Business

Column: DeSantis notches a courthouse win against Disney, thanks to a Trumpian right-wing judge

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Column: DeSantis notches a courthouse win against Disney, thanks to a Trumpian right-wing judge

On the face of it, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis achieved an important victory Wednesday in his two-year battle with Walt Disney Co., as a federal judge tossed Disney’s lawsuit contending that DeSantis moved against the company in retaliation for its criticism of an anti-gay state law.

DeSantis certainly thought so. “The Corporate Kingdom is over,” his spokesman crowed. “The days of Disney controlling its own government and being placed above the law are long gone…. In short — as long predicted, case dismissed.”

Disney was circumspect about its loss. As my colleagues Christi Carras and Ryan Faughnder reported, the company appealed the judge’s order Thursday to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. “This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here. If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with.”

Yet there’s more to the story than that. Although most reports on the judge’s decision noted that the judge, Allen Winsor, was appointed to the federal bench by Donald Trump, they didn’t take a closer look at his record. And that record suggests he came to the case with preconceived notions that worked strongly against Disney.

Assessing judges’ decisions by citing the presidents who appointed them hasn’t always been a useful approach; it hasn’t been uncommon for appointees to confound the politics of their appointers.

But it’s been more useful with Trump appointees, because on the whole they’ve been more openly ideological than their colleagues on the bench, and less qualified too. That may be the case here.

Before turning to Winsor’s record, let’s delve into the lawsuit itself.

As I’ve reported before, the issue was a law pushed by DeSantis and enacted by his supine GOP-controlled state legislature that effectively liquidated the special district that the state created in 1967 to give Disney near-dictatorial control over the 43-square-mile site of Walt Disney World and its related theme parks and resorts outside Orlando.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District, governed by a board handpicked by Disney, kept the site in manicured comeliness for more than a half-century.

But the Parental Rights in Education law, which was signed by DeSantis in March 2022, created a breach between DeSantis and the company that is his state’s largest public employer.

The law, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by its critics, suppresses, even outlaws, discussions about “sexual orientation or gender identity” in Florida schools through third grade and places limits on those discussions in upper grades.

The law was part of DeSantis’ campaign to eradicate what he called “woke” ideology from Florida, a stance plainly designed to appeal to a conservative voting bloc as he prepared an ultimately fruitless campaign for the GOP nomination for president. After some hesitation and goaded by its own diverse workforce, Disney came out publicly against the Don’t Say Gay law.

DeSantis and his legislative henchpersons were perfectly candid about their motivations in dissolving the Reedy Creek district: It was retaliation for Disney’s outspokenness.

In its lawsuit challenging the dissolution, the company quoted a sponsor of the Reedy Creek dissolution bill as saying, “This bill does target one company. It targets the Walt Disney Company.”

In his campaign autobiography, “The Courage to Be Free,” DeSantis called Disney’s position on the Don’t Say Gay law “a textbook example of when a corporation should stay out of politics.” He added, “Disney … clearly crossed a line in its support of indoctrinating very young schoolchildren in woke gender identity politics.”

Anyway, the law passed, Reedy Creek was refashioned as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and DeSantis replaced Disney’s board of handpicked corporate functionaries with his own handpicked Republican functionaries.

Amusingly enough, one of the new board members is Bridget Ziegler, a co-founder of the notoriously bluenosed book-banning organization Moms for Liberty and the wife of the then-chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Christian Ziegler.

As it happens, the Zieglers have since become embroiled in a sex scandal involving a three-way tryst and resulting in possible criminal charges against Christian Ziegler. He has been ousted as GOP chairman, but his wife is still on the district board.

That brings us back to Winsor and his ruling on the Disney lawsuit. In a letter opposing his 2018 nomination to the federal bench, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights called him “a young, conservative ideologue who has attempted to restrict voting rights, LGBT equality, reproductive freedom, environmental protection, criminal defendants’ rights, and gun safety.”

That’s quite a litany, but it falls entirely within the wheelhouse of typical Trump appointees and the ideology of the Federalist Society, the right-wing lawyers organization that placed many candidates for judicial appointments on Trump’s desk. Winsor joined the Federalist Society in 2005, according to a questionnaire he submitted to the Senate upon his judicial nomination.

As Florida’s solicitor general during the governorship of Republican Rick Scott, Winsor submitted a federal court brief defending the state’s ban on same-sex marriage asserting, among other arguments, “a clear and essential connection between [heterosexual] marriage and responsible procreation and childrearing.” The judge in that case called the arguments “an obvious pretext for discrimination” and ruled the ban unconstitutional.

Winsor also defended a Florida election law that obstructed voter registration in a way that cost 14,000 Floridians their right to vote, with the burden falling mostly on minorities. The law was ultimately enjoined by a federal judge as a violation of the 1st and 14th amendments.

