Anaheim mayor accused of calling top staffer a dirty Mexican issues blunt four-line response

Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken is pushing back against accusations that she called her chief of staff a “dirty Mexican,” issuing her first direct denial as the controversy threatens to engulf City Hall.Aitken released the statement Thursday after her chief of staff, Berenice Ballinas, made the damning allegations that also claimed the mayor questioned the staffer’s sexuality during a trip to Disneyland.“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,” Aitken, a Democrat, said in her statement posted to Facebook.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story The mayor had previously kept her comments brief, saying an ongoing personnel matter limited what she could publicly reveal.“Berenice remains a City employee, and because this involves an ongoing personnel matter, there are strict limits on what I can responsibly discuss publicly,” Aitken added in her Thursday remarks.“I will not violate her privacy or attack an employee who has recently experienced a serious medical issue simply to defend myself in the press.“I welcome an investigation and will cooperate truthfully, and I believe the facts should determine what happened.“I care about Berenice and sincerely wish her well in her recovery.

I also believe that I am entitled to have these extraordinarily serious allegations evaluated on the evidence,” the statement concluded.The allegations were laid out in a September 11 mediation letter written by employment attorney Lawrence Lennemann for Ballinas and sent to Anaheim City Attorney Robert Fabela.The letter accuses Aitken, a graduate of the University of Southern California, of using the slur while Ballinas was driving h...