Disney and Universal urge Newsom to ‘stop delaying’ and let California theme parks ‘open now’ - OCR/SCNG

[Darkbeer1]

Disney and Universal urge Newsom to ‘stop delaying’ and let California theme parks ‘open now’

California Attractions and Parks Association launched the new Reopen California Amusement Parks website aimed at encouraging state residents to demand Newsom reopen California theme parks.

www.ocregister.com

>>A new petition from Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other California theme parks urges Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop delaying COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and allow the major tourist destinations to open now after seven months of coronavirus closures.

California Attractions and Parks Association launched the new Reopen California Amusement Parks website aimed at encouraging state residents to demand Newsom reopen California theme parks.

“Governor, we urge you to use the science and data to allow these parks to open now,” reads the CAPA petition on the website. “Please stop delaying, please develop reasonable and fair guidance and please allow California’s amusement parks to reopen soon. We know they are ready and so are we.”

The Sacramento-based CAPA represents Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, SeaWorld San Diego, Legoland California, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and California’s Great America.

California theme parks closed in mid-March amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and remain shuttered while they await guidelines for safely reopening from the state.

“Californians need jobs, businesses need customers, local governments need revenue and most importantly, we all need hope,” reads the CAPA petition. “Even more than the lost jobs and lost revenue, however, the greatest impact is truly the loss of hope, joy, laughter and fun. That damage is the most painful of all.”<<

 

[Darkbeer1]

https://reopencaamusementparks.com/

 

[Darkbeer1]

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/070b8e27-8afc-4d2a-a674-87dc806c6158/CAPA%20Reopening%20-%20Sept..pdf

 

[Darkbeer1]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

California’s amusement parks and attractions want to be a part of the solution as California faces the unprecedented hurdles presented by COVID-19.

After the Governor rolled out the Resilience Roadmap, California Attractions and Parks Association (CAPA) crafted a comprehensive plan with health and safety protocols for parks to reopen. Our parks have been busy planning and preparing to implement their own site-specific plans for reopening in manner that promotes the safety of both guests & employees.

California’s parks employ over 135,000 people throughout the state at every socio-economic level and we want to help these people get back to work.

Economic recovery will be slow-going. It will take time for consumer confidence to return and for struggling families to plan a trip to an amusement park. According to data collected from Visit California, the Tourism industry is suffering immense losses, with travel-related spending not expected to recover until 2024.

Our parks are ready to reopen in a responsible manner and yet they have not been authorized to do so. The CAPA plan details how amusement parks and attractions can begin to reopen in limited capacity with the proper modifications so we can be consistent with the Governor’s Resilience Roadmap and now the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

 

[Darkbeer1]

WHY AMUSEMENT PARKS?

We take the health & safety of both our guests and employees seriously. We cannot operate without a healthy workforce or without consumer confidence.

• Amusement parks are in the business of moving people and can do so in a way that monitors physical distancing. • Exposure time is limited at amusements parks because guests generally are kept in motion, unlike other entertainment venues where attendees congregate in close proximity to each other for extended periods of time.

• Amusement parks are able to adjust their capacity to allow for appropriate distancing throughout their parks. All parks’ plans include significant capacity limits to meet these goals.

• When visiting an amusement park, guests come and go at different intervals – they don’t all arrive and leave at the same time and capacity is fluid throughout the day. Physical Distancing to Minimize Spread

• The Administration has stressed the need to move indoor activities outdoors. Amusement parks and attractions consist primarily of outdoor activities and they can modify their indoor operations.

• Parks can provide a safer environment for families and individuals to spend leisure time than many other places that are operating without the same degree of crowd control, physical distancing and safety protocols.

• Cleanliness and guest safety have always been hallmarks of California's amusement parks. Their plans include thorough sanitization and disinfection protocols throughout their facilities.

• Many other sectors have looked to amusement parks for best practices – most recently Ohio election officials are seeking advice from a theme park on safely handling long lines on election day.

• Amusement parks in other parts of the country and across the globe have reopened and currently there are no known outbreaks being traced back to parks.

• Forty-three out of the forty-eight state with amusement parks have allowed them to reopen – the data simply does not point to parks as areas with high transmission rates.

• Public health officials throughout the nation have confirmed that they are seeing outbreaks coming from congregate settings, from large family and friend gatherings, from bars and nightclubs, and even at state parks and beaches. However, the data does not support that amusement parks represent a significant risk of increased transmissions.

• Amusement parks bear many of the same traits that have allowed their friends at zoos, museums, aquariums and Family Entertainment Centers to reopen. They are typically openspace facilities that do not encourage congregations, where families go for entertainment and primarily stay within their own household group.

 

[cmwade77]

Without violating any NDAs, might you be able to explain why all of the theme parks haven't sued him yet? They should do so individually and CAPA should file one too for good measure.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Without violating any NDAs, might you be able to explain why all of the theme parks haven't sued him yet? They should do so individually and CAPA should file one too for good measure.

No comment

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

No comment

 

[truecoat]

Without violating any NDAs, might you be able to explain why all of the theme parks haven't sued him yet? They should do so individually and CAPA should file one too for good measure.

What does a lawsuit accomplish. My guess is they wouldn't win anyway and then you have bad blood between parties, more so than today.

 

[cmwade77]

What does a lawsuit accomplish. My guess is they wouldn't win anyway and then you have bad blood between parties, more so than today.

Actually, there are many legal arguments on which they have the potential to win; however, lawsuits don't always have to win to be successful.

