Angels could have ‘Los Angeles’ stripped from name under crafty California bill

A California lawmaker is trying to force the perpetually godforsaken Los Angeles Angels to own up an awkward truth — the baseball club doesn’t even play in LA.

Assemblymember Avelino Valencia’s bill, AB 2512, would require the Major League Baseball franchise to go back to using the name “Anaheim Angels” in official documents and marketing materials. 

But that’s only if the city gives the team special legal treatment to help sell, lease or redevelop Angel Stadium and the surrounding land. The bill sailed through the Assembly this week with unanimous support and it now goes to the state Senate.

“Anaheim is a world-class city, and I have seen it firsthand growing up here,” Valencia told The Post in a statement.

“The pride of place our residents carry is real and it is earned. My community has shown up for the Angels franchise year after year, and they deserve more than being treated as an afterthought.” 

He added, “It is time the name of our local MLB team reflects the city they play in.”

The conflict is also playing out at a local level, as the Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken reportedly instructed the city attorney to explore whether the Angels violated their lease by dropping the name Anaheim in legal documents.

Officials for the Angels did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Valencia’s proposal revives one of Orange County’s longest-running sports grudges after owner Arte Moreno rebranded the franchise from the Anaheim Angels to the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” in 2005 in a bid to capitalize on the larger LA media market. 

Anaheim later sued and lost, and by 2016, the team dropped Anaheim from its public branding altogether.

The situation around the Angeles and their stadium has only grown messier in the ensuing years. 

Anaheim and the Angels previously struck a deal that would have allowed the franchise to buy the 150-acre stadium property and develop the surrounding land. But the agreement collapsed following a federal corruption investigation involving former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu.

The state also challenged the arrangement under California’s Surplus Land Act, which generally requires public land to first be made available for affordable housing proposals before it is sold. Anaheim later agreed to a $96 million settlement.

The Angels are currently in last place in MLB and have not made the playoffs since 2014. The club — parodied yet also celebrated in the 1994 kids classic film “Angels in the Outfield” — won its only World Series title in 2002 while still officially repping their hometown of Anaheim. 

The stadium has seen better days, as concessions were temporarily shut down last month due to a rodent infestation. Shirtless fans recently started a “sell the team!” chant targeting Moreno. And let’s not forget that opossum incident.

Long-sufffering supporters of the team have rallied around Valencia’s bill and suggest it could have a karma-like effect on the Angels’ fortunes.

“I know we suck, but I grew up with them and I still go watch games,” said Guadalupe Vasconcelos, an Angels fan who grew up in Orange County. “My dad used to take me when I was little, so that’s all I’ve known.”

Vasconcelos said the vibe of an Angels game is radically different than going to Dodgers games.

“I feel like fans are a little nicer to other teams’ [fans],” she said.

Vasconcelos noted that many local fans never accepted the Los Angeles rebrand.

“Most of my friends are actually Angels fans, too, and they were pretty upset when they were renamed the Los Angeles Angels — because like I said, it doesn’t make sense,” she said.

“Maybe we’ll have a little bit more luck if we go back to being the Anaheim Angels.”

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