Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
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

Texas Walmart Shooter Who Killed 23 Avoids Death Penalty by Pleading Guilty

DON'T MISS

Chevron Announces First Oil at Ballymore Project in US Gulf

DON'T MISS

Fresno Barbershop Shooting Leaves Man Dead, Two Others Injured

DON'T MISS

Vance, Modi Welcome Significant Progress on India-US Trade Deal

DON'T MISS

White House Denies Report It Is Searching for New Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Israeli Spy Chief Hands Court Scathing Rebuke of Netanyahu Bid to Sack Him

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Satbir Singh

DON'T MISS

Steeply Discounted OD-Reversal Medicine Now Available to Any Californian

DON'T MISS

Merced College Breaks Ground on $21 Million Center Geared for Tomorrow’s Ag Jobs

DON'T MISS

Delta Plane Suffers Engine Fire in Orlando, Forcing Evacuation

UP NEXT

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

UP NEXT

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

UP NEXT

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

UP NEXT

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

UP NEXT

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

UP NEXT

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

UP NEXT

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

UP NEXT

250 Years After America Went to War for Independence, a Divided Nation Battles Over Its Legacy

UP NEXT

Greg Cronin Fired as Coach of Anaheim Ducks After 2 Seasons

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More Than 90 People in 48 Hours, Palestinians Say

Vance, Modi Welcome Significant Progress on India-US Trade Deal

2 hours ago

White House Denies Report It Is Searching for New Defense Secretary

2 hours ago

Israeli Spy Chief Hands Court Scathing Rebuke of Netanyahu Bid to Sack Him

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Satbir Singh

3 hours ago

Steeply Discounted OD-Reversal Medicine Now Available to Any Californian

3 hours ago

Merced College Breaks Ground on $21 Million Center Geared for Tomorrow’s Ag Jobs

3 hours ago

Delta Plane Suffers Engine Fire in Orlando, Forcing Evacuation

4 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest 11 for DUI During Weekend Enforcement

4 hours ago

Reddit Down for Thousands of Users Worldwide

4 hours ago

Israeli Minister Says Freeing Hostages Not ‘Most Important’ Aim of the War

4 hours ago

Texas Walmart Shooter Who Killed 23 Avoids Death Penalty by Pleading Guilty

(Reuters) – The gunman who killed 23 people and injured 22 others in a 2019 mass shooting aimed at Latinos at a Texas Walmart pleaded ...

30 minutes ago

El Paso Walmart mass shooter Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old male from Allen, Texas, accused of killing 22 and injuring 25, is arraigned, in El Paso, Texas, U.S. October 10, 2019. (Mark Lambie/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
30 minutes ago

Texas Walmart Shooter Who Killed 23 Avoids Death Penalty by Pleading Guilty

A Chevron gas station sign is seen in Austin, Texas, U.S., October 23, 2023. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
1 hour ago

Chevron Announces First Oil at Ballymore Project in US Gulf

Jampier Quintero, 44, was killed and two others were injured in a shooting Saturday at a Fresno barbershop, with police still searching for suspects. (Fresno PD)
2 hours ago

Fresno Barbershop Shooting Leaves Man Dead, Two Others Injured

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets U.S. Vice President JD Vance at his residence in New Delhi, India, April 21, 2025. India's Press Information (Bureau/Handout via REUTERS)
2 hours ago

Vance, Modi Welcome Significant Progress on India-US Trade Deal

A view of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 20, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo)
2 hours ago

White House Denies Report It Is Searching for New Defense Secretary

Israeli Security Agency director Ronen Bar attends a memorial ceremony of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
2 hours ago

Israeli Spy Chief Hands Court Scathing Rebuke of Netanyahu Bid to Sack Him

Satbir Singh is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for April 21, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Satbir Singh

3 hours ago

Steeply Discounted OD-Reversal Medicine Now Available to Any Californian

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

Search

Send this to a friend