread through human feces, and it still isn’t clear how sewage could have contaminated enough food to sicken so many people.

“This contamination can happen if produce is grown in soil or comes into contact with water that has been contaminated,” said Ellen Shumaker, director of outreach for a North Carolina State University food safety program, Safe Plates.

Since May 1, the government has received reports of nearly 20,000 lab-confirmed cases, or more than 16 times the number reported during the same period last year. More than 6,100 suspected cases also have been reported.

The worst previous year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally.

This year’s surge in cases was dominated by an outbreak in 21 states linked to iceberg lettuce. But there are thousands of other cases that have not been linked to that outbreak.

Michigan was the hardest hit state, with the most reported cases and the two U.S. deaths tied to the outbreak.

Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.

The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cases are never linked to a specific food or other source.

In this outbreak, investigators initially zeroed in on lettuce served at Taco Bell. Federal officials subsequently focused on Taylor Farms as the source of the lettuce, and the company recalled iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico.

The Taylor Farms recall involved thousands of packaged salad products combining iceberg lettuce with other vegetables. The products were shipped to major U.S. restaurant chains, including Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC.

The FDA has ended its on-site inspections and sample collection at iceberg lettuce growers and the processing facility in Mexico, the agency said Friday. Samples from the on-site inspections are pending analysis, the FDA said.

The outbreak cast a spotlight on a worsening problem: U.S. regulators are conducting fewer international inspections to catch contaminated produce before it lands on American plates.

The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

For 16 years, Carlos Ortez, 64, has opened the doors of his restaurant, Un Solo Sol, near Mariachi Plaza, eager to share the philosophy behind his plant-based dishes and the importance of nourishing the body through holistic food. 

It’s what he’ll miss the most when the restaurant closes on Sept. 28, Ortez said. 

“This decision was not made lightly,” Ortez wrote in an Instagram post announcing the restaurant’s closure. “Rising operational costs, inflation, and the broader challenges facing the restaurant industry have made sustaining a small footprint increasingly difficult.”

The announcement comes after years of declining sales and mounting economic crises that have driven customers away, including the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration raids, and recently, the Lineage warehouse fire. 

The restaurant stopped making a profit in 2022, and ever since, Ortez has been using personal funds to sustain it, he said. 

“We’re closing the front door right now so that I can think,” Ortez said. “How am I going to fit a small restaurant with these ideals … in Los Angeles, in Boyle Heights, in the world?”  

Carlos Ortez, 64, owner of Un Solo Sol, stands in front of the restaurant on Sept. 10 in Boyle Heights.

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Laura Anaya-Morga

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Un Solo Sol’s origin 

Ortez, a career engineer-turned-business owner, launched Un Solo Sol in 2005 with his ex-wife as a food-service provider for charter schools. In 2010, Ortez opened the brick-and-mortar across the street from Mariachi Plaza, serving primarily vegan and vegetarian dishes before becoming fully vegan in 2022. 

The menu features Latin-American staples like pupusas from Ortez’s native El Salvador, pozole and enchiladas, as well as cuisine from cultures around the world.  

The yellow and green storefront near the corner of Boyle Avenue and 1st Street has become part of the fabric of the 1st Street business corridor. In neighborhoods like Boyle Heights, losing a small business disrupts “the cohesiveness of the community,” Ortez said. 

On social media, customers grieved the loss of one of the only vegan restaurants on the Eastside.  

“Thank you for the many years of delicious meals made with love,” one user commented. 

“Carlos you poured your heart out for the Vegan community and Boyle Heights,” another wrote. 

What’s next

While the restaurant will close its doors, Ortez said his work isn’t over. He plans to stay in the community and take time to consider how his naturopathic, whole-foods-oriented restaurant concept can continue in a different form.

“The plan is to reemerge,” Ortez said. “It’s not that I don’t have the capacity to let go, it’s that I’m still alive.” 

Want to visit?

The restaurant will close on Sept. 28. Until then, hours are Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 12 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m The restaurant closes Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

Un Solo Sol is located at 1818 E. 1st St.