Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Prime Minister of Yemen’s Houthi Government Killed in Israeli Strike

2 days ago

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Redrawing Congressional Maps

3 days ago

US Air Force will Offer Military Funeral Honors to Slain Capitol Rioter

3 days ago

US Republican Senator Joni Ernst Will Not Run for Re-Election, CBS News Reports

3 days ago

Wall Street Falls as Dell, Nvidia Drive Tech Losses

3 days ago

US Denies Visas to Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

3 days ago

Minneapolis Children Revealed Courage, Absorbed Fear During Church Shooting

3 days ago

Ford Recalls Nearly 500,000 Vehicles Over Brake Fluid Leak

4 days ago

Fresno-Bound Passenger Says Delta Attendant Slapped Him, Seeks $20M

4 days ago
California Wavers on Theme Park Opening Rules
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 2, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday delayed new operating rules for theme parks such as Disneyland that have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic as tourism industry officials warned the state was set to lose more than $78 billion in travel related spending this year.

The Newsom administration had planned to release the new rules on Friday, spokesman Nathan Click told the Sacramento Bee. But following industry criticism of the proposed rules, state health officials said no announcement was coming Friday as negotiations continue.

“Given the size and operational complexities of these unique sectors, we are seeking additional input from health, workforce and business stakeholders to finalize this important framework,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s top public health official, said in a statement.

Guidelines Would Have Allowed 25% Capacity

The proposed guidance would have let theme parks reopen at 25 percent capacity once the counties where they are located reached the lowest level for virus transmission in the state’s four-tier reopening system, the Orange County Register reported. It also would have limited visitors to those living within 120 miles (193 kilometers) of a theme park, the paper reported without attributing to a particular source.

Mike Lyster, a spokesman for the city of Anaheim, which is home to Disneyland, confirmed the newspaper’s report. “That is our understanding of the situation,” he said.

Amusement park leaders saw a draft of the new rules Thursday and urged state officials to change them, said Erin Guerrero, executive director of the California Attractions and Parks Association.

“While we are aligned on many of the protocols and health and safety requirements, there are many others that need to be modified if they are to lead to a responsible and reasonable amusement park reopening plan,” Guerrero said in a statement.

On Friday, the board of directors for Visit California — the state’s tourism marketing authority — asked a Newsom administration official for an update on the rules. But all he would say is “as soon as we have an announcement to make it will be made.”

Theme Parks in Florida Have Reopened

That appeared to frustrate Scott White, president and CEO of the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau, who said he has lost all large meetings through the end of the year and is beginning to lose bookings for the first quarter of 2021.

“We need guidance and we need guidance quickly,” White said. “If we lose all of our business for the first quarter of 2021, our destination is going to be severely, severely devastated and I think there is a lot of businesses that will never come back.”

Florida has allowed its theme parks to reopen with restrictions. But California’s rules still don’t allow large gatherings for concerts, conventions and amusement parks. California tourism officials said Friday the state expects to lose $78.8 billion in travel spending for 2020 — up from an initial industry loss forecast in June of $75.4 billion for the year.

While the occupancy rates at California’s hotels are higher than the national average, Visit California CEO Caroline Beteta said Southern California’s Orange County where Disneyland and other theme parks are located “is faring the worst across all regions given its high dependency on Disneyland.”

Beteta said she doesn’t expect travel spending in California to return to 2019 levels until at least 2024.

Disney Announced Major Layoffs This Week

Disney this week announced it would layoff 28,000 workers at its parks in Florida and California. Workers United Local 50, which represents Disneyland’s food service workers, said on social media that more than a third of its nearly 7,800 members would be affected by layoffs, including about 400 full-time workers.

In a letter to employees, the company blamed its troubles in part on California’s “unwillingness to lift restrictions.” Walt Disney Co. chairman Bob Iger quit Newsom’s economic recovery task force after the layoffs were announced, the Sacramento Bee reported.

A Disney official said there have been no major reported outbreaks in Florida associated with the company’s theme parks and declined to say whether any cases have occurred there. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last month that Disney opened its parks in his state during the peak of infections and things have improved, not worsened, since then.

Disney’s parks in California have been closed since March 14.

Earlier this week, 19 Democratic and Republican state lawmakers sent Newsom a letter asking him to let theme parks reopen, arguing that theme parks are “controlled venues operating predominantly outdoors” and should be allowed to follow protocols that apply to other indoor businesses that have reopened.

Many Orange County officials have urged Newsom to issue guidance allowing parks to reopen, noting these businesses have been reopened elsewhere in the country with health and safety measures.

