WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Chief of Staff Berenice Ballinas accuses Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken of appearing intoxicated at city functions and harassing staff.
- Ballinas alleges Aitken used a racial slur, questioned people about their sexuality and searched a former city manager’s belongings.
- The claim also raises concerns about a nearly $17,000 Qatar trip, police overtime and city employees assisting with a prayer breakfast.
- Ballinas alleges retaliation through the withholding of a salary raise after she raised concerns.
- Aitken is seeking reelection in November, and city leaders are scheduled to discuss the claim behind closed doors.
Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken is facing a sweeping workplace complaint from her own chief of staff, who alleges the mayor repeatedly appeared intoxicated at city events, harassed staff, and used racist language, as reported by The New York Post.
Chief of Staff Berenice Ballinas laid out the allegations in a claim spanning 25 pages.
The city released the document Thursday, exposing accusations involving alcohol, personal boundaries, city business, and alleged retaliation.
Ballinas claims Aitken appeared intoxicated at multiple city functions, including one City Council meeting.
She also alleges the mayor made crude remarks about Ballinas’ sexuality and directed a racial slur at her.
According to Ballinas, Aitken called her “a dirty Mexican” in front of former City Manager Jim Vanderpool. Ballinas also claims the mayor described God as “her imaginary friend.”
Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken is accused of using racist and homophobic slurs against her own staff while drinking at official events. A legal claim from her chief policy adviser, Berenice Ballinas, alleges that after the Roses and Radishes Gala in October 2024, Aitken was so… pic.twitter.com/2dedWV7I8z
— SoCal Daily Pulse (@socaldailypulse) October 1, 2026
Aitken has previously denied allegations that she made racist or homophobic remarks.
Her attorney, Lawrence Lennemann, declined to discuss the latest accusations with the Voice of OC, saying the claim speaks for itself.
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One of the more unusual allegations stems from an April 2025 council meeting.
Ballinas says Aitken appeared “visibly impaired by alcohol” following the closed session and needed someone to drive her.
Ballinas claims she drove Aitken home using Vanderpool’s car.
During the trip, the mayor allegedly searched through the vehicle and Vanderpool’s personal belongings while taking photographs.
The publicly released claim does not disclose whether Aitken allegedly discovered anything during the search.
Portions addressing that episode were redacted, leaving the alleged findings, if any, undisclosed.
Another incident allegedly unfolded during a Team Anaheim dinner.
Ballinas claims Aitken became physically affectionate with a person whose identity was redacted before the mayor’s husband removed her from the gathering.
Afterward, Ballinas alleges, Aitken knocked over a bicycle and damaged its mirror before falling into the street.
The chief of staff says she warned Aitken’s husband that the mayor was not OK.
Ballinas contends the alleged alcohol use and questions about personal matters extended beyond official city functions.
She describes a June 10 birthday lunch at Disneyland’s Club 33 where she says Aitken drank for hours and continued drinking afterward.
During that outing, Ballinas claims the mayor repeatedly questioned her about her sexual orientation.
The allegations portray an increasingly uncomfortable encounter that later continued elsewhere on Disney property.
At the 1901 Lounge in Disney California Adventure, Ballinas alleges Aitken questioned a Disney Cast Member about whether he was gay or straight.
She also allegedly asked him for details about his dating life.
The chief of staff’s claim also reaches into questions involving city resources and travel.
Ballinas says she raised concerns about a nearly $17,000 trip to Qatar, police overtime, and city employees allegedly helping with Aitken’s prayer breakfast during working hours.
The state Fair Political Practices Commission declined to investigate the Qatar matter, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times’ Daily Pilot.
The claim does not say the commission pursued an investigation into that trip.
Ballinas alleges that after raising her concerns, she faced retaliation.
The actions she cites include the withholding of a salary raise, adding an employment dispute to an already explosive list of accusations.
The complaint arrives only weeks before Aitken seeks reelection in November.
She is facing two political newcomers in that contest while the workplace allegations hang over City Hall.
Aitken and the Anaheim City Council are scheduled to discuss Ballinas’ claim behind closed doors Friday morning.
The meeting will put the extraordinary accusations before city leadership as the mayor continues her reelection campaign.
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