Ashleigh Aitken

Introduction

Ashleigh Aitken is the Democratic mayor of Anaheim, California — the city’s first female mayor — whose City Hall career was upended in September 2026 when her own chief of staff, Berenice Ballinas, accused her in a mediation letter of directing a racial slur at Ballinas and harassing her over her perceived sexuality. The allegations include a claim she exclaimed she did “not want her car driven by a dirty Mexican” and questioned Ballinas’ sexuality in front of others at Disneyland’s exclusive Club 33. No criminal charge or lawsuit has been filed against Aitken. After a week of limited responses, Aitken explicitly denied the slur on September 24; on September 30 three council colleagues demanded an expedited investigation — one vowing to seek her resignation if the allegations prove true. On October 1 the city released the formal claim itself — now expanded to 25 pages — alleging drunkenness at City Council meetings, crude comments about employees’ sexuality and retaliation, all of which Aitken denies.

Background Information

She was born in Fullerton, California, and practiced law at her family’s firm, Aitken Aitken Cohn, alongside her husband, Michael Penn, her father, and two brothers. After losing a 2018 mayoral run and a 2020 race for Orange County Supervisor, she won the 2022 election and was sworn in that December as Anaheim’s first female mayor; by 2026 she was running for re-election.

Berenice Ballinas, the aide at the center of the story, had worked for Aitken since 2022, sometimes driving the mayor home.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from a confidential September 11, 2026 mediation request letter sent to the Anaheim city attorney by employment attorney Lawrence Lennemann on behalf of chief of staff Berenice Ballinas, as reported by TimesOC, the Voice of OC and the New York Post. They were never admitted by Ashleigh Aitken, no criminal charge has been filed, and nothing described here has been adjudicated in court. Aitken denies using the racial slur and says she welcomes an investigation; the other claims are unadjudicated.

The letter alleges that on various occasions when Ballinas was forced to drive Mayor Aitken home, Aitken exclaimed that she did “not want her car driven by a dirty Mexican,” according to Lennemann’s mediation request to city attorney Robert Fabela.

It also describes a June lunch at Disneyland’s hyper-exclusive Club 33 and California Adventure’s 1901 Lounge, where Aitken allegedly questioned Ballinas’ sexuality in front of others and gossiped about a Disney worker’s sexual orientation and ethnicity. The letter claims two Disney employees complained about the mayor’s conduct and that Disney suspended a third party’s Club 33 membership.

Ballinas also named former city manager James Vanderpool, claiming that from about 2023 through at least June 2026 the two “repeatedly and habitually” made unwelcome comments about her perceived sexuality, including pressuring her to admit she was a lesbian. The letter states Aitken pressed Ballinas to accept blame for a Christmas tree that went missing from another city department.

Lennemann writes that his client endured a “sustained pattern of harassment, discriminatory treatment and, most recently, retaliation,” that city medical personnel diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder, and that the 31-year-old is recovering on leave after brain surgery for an aneurysm. He alleges retaliation continued after the letter: the city withheld an approved raise and suggested to outside parties that Ballinas no longer works there.

The 25-page claim the city released on October 1 goes further than the letter did. Ballinas says Aitken repeatedly appeared intoxicated at city functions — including one City Council meeting — and that after an April 2025 closed session the mayor appeared “visibly impaired by alcohol”; on the ride home in former city manager Jim Vanderpool’s car, Aitken allegedly pawed through the vehicle and Vanderpool’s personal belongings while snapping photographs, with whatever she found redacted from the claim. At a Team Anaheim dinner, Ballinas claims, Aitken became physically affectionate with a person whose name is redacted before her husband removed her from the gathering, knocking over a bicycle, damaging its mirror and falling into the street; Ballinas says she warned the mayor’s husband that Aitken was not OK.