Winsor also defended a Florida law mandating a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion could be performed. He argued that, due to the law, “rather than facing a rushed decision in the presence of a provider standing ready to abort the pregnancy immediately … a woman has an opportunity to consider her decision in private, away from the potentially coercive environment of a clinic.”

Asked at his confirmation hearing what evidence supported his assertion about the “coercive environment” of an abortion clinic, he acknowledged that “there was not an evidentiary record developed on that assertion.”

In his Disney ruling, Winsor found that Disney had no grounds to challenge the state law as motivated by an attack on free speech because the state law was “facially constitutional.” He asserted that the law dissolving Reedy Creek doesn’t “explicitly” single out Disney or Reedy Creek as its targets; even though Disney cited “the clear, consistent, and proud declarations” of legislative leaders that their goal was to punish the company, that wasn’t enough, he ruled, to prove their motivations were “constitutionally impermissible.”

The law, Winsor wrote, citing an earlier judicial ruling, “is not pinpointed against a named individual or group; it is general in its wording and impact.”

To the layperson, that sounds like Winsor has failed to notice what is near at hand, which is the essential element of farce, and in this case amounts to the triumphalist boasting by legislators and DeSantis that they scored a direct hit on Disney as a political adversary.

From Disney’s standpoint, the unfortunate irony is that its lawsuit was originally assigned to an Obama appointee on the federal bench in Florida who had ruled against DeSantis in other matters, but he recused himself on the grounds that he owned some Disney stock. The wheel turned and Winsor inherited the case.

It’s been said that bad cases make bad law, but so can bad luck. DeSantis has won this first skirmish against Disney, but where things go from here is anyone’s guess.

Business

California gas is pricey already. The Iran war could cost you even more

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

California gas is pricey already. The Iran war could cost you even more

The U.S. attack on Iran is expected to have an unwelcome impact on California drivers — a jump in gas prices that could be felt at the pump in a week or two.

The outbreak of war in the Middle East, which virtually closed a key Persian Gulf shipping lane, spiked the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil by as much as $10, with prices rising as high as $82.37 on Monday before settling down.

The price of the international standard dictates what motorists pay for gas globally, including in California, with every dollar increase translating to 2.5 cents at the pump, said Severin Borenstein, faculty director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

That would mean drivers could pay at least 20 cents more per gallon, though how much damage the conflict will do to wallets remains to be seen.

“The real issue though is the oil markets are just guessing right now at what is going to happen. It’s a time of extreme volatility,” Borenstein said. “We don’t know whether the war will widen or end quickly, and all of those things will drive the price of crude.”

President Trump has lauded the reduction of nationwide gas prices as a validation of his economic agenda despite worries about a weak job market and concerns of persistent inflation.

The upheaval in the Middle East could be more acutely felt in the state.

Californians already pay far more for gas than the rest of the country, with the average cost of a gallon of regular at $4.66, up 3 cents from a week ago and 30 cents from a month ago, according to AAA. The current nationwide average is about $3 per gallon.

The disruption in international crude markets also comes as refiners are switching to producing California’s summer-blend gas, which is less volatile during the state’s hot summers. The switch can drive up the price of a gallon of gas at least 15 cents.

The prices in California are largely driven by higher taxes and a cleaner, less polluting blend required year-round by regulators to combat pollution — and it’s long been a hot-button issue.

The politics were only exacerbated by recent refinery closures, including the Phillips 66 refinery in Wilmington in October and the idling and planned closure of the Valero refinery in Benicia, Calif., which reduced refining capacity in the state by about 18%.

California also has seen a steady reduction in its crude oil production, making it more reliant on international imports of oil and gasoline.

In 2024, only 23.3% of the crude oil refined in the state was pumped in California, with 13% from Alaska and 63% from elsewhere in the world, including about 30% from the Middle East, said Jim Stanley, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Assn.

“We could see a supply crunch and real price volatility” if the Middle East supply is interrupted, he said.

The Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes, was virtually closed Monday, according to reports. Though it produces only about 3% of global oil, Iran has considerable sway over energy markets because it controls the strait.

Also, in response to the U.S. attack, Iran has fired a barrage of missiles at neighboring Persian Gulf states. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted Iranian drones targeting one of its refinery complexes.

California Republicans and the California Fuels & Convenience Alliance, a trade group representing fuel marketers, gas station owners and others, have blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies for driving up the price of gas.

A landmark climate change law calls for California to become carbon neutral by 2045, and Newsom told regulators in 2021 to stop issuing fracking permits and to phase out oil extraction by 2045. He also signed a bill allowing local governments to block construction of oil and gas wells.

However, last year Newsom changed his stance and signed a bill that will allow up to 2,000 new oil wells per year through 2036 in Kern County despite legal challenges by environmental groups. The county produces about three-fourths of the state’s crude oil.