“We need these parks to open not just for our children or tourists but for our businesses and the communities that rely on them,” Michelle Steel, chair of the Orange County board of supervisors, said this week.

Ian Henderson, a spokesman for Steel’s office, said county health officials have worked closely with Disney to prepare for the reopening of its parks. He said county officials have recommended the state let the parks reopen at a limited capacity once the county moves to the orange tier in the state’s color-coded system, which is the second-lowest for virus transmission.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Garnet Fire Grows to 18,748 Acres in Sierra National Forest

DON'T MISS

US Judge Blocks Deportations of Unaccompanied Migrant Children to Guatemala

DON'T MISS

Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet

DON'T MISS

Thousands in Australia March Against Immigration, Government Condemns Rally

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote

DON'T MISS

Greta Thunberg Joins Flotilla Heading for Gaza With Aid

DON'T MISS

Chicago Mayor Says Police Will Not Aid Federal Troops or Agents

DON'T MISS

Post-War Gaza Plan Sees Relocation of Population, ‘Digital Token’ for Palestinian Land: Washington Post

DON'T MISS

Labor Day Quiz: Do You Know What a Knocker-Upper Is?

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs Check All the Boxes in Runaway Win Over Georgia Southern

UP NEXT

Dollar Trades Lower With Fed Cut In View, On Course For Monthly Drop

UP NEXT

California Schools Reverse Truancy Trends. Improving Reading Scores Could Be Next

UP NEXT

High-Speed Rail Hits a New Snag as Lawmakers Reject Proposal to Expedite Construction

UP NEXT

Lawsuit Links CA Teen’s Suicide To Artificial Intelligence

UP NEXT

Hearing Ends Without Ruling On Trump’s Firing Of Fed Governor Cook

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Launches New Task Force To Clear CA Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Redrawing Congressional Maps

UP NEXT

Fresno vs. Clovis: Which City Is Cheaper to Live in Right Now?

UP NEXT

Kim Harvey Named Executive Producer of ‘CBS Evening News’

UP NEXT

US CDC Director Ousted Weeks Into Job

Thousands in Australia March Against Immigration, Government Condemns Rally

16 hours ago

Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote

16 hours ago

Greta Thunberg Joins Flotilla Heading for Gaza With Aid

16 hours ago

Chicago Mayor Says Police Will Not Aid Federal Troops or Agents

16 hours ago

Post-War Gaza Plan Sees Relocation of Population, ‘Digital Token’ for Palestinian Land: Washington Post

16 hours ago

Labor Day Quiz: Do You Know What a Knocker-Upper Is?

17 hours ago

Bulldogs Check All the Boxes in Runaway Win Over Georgia Southern

1 day ago

Judge Blocks Pillar of Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

2 days ago

Classic Cars Will Still Need a Smog Test in California After Lawmakers Reject Jay Leno Bill

2 days ago

Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured

2 days ago

Fresno County Garnet Fire Grows to 18,748 Acres in Sierra National Forest

A lightning-sparked wildfire, the Garnet Fire, in the Sierra National Forest has burned 18,748 acres in Fresno County and remains at 8% cont...

16 hours ago

Photo: USDA - Forest Service Tanker 40 at Fresno Air Attack Base. The Fresno County Garnet Fire in the Sierra National Forest has burned 18,748 acres and is 8% contained as crews make progress on containment lines while bracing for possible thunderstorms early this week. (Sam Wu/USFS)
16 hours ago

Fresno County Garnet Fire Grows to 18,748 Acres in Sierra National Forest

U.S. flag and Judge gavel are seen in this illustration taken, August 6, 2024. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Deportations of Unaccompanied Migrant Children to Guatemala

Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, August 31, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
16 hours ago

Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet

Demonstrators hold a banner during the 'March for Australia' anti-immigration rally, in Sydney, Australia, August 31, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
16 hours ago

Thousands in Australia March Against Immigration, Government Condemns Rally

President Donald Trump walks on the grounds of the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, U.S., August 30, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)
16 hours ago

Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote

Activists Yasemin Acar, Greta Thunberg and Thiago Avila attend a press conference before the departure of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian expedition to Gaza, at the port of Barcelona, Spain August 31, 2025. (Reuters/Eva Manez)
16 hours ago

Greta Thunberg Joins Flotilla Heading for Gaza With Aid

National Guard troops wear gas masks during protests against federal immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

Chicago Mayor Says Police Will Not Aid Federal Troops or Agents

A view of tents sheltering Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive, in Gaza City, August 23, 2025. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

Post-War Gaza Plan Sees Relocation of Population, ‘Digital Token’ for Palestinian Land: Washington Post

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend