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Mayor Pringle Named One of the Hottest 25 People in Orange County by OC Metro Magazine

Big-City Mayor
CURT PRINGLE

Mayor of the city of Anaheim
Age: 47
Residence: Anaheim
Family: Wife Alexis; 2 children
Hobby: Family

Curt Pringle’s name has the ring of a big-city mayor in a county that has never rhymed with “Giuliani” or “Villaraigosa” or “Daly.” One of his strategies is to think big. Among his goals is to “advance Anaheim into a place where it deserves. What’s important is not only to continue (moving forward) with Anaheim as a leader, but also to do the same for the county. It’s interesting; we are very much discounted, or disregarded, because of our proximity to Los Angeles. Anaheim is a microcosm of the county, and also the state.” He adds: “I think we ought to get our proper due.”

As he prepares for a second and final four-year term ­ he runs against William Fitzgerald in next month’s election ­ Pringle is poised to help shape the most invigorating city in Orange County in the most challenging of times. Running a city ­ Anaheim is among the state’s top 10 largest cities with 343,000 residents ­ is no easy feat. Constituencies range from a growing Latino population to the world-famous Disneyland Resort to professional baseball and hockey teams. He has been there to greet NFL luminaries who want to plant a team in either the Los Angeles market or in Anaheim.

Pringle was there as the Platinum Triangle ­ Orange County’s largest urban redevelopment project ever ­ took shape. The concept is one that could create the first true downtown in a county that has been more village-inspired than urban. The 820 acres could have up to 9,500 housing units, 5 million square feet of office space, more than 2 million square feet of commercial uses and several high-rises.

In the eight to 10 years for buildout, the project promises to have the stamp of both Pringle’s early work ­ allowing the free market to build a viable project with city support, rather than act as a hindrance ­ and of his hope that it will emerge as the county’s true downtown.
“That’s the definition of an urban center,” he says. “The streets don’t roll up at 5 o’clock. I think you’ll see that here.”

This has been a busy year. The activist mayor has had a hand in several major city initiatives. These include: Wi-Fi is now available throughout the city; the Tiger Woods Learning Center opened; transportation initiatives in the form of the newly purchased land for the planned Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodel Center, which will provide shuttles to Disneyland, regional routes to neighboring cities, the Amtrak and Metrolink platform, and perhaps even high-speed rail to Ontario Airport and later to Las Vegas and possibly San Francisco. Also this year, the City Council gave the final go-ahead for GardenWalk, a 19-acre outdoor shopping center and hotel complex that opens in 2007.

Not everything is a win, though; the Angels prevailed this year against the city in a naming lawsuit (officially the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).

The former state Assembly Speaker hosts an annual State of the City address that actually matters regionally. More than 800 people turned out this year. His annual prayer breakfast every October draws even more.

The question that makes him squirm is what he will do after his mayorship. “Those are always the nagging questions that show up. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t have to be in office … I’m very confident in God’s plan for my life, and at this moment in time have no interest in running for anything else.”

—Craig Reem