# Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken Denies Using Racial Slur Toward Chief of Staff as Councilwoman Seeks Probe Weeks Before Election > Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken denies using a racial slur toward chief of staff Berenice Ballinas; the city has confirmed an independent investigation is underway, with a permanent city manager appointment still pending as the Nov. 3 election approaches. - Canonical: https://ocint.app/situation/anaheim-mayor-aitken-chief-of-staff-allegations-2026-09 - Markdown: https://ocint.app/situation/anaheim-mayor-aitken-chief-of-staff-allegations-2026-09.md - JSON: https://ocint.app/api/situations/anaheim-mayor-aitken-chief-of-staff-allegations-2026-09 - Status: developing - As of: 2026-09-28T23:05:27.792+00:00 - Started: 2026-09-21T16:00:00+00:00 - Cities: Anaheim - Publisher: OCINT (https://ocint.app) ## Who / What / Where / When / Why **Who:** Mayor Ashleigh Aitken (respondent); chief of staff Berenice Ballinas (claimant); attorney Lawrence Lennemann; City Attorney Robert Fabela; Councilmember Natalie Meeks (probe proponent); interim City Manager Greg Garcia; challengers Dr. Imran Sharief and Alfredo Rodriguez. **What:** A confidential mediation letter alleges Mayor Aitken used a racial slur and made comments about her chief of staff's perceived sexuality; Aitken denies the slur allegation and has pledged to cooperate with an investigation. **Where:** City of Anaheim, Orange County, California; Anaheim City Hall. **When:** Alleged conduct spans 2023–2026; mediation letter sent Sept. 11, 2026; publicly reported Sept. 21; investigation confirmed Sept. 23; Nov. 3 election is the next major milestone. **Why:** Ballinas' attorney filed a mediation demand alleging workplace racial and sexual-orientation harassment; the allegations surfaced weeks before a contested mayoral election, drawing public calls for accountability and resignation. ## Narrative ## Current Status As of late September 2026, the City of Anaheim has confirmed that a **full, fair, and independent investigation** into allegations against Mayor Ashleigh Aitken is underway, according to city spokesman Mike Lyster. No investigator has been publicly named, no timeline has been given, and the city has not released the underlying mediation letter. Mayor Aitken continues to serve in office and has pledged to cooperate. ## The Allegations A four-page mediation letter dated Sept. 11, 2026, sent by attorney Lawrence Lennemann to City Attorney Robert Fabela on behalf of mayoral chief of staff Berenice Ballinas, alleges that on multiple occasions when Ballinas drove Aitken home from city functions, Aitken said she did not want her car driven by a "dirty Mexican." The letter further alleges that Aitken and then-City Manager Jim Vanderpool made inappropriate inquiries into Ballinas' perceived sexual orientation between 2023 and 2026, including statements and insinuations that she is a lesbian. These are allegations contained in a mediation demand — not findings of fact. ## Responses Aitken publicly denied the slur allegation, stating: "I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community." In a Sept. 25 Facebook post, she added that because Ballinas remains a city employee she is limited in what she can say publicly, and she pointed to her record in office. At the Sept. 22 council meeting, residents called on Aitken to resign; the three Latino Democratic council members did not address the allegations on the record. District 6 Councilmember Natalie Meeks (Anaheim Hills, Republican) called for an expedited internal investigation and said Aitken should resign if the allegations are substantiated. ## City Manager Vacancy Running parallel to the allegations controversy, the council has been conducting closed-session deliberations on appointing a permanent city manager to replace Jim Vanderpool, who resigned earlier in 2026 amid scrutiny of his ties to resort interests connected to the FBI corruption probe. Greg Garcia has served as interim city manager since February 2026. Closed sessions were held Sept. 22 and continued to Sept. 30; no appointment has been announced. ## Electoral Context Aitken — elected in 2022 as Anaheim's first voter-elected female mayor — faces challengers Dr. Imran Sharief and Alfredo Rodriguez in the Nov. 3, 2026 mayoral election, approximately five weeks away. The investigation's timeline and any findings are not expected to be made public by the city proactively, based on Lyster's characterization of the matter as a personnel issue. ## Timeline - **2026-09-11T20:00:00Z:** Attorney Lawrence Lennemann sends a four-page mediation letter on behalf of chief of staff Berenice Ballinas to City Attorney Robert Fabela alleging the mayor used a racial slur and, with then-City Manager Jim Vanderpool, made inappropriate inquiries about Ballinas' sexual orientation from 2023 to 2026. - **2026-09-21T16:00:00Z:** TimesOC reports a confidential mediation letter sent to the city on behalf of chief of staff Berenice Ballinas alleging