Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken faces a 25-page claim from her chief of staff alleging repeated intoxication, a racial slur and workplace harassment as she seeks another term.
Fox News Digital reported that Berenice Ballinas filed the government claim accusing the mayor of appearing intoxicated at city-related events, making racially derogatory remarks, asking intrusive questions about sexuality, and engaging in harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
Ballinas has worked in Aitken’s office as chief of staff since December 2022. She also accuses the city of failing to respond adequately after concerns were raised. Anaheim officials say a review is underway and an independent investigation is expected.
Aitken is seeking another term in the Nov. 3 election. The timing puts the unproven claims squarely before voters who expect basic standards from city leaders.
Public officials elsewhere have faced mounting pressure over ethics and misconduct claims that shadowed their races, including high-profile contests clouded by major fraud scandals.
The claim states that Aitken arrived at an April 2025 City Council meeting appearing “visibly impaired by alcohol.” After a closed session, Ballinas drove the mayor home in then-City Manager Jim Vanderpool’s city vehicle.
During the roughly 15-minute ride, Aitken allegedly began searching through Vanderpool’s vehicle and personal belongings and taking photographs with her cellphone. Ballinas objected and told the mayor to delete the photos because the information was private.
The filing further alleges that Aitken made multiple derogatory comments about Ballinas’s Mexican heritage during that period and used a racial slur against her.
The New York Post reported additional detail that Ballinas says the mayor called her a “d**** Mexican” in front of Vanderpool.
In a separate May 2025 incident at Disneyland, Ballinas offered to drive Aitken home after believing the mayor was too intoxicated to drive safely. Aitken allegedly declined because she refused to have “a Mexican” drive her.
On June 10, 2026, Aitken took Ballinas to Disneyland’s Club 33 for a birthday lunch. The claim says the mayor consumed alcohol and repeatedly questioned whether Ballinas was a lesbian.
Later at the 1901 Lounge, Aitken allegedly questioned a Disney cast member about whether he was gay or straight and about his dating life. Disney later sent written correspondence to a Club 33 member stating that cast members had reported “rude, insensitive, and inappropriate remarks” during the outing.
Patterns of alleged workplace misconduct by officials in positions of trust have drawn scrutiny in other cities, where removal of accused leaders proved difficult.
At a team dinner, Ballinas observed Aitken becoming “physically affectionate” with another person, including touching and grabbing him. The mayor’s husband removed her from the event.
While walking back toward the hotel, Aitken allegedly became angry and knocked or pushed over a bicycle, damaging its mirror, before later falling in the street. The husband later asked Ballinas to make a Venmo payment to compensate the bicycle’s owner.
When told Aitken was not okay and needed help, the husband allegedly responded, “Don’t we all?”
Ballinas says she was forced to take leave beginning around July 31. She alleges retaliation after she reported or opposed conduct she believed violated laws or workplace rules. The claim ties the alleged harassment, discrimination and retaliation to her perceived sexual orientation, Mexican heritage and Catholic faith.
Similar harassment and ethics findings have already forced accountability demands on other Democratic officeholders, including a lieutenant governor pressed to resign after a probe.
Aitken posted a statement on Facebook last month. She wrote: “These allegations are extremely serious, and they deserve to be investigated. I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community.”
"These allegations are extremely serious, and they deserve to be investigated. I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community,"
She has pledged to cooperate with the city review and participate in the process. Fox News Digital reached out to her office for further comment.
No arrests or formal findings of proof are stated. The allegations remain under review. Campaign-finance and ethics questions have likewise dogged other candidates in recent cycles, prompting calls for deeper federal scrutiny.
Taxpayers fund city hall. They have a right to expect sober leadership, professional conduct and a workplace free of racial remarks or retaliation claims. When a chief of staff puts 25 pages of specific incidents on the record, council impairment, a refused ride, Club 33 questioning, a damaged bicycle and a sudden leave, the public gets to judge the response.
Anaheim voters will weigh these claims against the mayor’s denial soon enough. Accountability is not optional for anyone holding the gavel.