Residents split on current council

When the City Council in June repealed a law limiting motel residents to a 30-day consecutive stay in a 90-day period, Jim Parkin said he had never been happier for his customers and his business. "I can't tell you how wonderful it has been to own a business in Anaheim with the new council," said the owner1 of the Covered Wagon motel. That's the tone many business owners and residents are taking in Anaheim, where a new council took office one year ago and has steered the city toward less government interference. Others say, however, they are concerned about the new direction the city is taking. Under the old 30-90 law, Debbie Ainge, her son and her boyfriend would have had to leave the Covered Wagon and would have been unable to return for 60 days. With the 30-90 law re pealed, the family instead has to move out after 28 days and can move back in the next day. "It's our home," she said. In the year since Mayor Curt Pringle and new councilmen Richard Chavez and Bob Hernandez have taken their seats on the dais with council members Tom Tait and Shirley McCracken, the City Council has decriminalized penalties for code enforcement violations, emphasized seat belt education over enforcement and created term limits for city boards and commissions to offer more residents a chance to participate. But not everyone thinks the changes are for the better. Judithanne Gollette, vice chairwoman of the West Anaheim Neighborhood Development Council, said she believes the council is listening, but only to special interests.