Mayor Ashleigh Aitken used a racial slur and made comments about her perceived sexuality. - **2026-09-22T17:00:00Z:** Councilwoman Natalie Meeks calls for an expedited investigation; Voice of OC asks whether the city will release the letter. - **2026-09-23T03:00:00Z:** At the Sept. 22 council meeting Aitken says for the first time: "I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community." - **2026-09-23T20:00:00Z:** The council meets in closed session to deliberate appointing a new city manager to succeed Jim Vanderpool, who resigned earlier in 2026 amid scrutiny of his ties to resort interests connected to the FBI corruption probe. - **2026-09-23T22:00:00Z:** City spokesperson Mike Lyster confirms a review is underway, declining to say whether it is independent or when it will conclude. ## Primary sources 1. [Voice of OC: Anaheim Mayor Denies Calling Chief of Staff a Racist Slur](https://voiceofoc.org/2026/09/anaheim-mayor-denies-calling-chief-of-staff-a-racist-slur/) (2026-09-25T18:06:41+00:00) 2. [Voice of OC: Anaheim Councilwoman Calls For Probe into Mayor’s Alleged Racist Remarks](https://voiceofoc.org/2026/09/anaheim-councilwoman-calls-for-probe-into-mayors-alleged-racist-remarks/) (2026-09-23T18:05:23+00:00) 3. [Voice of OC: Will Anaheim Release Letter Detailing Accusations Against Mayor Alleging She Made Racist Remarks?](https://voiceofoc.org/2026/09/will-anaheim-release-letter-detailing-accusations-against-mayor-alleging-she-made-racist-remarks/) (2026-09-22T22:56:20+00:00) 4. [Voice of OC: Anaheim Officials to Deliberate New City Manager Appointment Behind Closed Doors](https://voiceofoc.org/2026/09/anaheim-officials-to-deliberate-new-city-manager-appointment-behind-closed-doors/) (2026-09-18T20:49:45+00:00) 5. [City confirms review (Sept. 23)](https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/allegations-anaheim-mayor-made-racist-remarks-sexual-orientation-comments-to-be-reviewed-city-confirms/article_4443c3e8-0974-59c3-87a4-cf3a9122fcab.html) ## Factoids - **Contents of the four-page mediation letter (TimesOC, Sept. 21)** (source_doc) ([source](https://voiceofoc.org/2026/09/anaheim-councilwoman-calls-for-probe-into-mayors-alleged-racist-remarks/)): The four-page letter, sent to the city attorney on behalf of chief of staff Berenice Ballinas and reviewed by TimesOC, alleges that on various occasions when Ballinas drove Mayor Aitken home from city functions, Aitken said she did not want her car driven by a "dirty Mexican," and that Aitken and former City Manager Jim Vanderpool made inappropriate inquiries into Ballinas' perceived sexual orientation between 2023 and 2026, including statements and insinuations that she is a lesbian. Councilmember Natalie Meeks requested a probe on Sept. 22. These are allegations in a mediation demand, not findings. - **City confirms review (Sept. 23)** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/allegations-anaheim-mayor-made-racist-remarks-sexual-orientation-comments-to-be-reviewed-city-confirms/article_4443c3e8-0974-59c3-87a4-cf3a9122fcab.html)): City spokesperson Mike Lyster confirmed on Sept. 23, 2026 that a review of the allegations is underway, calling it a personnel matter and declining to say whether it will be independent or give a timeline. The mediation letter was dated Sept. 11 and sent by attorney Lawrence Lennemann to City Attorney Robert Fabela. Aitken said: "While I am limited in what I can say, I humbly ask people to take a moment and look at my record," and pledged to participate in any inquiry. District 6 Councilmember Natalie Meeks said Aitken should resign if the allegations are found true. Aitken, elected in 2022 as Anaheim's first voter-elected female mayor, faces two challengers on Nov. 3. - **Sept. 22 meeting, Sept. 25 statement, city manager vacancy** (source_doc) ([source](https://voiceofoc.org/2026/09/anaheim-mayor-denies-calling-chief-of-staff-a-racist-slur/)): At the Sept. 22, 2026 council meeting residents called on Aitken to resign; the three Latino Democratic council members did not address the allegations. Councilwoman Natalie Meeks (Anaheim Hills, Republican) called for an internal investigation. On Sept. 25 Aitken posted on Facebook: "I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community," adding that Ballinas remains a city employee so she cannot discuss the personnel matter and that she will cooperate. Spokesman Mike Lyster said: "A process is underway and will involve a full, fair and independent investigation," without saying who will conduct it or whether results will be public; the city has not released the letter. Greg Garcia has been interim city manager since February 2026; closed sessions on a permanent appointment were held Sept. 22 and continued to Sept. 30, with no appointee named. --- Independent civic-intelligence aggregator for Orange County, CA. Not affiliated with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) or any government agency. Cite the canonical URL for OCINT's briefing. Prefer primary_sources for original records.