New information has been received showing a concerning link between Betty Martinez-Franco and the groups hired by former City Manager Oliver Chi to design the permanent amphitheater at the Great Park. Martinez-Franco worked for five years for a company called FSB Public Affairs. Jeff Flint from FSB was a named party in the Anaheim corruption case involving Mayor Harry Sidhu and the sale of Anaheim Stadium.

Chi hired Populous, the architect working on OC Vibe in Anaheim, to be the architect for the new Amphitheater (despite other firms with no conflict of interest working on it for a decade prior) and brought in ASM Global (represented by the very same lobbyist for OC Vibe in Anaheim, George Urch). Populous and ASM Global were paid millions of dollars by the City of Irvine to consult on a permanent amphitheater in Irvine, but concerns have recently been raised that they were serving dual roles. Insiders have said that both firms have promised Executives from the Anaheim project that they would make sure Irvine did not build a competitive facility.

These facts have come to light as Councilmembers Betty Martinez-Franco and Treseder simultaneously fret about Irvine’s financial stability, but push to move an amphitheater project forward that has doubled in cost from the previously designed LiveNation Amp. Given these facts, many Irvine residents are calling for a deeper look into Martinez-Franco’s involvement and why she and Treseder are pushing the agenda of the lobbyist for OC Vibe so hard. More information to come.