California Governor Gavin Newsom has no interest in anyone challenging him on when to reopen his state. Disney has been clashing with state leaders in an attempt to get their theme parks open for business, but Newsom continues to stand in their way. “We don’t anticipate in the immediate term any of these larger parks opening until we see more stability in terms of the data,” Newsom said. “We feel there’s no hurry to put out guidelines, and we continue to work with the industry.” Disney Chairman Bob Iger was so fed up he resigned from the governor’s coronavirus task force.
Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, made it clear in September that Disney was waiting on word from the state on any plan to reopen. The failure to reopen will undoubtedly lead to additional layoffs. Disney has already let go 28,000 workers, and with no reopening plan in site, more job losses in California will likely follow.
Just last week, Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu asked Newsom to offer guidance for Disneyland and the Anaheim convention center reopening. “There is too much at stake. We need attainable guidelines that allow our theme parks and convention center to safely reopen to get people back to work and restore our economy,” Sidhu said on Twitter. “My invitation still stands for Gov. Newsom to visit Anaheim and see the impact firsthand.”
It’s fair to point out that Newsom may struggle to relate to anyone trying to make ends meet as a multimillionaire and one of the wealthiest politicians, with an estimated net worth of $20M.
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