It seems that Newsom starts to cave to some degree every time a lawsuit is filed against him, so the filing of the lawsuit might just be the catalyst that is necessary to get the ball rolling.

One that Newsom has dug his heels in on is this one coming up next week that challenges his orders, basically saying there is nothing in the California constitution that allows the legislature to grant all of the power to him like they have done and so far it has been fairly successful in the pretrail motions, if the ruling is fully in favor of the people of California, all of his restrictions will go away, which might indeed make any lawsuit from a theme park unnecessary, but honestly, they should have sued back in July.

So it is very possible with the right legal arguments and good lawyers (which the theme parks have plenty of) that they could indeed win or at least finally force Newsom to allow them to reopen as a settlement.

The bottom line is Newsom will keep dragging his feet until either the lawsuit next week rules against him or the theme parks bring a lawsuit against him. At this point, he will not cave to the masses saying they want theme parks reopened.

 

[LastoneOn]

What does a lawsuit accomplish. My guess is they wouldn't win anyway and then you have bad blood between parties, more so than today.

Governors have lost several of these lawsuits just the past few weeks. Most famous might be Michigan.

 

[cmwade77]

Governors have lost several of these lawsuits just the past few weeks. Most famous might be Michigan.

Exactly and that is actually important in the trial coming up next week.

 

[truecoat]

Governors have lost several of these lawsuits just the past few weeks. Most famous might be Michigan.

Michigan's isn't over and this part wouldn't necessarily give a theme park hope.

The ruling appears to leave intact orders issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, which have addressed some of the same subject matter contained in Whitmer's executive orders.

 

[Disney Irish]

Michigan's isn't over and this part wouldn't necessarily give a theme park hope.

The ruling appears to leave intact orders issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, which have addressed some of the same subject matter contained in Whitmer's executive orders.

Yep, this fallacy that Disneyland will just automatically be allowed to reopen if the executive orders are somehow overturned is laughable. The Department of Health and pretty soon OSHA can order any business closed for health reasons, specifically related to COVID.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Yep, this fallacy that Disneyland will just automatically be allowed to reopen if the executive orders are somehow overturned is laughable. The Department of Health and pretty soon OSHA can order any business closed for health reasons, specifically related to COVID.

Honestly, I was shocked and appalled to see one of the six topics at this week’s final presidential debate isn’t Disneyland. America needs to know and I’m tired of the candidates deflecting on this question of the parks. No I will NOT wait until after the election to learn when you’d reopen Disneyland!

 

[LastoneOn]

Michigan's isn't over and this part wouldn't necessarily give a theme park hope.

The ruling appears to leave intact orders issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, which have addressed some of the same subject matter contained in Whitmer's executive orders.

yes she's said she is going to do whatever it takes to do exactly what she wants.

This sort of ruling gives other courage to fight, gives some shelter to other courts. Nobody likes to go it alone.
But, state by state laws of course are different - all depends on what governor claims are the enabling statutes

 

[cmwade77]

Yep, this fallacy that Disneyland will just automatically be allowed to reopen if the executive orders are somehow overturned is laughable. The Department of Health and pretty soon OSHA can order any business closed for health reasons, specifically related to COVID.

It is a first step in the process, but an important one, but yes, theme parks could reopen, as could all businesses. The reality is OSHA won't have that power if the executive orders are overturned. And if the ruling really goes all out (where it should be) and declares the original state of emergency invalid, the Department of Health won't have any authority in the matter either.

 

[LastoneOn]

Yep, this fallacy that Disneyland will just automatically be allowed to reopen if the executive orders are somehow overturned is laughable. The Department of Health and pretty soon OSHA can order any business closed for health reasons, specifically related to COVID.

OSHA has to have some cause beyond beyond CDC guidelines etc. Otherwise OSHA would have shut down everything in the entire country just because. OSHA didn't shut anything down during the last officially declared global pandemic with 40-50 million infections in the US, so what's their justification now? With tens of millions of people working around the country why would Disneyland working conditions be special?

Nothing laughable. If the executive orders are overturned, then the way is open. Now that doesn't stop something else from getting in the way. Requires another action, an action that can be challenged etc.

Everyone has begun to believe and accept that these federal and state agencies are absolute ruling powers and the non-elected gvt employees that happen to run them are Gods.

 

[cmwade77]

yes she's said she is going to do whatever it takes to do exactly what she wants.

This sort of ruling gives other courage to fight, gives some shelter to other courts. Nobody likes to go it alone.
But, state by state laws of course are different - all depends on what governor claims are the enabling statutes

Yep, unfortunately for Newsom, California's laws that apply here are almost word for word the same as Michigan's and the cards he has played do not deal him a winning hand. Not that I am complaining about that, Newsom needs to be taken down a lot.

 

[cmwade77]

OSHA has to have some cause beyond beyond CDC guidelines etc. Otherwise OSHA would have shut down everything in the entire country just because. OSHA didn't shut anything down during the last officially declared global pandemic with 40-50 million infections in the US, so what's their justification now? With tens of millions of people working around the country why would Disneyland working conditions be special?

Nothing laughable. If the executive orders are overturned, then the way is open. Now that doesn't stop something else from getting in the way. Requires another action, an action that can be challenged etc.

Everyone has begun to believe and accept that these federal and state agencies are absolute ruling powers and the non-elected gvt employees that happen to run them are Gods.

Well, also it should be noted OSHA doesn't actually exist in California; however, DOSH does. Same basic concept, but different entity; however, your point is accurate.