Essential California

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Oct. 21, and I’m writing from Los Angeles. Before the coronavirus shuttered Disneyland in mid-March, the world’s most famous amusement park had suspended operations only three times: for a national day of mourning after President Kennedy’s assassination, after the 1994 Northridge earthquake and in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This year, after several months of closed gates, a July reopening was scheduled — then indefinitely postponed during the virus’ summer surge. The park has now been closed for well over 200 days. Struggling businesses of all sizes have been pressuring California officials on the state’s reopening timeline for months. But Disney’s battles with the state over reopening the park have been particularly loud. The Walt Disney Co. bluntly criticized the state as it announced plans to lay off thousands of workers late last month. That same week, executive chairman Bob Iger resigned from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s high-profile COVID-19 economic task force, marking what Sacramento bureau chief John Myers called “an abrupt public confirmation of the growing tensions stemming from California’s reluctance to allow theme parks to reopen.” (Florida let its theme parks reopen at limited capacity several months ago.) On Tuesday, California released its long-awaited protocols for reopening theme parks here, and leaders at Disneyland and other theme parks were far from pleased with the plans. Under the protocols announced by California health secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, large theme parks won’t be allowed to open until their counties reach Tier 4, the state’s least-restrictive designation. (It’s also known as the “yellow” tier, and only a handful of California counties have slowed coronavirus transmission enough to reach it.) [See also: A county-level map of the current reopening tiers across the state from the Los Angeles Times] Large parks are defined as those with the capacity to host more than 15,000 visitors. Small parks will face slightly less stringent rules and be allowed to reopen when they reach Tier 3. Ghaly also outlined several other restrictions that will be required of theme parks once they reopen, including selling tickets in advance to make contact tracing easier and requiring face coverings except when eating or drinking. Large theme parks will be limited to 25% capacity. As my colleague Hugo Martín reports, theme park executives and the mayor of Anaheim immediately excoriated the guidelines, complaining that the new protocols would keep the parks closed for too long and hurt nearby businesses. Disney is the single largest employer in the city of Anaheim, and the theme park and resort’s closure has had rippling effects on the local economy. During an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, the health director said the county would be unlikely to reach Tier 4 until summer 2021, perhaps later. Orange County, which is also home to Knott’s Berry Farm, is currently in Tier 2. Los Angeles County, home of Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain, remains in Tier 1, the state’s most restrictive designation.