Jordan Brandman has resigned from the Anaheim City Council.
Brandman, who had represented District 2 in west Anaheim since December 2018, resigned ahead of what would have been City Council consideration on Tuesday of a censure action and resignation request at the direction of Mayor Harry Sidhu.
The resignation comes after concerns were raised about text messages from Brandman to a former council member in February 2020 that came to light in June of this year.
“Like so many, I became aware of the texts when they were made public,” Mayor Sidhu said. “I was shocked and appalled. I immediately had concerns about the former council member’s ability to effectively serve going forward.”
Brandman’s resignation, which is effective immediately, ends a course of action started several weeks ago by Mayor Sidhu. It involved condemning the inexcusable language of the texts, evaluating options and consulting with staff on policy and procedure.
“I gave Jordan some time to own his words, take responsibility for his actions, do what was best for Anaheim and to address his own well-being,” Sidhu said.
“As mayor, I have an obligation to pursue the right outcome for residents and our city as a whole. I made Jordan aware that at this point I would bring this matter to the City Council for potential censure and a call to resign,” he said.
“What we see now is the result of that process. I thank former Council Member Brandman for the positive contributions he made to our city during his service. I also thank him for recognizing today the need to step away and allow the rest of the city to continue doing what’s best for Anaheim,” Sidhu said.
In accordance with Anaheim’s city charter, the council vacancy for District 2 will be filled by appointment by the City Council.
An appointment hearing is expected to take place in coming weeks.
An appointed representative would serve until November 2022, when the District 2 seat is up for regular election.