April 26--Anaheim is due to become an unlikely battleground Tuesday night in the debate over Donald Trump.
The City Council will vote on a resolution condemning GOP presidential candidate Trump's "divisive rhetoric."
Anaheim was once a Republican bastion, as was the much of the rest of Orange County. But the home of Disneyland has seen some major demographic changes in recent years.
Who is pushing the resolution?
The motion was requested by Councilwoman Kris Murray this month and notes that Anaheim, the largest city in Orange County, is a "city of kindness."
"Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked people of many races, religions and creeds," according to the resolution, which calls for rejecting Trump's statements as "contrary" to the state and U.S. Constitutions and "not being reflective of the City of Anaheim's guiding principles."
How does this fit into the larger context of Anaheim politics and demographics?
Anaheim has a diverse population, with Latinos in the majority and whites now making up less than 30% of the population.
In a landmark vote in 2014, residents agreed to shift from at-large to district elections for the City Council, a move that Latino activists hoped would give better representation at City Hall to underrepresented groups.
There was widespread condemnation in the city earlier this year when the Ku Klux Klan held a rally at a park that turned violent. The KKK played a role in the city's history, but residents and officials stressed the group had no place in modern Anaheim.
Are pro-Trump forces expected?
Yes. A pro-Trump group, We the People Rising, will hold a demonstration before the meeting, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Anaheim City Hall. The group is also encouraging people to speak out against the measure during public comment.
Trump leads the GOP presidential field in recent polls of California.
An average of four polls from the past month in California has Trump up 15 percentage points over his rivals.
"It's wrong," Trump backer John Bentley told the Orange County Register. "There are a lot of Trump supporters in California. It's a negative for Anaheim."
