A new bill proposed by California state assembly members would accelerate the reopening of Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood and override Governor Gavin Newsom’s guidelines that have kept large California theme parks closed for more than 10 months.
California Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) announced plans to co-sponsor a bill that would require the state to allow all theme parks to reopen at the same level as the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Newsom. The project would be co-sponsored by Congresswoman Suzette Martinez-Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), whose district includes Six Flags Magic Mountain.
California has issued separate reopening guidelines for small and large theme parks. Small theme parks with a capacity of less than 15,000 visitors can reopen at level 3 orange / moderate, while large theme parks can return at level 4 yellow / minimum.
California’s theme parks closed in March and are unlikely to return to full operation until spring or summer in accordance with state-issued COVID-19 health and safety reopening guidelines.
Proponents say the goal of the California Assembly Bill 420 bipartisan project is to adjust state guidelines to allow all amusement parks – regardless of size – to safely open at the same level.
“As a veteran of the theme park industry, I intimately understand their operations, their procedures and their ability to move people and keep them safe,” said Martinez-Valladares in a statement. “The industry, and Six Flags Magic Mountain in my district, has been closed for almost a year, while parks in other states have been open to the public and serviced safely.”
The California Attractions and Parks Association said the decision to place the state’s major theme parks in the most restrictive layer of Newsom’s Blueprint for Safer Economy will keep major tourist destinations closed indefinitely.
“We deeply thank Assembly members Quirk-Silva and Martinez-Valladares for their leadership and for introducing legislation on the reopening of safe theme parks,” said CAPA’s executive director, Erin Guerrero, in a statement. “Around the world, theme parks have proven that they can reopen responsibly, protecting the health of guests and staff. Science and data show that it can be done. California must allow theme parks to responsibly reopen at level 3 orange / moderate. “
CAPA, based in Sacramento, 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.
“COVID transmission rates are improving and vaccination distribution is in progress, but California’s major theme parks have no timeline and no realistic path to reopen if left at state-level ‘Yellow Minimum – Level 4’, Guerrero said in a statement. “AB 420 is necessary so that theme parks can plan to reopen responsibly and return to contributing to our state’s economic recovery.”
The prolonged closures of COVID-19 have had a devastating impact on California’s theme parks, their employees and neighboring companies.
“By opening our theme parks, we will have a ripple effect on our local economy and, in turn, we will create more jobs,” said Martinez-Valladares in a statement. “It is time to offer clear guidelines that will balance public health and the need to get people back to work safely, and this project is the first step.”
Universal Studios Hollywood president and chief operating officer Karen Irwin said Universal’s sister parks around the world operated safely during the pandemic.
“This prolonged closure was unprecedented and detrimental to our business and workforce,” said Irwin in a statement. “Universal Parks & Resort theme parks in Orlando, Osaka and Singapore have been operating successfully and safely without incidents or cases attributed to their daily operations since the middle of last year.”
The reopening of the state’s yellow / minimum level 4 would keep Universal and other major California theme parks “closed indefinitely,” according to Irwin.
“It is imperative that California theme parks reopen in Tier 3,” said Irwin in a statement. “A Tier 4 reopening is unsustainable in LA County and would probably keep our business closed indefinitely, since even two cases per 100,000 would exceed the requirement.”
Legoland California President Kurt Stocks said the Carlsbad theme park has developed a reopening plan that exceeds the guidelines given to other state companies and industries.
“There is no scientific evidence or data linking any outbreak of COVID to any theme park globally,” Stocks said in a statement. “We received praise from state, municipal and municipal legislators with whom we met and carried out our plan. The prolonged closure of our resort has not only affected many of our employees who were on leave or lost their jobs, but we are also an integral part of the San Diego economy. “
Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider, who writes a theme park column for the Southern California News Group, said that the time between reaching levels 3 and 4 may not be much if increased vaccination rates help to rapidly decrease the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in California.
“If you want to call a lawmaker to help make theme parks open more quickly in California, you might be able to spend your time better by calling your US representative or senator to demand more money for purchasing and distributing vaccines instead of ask a member of the California Assembly or the Senator to slightly move the beams back from the theme parks, ”wrote Niles in the Theme Park Insider.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.