California Mayors Pen Letter Urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to Reopen Theme Parks

Eight California mayors have called upon Gov. Gavin Newsom to reconsider the state’s safety guidelines and offer a new plan to reopen theme parks.

The letter, which suggests that safety can be met while also reopening the parks in limited capacities, was signed by Mayor Harry Sidhu of Anaheim, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Mayor Kevin Faulconer of San Diego, Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose, Mayor Lee Brand of Fresno, Mayor Karen Goh of Bakersfield, Mayor Rusty Bailey of Riverside and Mayor Miguel Pulido of Santa Ana.

“The guidelines put forth by your administration were released within the framework of prioritizing public health and safety for guests and employees,” the message reads. “This is the right focus. However, economic and public health are not mutually exclusive goals.”

Throughout the letter, the mayors assert that evidence shown to the Newsom administration supports the decision to loosen restrictions for theme parks. They also argue that forcibly closing the various parks until well into next year would cause continued negative impacts for the people employed at the various locations.

The suggestions proposed in the mayors’ letter include operating at 25 percent capacity, strictly enforcing mask requirements and temperature screening for all who enter and advanced reservations. The letter also requests that some of the heavily impacted cities be included in conversations to come to a new solution.

“We therefore respectfully request that your administration work with our most impacted coalition members – Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego – to continue the discussion of how we can maintain a health-first focus while modifying protocols to allow large theme parks to open in Tier Three with reduced capacity, rather than Tier Four,” the letter concludes.