Anaheim likely won’t be forced to undo its deal to sell Angel Stadium by a residents’ lawsuit alleging the city broke the state’s open meetings law.

In a preliminary ruling announced Monday, March 21, OC Superior Court Judge David A. Hoffer said the way the city handled the sale “substantially complied” with the Brown Act, and that discussions and decisions about the sale “were anything but secret and were fully vetted with the public.”

Both the Peoples Homeless Task Force Orange County, which filed the lawsuit, and the city have 10 days to register any objections with the court before Hoffer’s decision would become final.

The Anaheim City Council voted in December 2019 to sell the stadium property to SRB Management, a business partnership of Angels owner Arte Moreno. The deal transfers 150 acres including the stadium to SRB in exchange for $150 million in cash and $170 million in “community benefits” including a 7-acre public park and homes for low-income residents.

SRB plans to develop the land with hotels, restaurants and shops, offices and thousands of homes over the next several decades, and it has committed the Angels to play in Anaheim through 2050.

The lawsuit, filed in 2020 by the Peoples Homeless Task Force, argued Anaheim should unwind the stadium sale because it alleges city leaders improperly made decisions behind closed doors and shut the public out of the process.

“This initial decision is the right decision,” Mayor Harry Sidhu said in an emailed statement. “This validates that the stadium sale was an extensive public process with community input and debate. We look forward to a final decision and moving ahead with a plan for the future of baseball in Anaheim that will generate revenue for our residents and neighborhoods for years to come.”

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

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