The claim also says Aitken allegedly called Ballinas “a dirty Mexican” in front of Vanderpool and described God as “her imaginary friend,” and it expands the Disneyland episode: at a June 10 birthday lunch at Club 33, Ballinas says Aitken drank for hours and repeatedly questioned her sexual orientation, and at the 1901 Lounge allegedly turned similar questions on a Disney Cast Member — asking whether he was gay or straight and about his dating life. Ballinas further says she raised concerns about a nearly $17,000 Qatar trip, police overtime and city employees helping with Aitken’s prayer breakfast during work hours, and was then retaliated against, including through the withholding of a salary raise.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The letter became a public-records fight: First Amendment advocates argue it should be releasable under California public-records law as akin to a claim against the city, but city spokesman Mike Lyster told a requesting reporter he was free to file a records request and declined further comment. At a council meeting the week the story broke, residents and activists called for her resignation.

On September 24 Aitken posted her first explicit denial on Facebook: “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 wrote that she would not attack an employee “who has recently experienced a serious medical issue simply to defend myself in the press,” and pledged to cooperate with the investigation. Ballinas’ attorney declined to comment. Lyster confirmed “a full, fair and independent investigation” was underway, without disclosing who would conduct it or whether findings would be public.

The council turned on September 30: Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz joined Natalie Meeks — who had called for the probe — in “demanding an expedited investigation,” saying, “If the allegations are shown to be correct, I will also ask for the Mayor’s resignation,” and asked the city attorney for a closed-door session before October 13 over “the threat of litigation stemming from the alleged conduct of the mayor.” Councilwoman Kristen Maahs, who is half Mexican, said “there is no room for racism in our city period,” and Councilman Ryan Balius, citing due process, suggested the mayor suspend her public calendar until the investigation ends. Aitken accused Kurtz of “kicking me while I’m down” and welcomed the investigation to clear her name.

Challenger Dr. Imran Sharief said “Anaheim is one of the most diverse cities in America, and our leaders have a responsibility to treat every resident and employee with dignity and respect.” The Post noted the Voice of OC is chaired by Aitken’s father.

Current Status

Update (October 1, 2026): The city released Ballinas’ formal 25-page claim, and the mayor and council are scheduled to discuss it behind closed doors Friday morning; the state Fair Political Practices Commission has declined to investigate the alleged Qatar trip matter, according to the Daily Pilot. Aitken has previously denied the racist and homophobic remarks allegations and is seeking re-election in November against two political newcomers; no findings from the city’s review have been announced.

As of September 30, 2026, Aitken remains mayor and a candidate for re-election roughly a month away, now facing Dr. Imran Sharief and Alfredo Rodriguez. An independent investigation is underway with no disclosed timeline; three council members want it expedited and its documents released, and Kurtz has requested a closed-door session with the city attorney before October 13. The letter itself remains unreleased. No criminal charge, council censure, or recall proceeding against Aitken has been reported. Ballinas remains on medical leave while recovering from brain surgery.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The allegations landed weeks before an election Aitken entered as the heavy favorite. Her week of pointing voters at her record gave way to an explicit denial, but the September 30 session showed the story escaping her control: previously silent members now demand a faster probe, document release and — if the allegations hold — her resignation, while Balius has floated her stepping back from public duties until it concludes.

For Ballinas, the toll is medical as well as professional: a PTSD diagnosis attributed by her attorney to the treatment she describes, and brain surgery for an aneurysm that has her on leave from the job she held since 2022. The mayor’s office has lost its chief of staff to leave and its city manager to a separate scandal.

Sources

New York Post, “California mayor accused of making racist, inappropriate sexual comments,” September 23, 2026 — source
New York Post, “Anaheim mayor accused of using slurs issues blunt online response,” September 25, 2026 — source
New York Post, “Anaheim council demands probe into mayor’s alleged racial slurs,” September 30, 2026 — source
Voice of OC, “Will Anaheim Release Letter Detailing Accusations Against Mayor Alleging She Made Racist Remarks?” September 2026 — source
Voice of OC, “Anaheim Mayor Denies Calling Chief of Staff a Racist Slur,” September 2026 — source
New York Post, “Anaheim Mayor complaints mount amid fresh misconduct allegations,” October 1, 2026 — source
Wikipedia, “Ashleigh Aitken,” accessed September 2026 — source