Borenstein said he didn’t expect that the new state oil production would do much to lower gas prices because it is only marginally cheaper than oil imported by ocean tankers.

Stanley said the aim of the law was to support the Kern County oil industry, which was facing pipeline closures without additional supplies to ship to state refineries.

Statewide, the industry supports more than 535,000 jobs, $166 billion in economic activity and $48 billion in local and state taxes, according to a report last year by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Bloomberg News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Business

Block to cut more than 4,000 jobs amid AI disruption of the workplace

Published

15 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Block to cut more than 4,000 jobs amid AI disruption of the workplace

Fintech company Block said Thursday that it’s cutting more than 4,000 workers or nearly half of its workforce as artificial intelligence disrupts the way people work.

The Oakland parent company of payment services Square and Cash App saw its stock surge by more than 23% in after-hours trading after making the layoff announcement.

Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and head of Block, said in a post on social media site X that the company didn’t make the decision because the company is in financial trouble.

“We’re already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company,” he said.

Block is the latest tech company to announce massive cuts as employers push workers to use more AI tools to do more with fewer people. Amazon in January said it was laying off 16,000 people as part of effort to remove layers within the company.

Block has laid off workers in previous years. In 2025, Block said it planned to slash 931 jobs, or 8% of its workforce, citing performance and strategic issues but Dorsey said at the time that the company wasn’t trying to replace workers with AI.

As tech companies embrace AI tools that can code, generate text and do other tasks, worker anxiety about whether their jobs will be automated have heightened.

In his note to employees Dorsey said that he was weighing whether to make cuts gradually throughout months or years but chose to act immediately.

“Repeated rounds of cuts are destructive to morale, to focus, and to the trust that customers and shareholders place in our ability to lead,” he told workers. “I’d rather take a hard, clear action now and build from a position we believe in than manage a slow reduction of people toward the same outcome.”

Dorsey is also the co-founder of Twitter, which was later renamed to X after billionaire Elon Musk purchased the company in 2022.

As of December, Block had 10,205 full-time employees globally, according to the company’s annual report. The company said it plans to reduce its workforce by the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.

The company’s gross profit in 2025 reached more than $10 billion, up 17% compared to the previous year.

Dorsey said he plans to address employees in a live video session and noted that their emails and Slack will remain open until Thursday evening so they can say goodbye to colleagues.

“I know doing it this way might feel awkward,” he said. “I’d rather it feel awkward and human than efficient and cold.”

Business

WGA cancels Los Angeles awards show amid labor strike

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

WGA cancels Los Angeles awards show amid labor strike

The Writers Guild of America West has canceled its awards ceremony scheduled to take place March 8 as its staff union members continue to strike, demanding higher pay and protections against artificial intelligence.

In a letter sent to members on Sunday, WGA West’s board of directors, including President Michele Mulroney, wrote, “The non-supervisory staff of the WGAW are currently on strike and the Guild would not ask our members or guests to cross a picket line to attend the awards show. The WGAW staff have a right to strike and our exceptional nominees and honorees deserve an uncomplicated celebration of their achievements.”

The New York ceremony, scheduled on the same day, is expected go forward while an alternative celebration for Los Angeles-based nominees will take place at a later date, according to the letter.

Comedian and actor Atsuko Okatsuka was set to host the L.A. show, while filmmaker James Cameron was to receive the WGA West Laurel Award.

WGA union staffers have been striking outside the guild’s Los Angeles headquarters on Fairfax Avenue since Feb. 17. The union alleged that management did not intend to reach an agreement on the pending contract. Further, it claimed that guild management had “surveilled workers for union activity, terminated union supporters, and engaged in bad faith surface bargaining.”

On Tuesday, the labor organization said that management had raised the specter of canceling the ceremony during a call about contraction negotiations.

“Make no mistake: this is an attempt by WGAW management to drive a wedge between WGSU and WGA membership when we should be building unity ahead of MBA [Minimum Basic Agreement] negotiations with the AMPTP [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers],” wrote the staff union. “We urge Guild management to end this strike now,” the union wrote on Instagram.

The union, made up of more than 100 employees who work in areas including legal, communications and residuals, was formed last spring and first authorized a strike in January with 82% of its members. Contract negotiations, which began in September, have focused on the use of artificial intelligence, pay raises and “basic protections” including grievance procedures.

The WGA has said that it offered “comprehensive proposals with numerous union protections and improvements to compensation and benefits.”

The ceremony’s cancellation, coming just weeks before the Academy Awards, casts a shadow over the upcoming contraction negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios and streamers.

In 2023, the WGA went on a strike lasting 148 days, the second-longest strike in the union’s history.

Times staff writer Cerys Davies contributed to this report.