Disney fans and journalists from around the world this weekend will gather at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland Resort, for D23, billed as “The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.”

The biennial event features the company’s biggest announcements of the year across its all divisions, including its theme parks and movie production, along with panels and other presentations.

KTLA consumer reporter David Lazarus says this D23 comes at a pivotal moment for the House of Mouse.

”First of all, it needs to rekindle heat for the Disney brand, which has been tarnished by box-office misses and rising theme-park prices,” says Lazarus. “The company needs to demonstrate to its most loyal customers that the magic is still there.”

After a series of box office misfires, including “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “The Marvels” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Disney’s film division has roared back with summer blockbusters “Inside Out 2” ($1.6 billion globally) and “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($900 million and counting).

Upcoming releases include “Moana 2,” “Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Captain America: Brave New World,” as well as a long-delayed “Snow White” reboot starring Rachel Zegler in the title role.

Disney, Lazarus believes, needs to demonstrate to both fans and shareholders that it can keep the momentum.

“It’s not enough to once again pin hopes on Robert Downey Jr., who is switching from hero to villain as he takes on the Doctor Doom character,” Lazarus says. “It’s an open question whether there’s a significant market for a live-action ‘Snow White’ or yet another ‘Avatar’ movie. And shareholders will be watching closely to see how Disney’s theatrical plans dovetail with the company’s Disney+ streaming service, which is finally profitable.”

On Friday, Disney (NYSE: DIS) was trading at $86 per share, less than half its all-time high of $200 in March 2021, when viewers flocked to the fledgling Disney+ platform during the height of the pandemic.

DisneylandForward

Fans anticipate big announcements about DisneylandForward, the $1.9 billion 10-year plan to bring new rides and lands to Disneyland Resort. The Anaheim City Council greenlit the project earlier this year.

One project revolves around a new area based on the Avatar film franchise. A similar Pandora-themed area opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida in May 2017.

 “This is an announcement I am very confident will be made during the presentation,” says Gavin Doyle, Mickey Visit founder and bestselling author of “Disneyland Secrets.” “It is clear that [Iger] personally believes in that intellectual property and wants to have it featured prominently in the expansion, especially as they prepare to release even more Avatar movies.”

Fans await updates on a new ride in Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure centered around Marvel Comics villain King Thanos. With Disneyland Resort’s 70th anniversary next year, additional announcements will potentially include how the resort plans to draw big crowds.

Details about the DisneylandForward expansion are expected to be revealed during D23’s Disney Experiences Showcase on Saturday evening.

Carly Neil with Wealth of Geeks via AP contributed to this report.

California residents don’t need math and data to tell them that this July was scorching hot, but the latest numbers may help paint a picture.

According to new figures from the National Centers for Environmental Information, this July was the hottest month ever recorded in the state of California by average temperature.

The average temperature in California was 81.7 degrees last month, marking the first time an entire month averaged a temperature that was more than 80 degrees. The average was seven degrees more than the typical July, according to the NCEI.

The NCEI data tracks back as far as 1895.

The new record surpassed the previous high of 79.8 degrees from July 2023. Each of the other top five hottest months in the history of the state was also in July — 2018, 1931 and 2006.

July was a month in which several California cities also set records for their heat. Palm Springs, tucked away in Riverside County’s desert, had its hottest all-time day on July 5 when it reached a scorching 124 degrees.

Needles, the Route 66 town nestled adjacent to the Arizona-California border, was the warmest city in the U.S. last month, surpassing Phoenix for the crown.

Governor Gavin Newsom is putting pressure on local cities and counties to comply with an order to dismantle homeless encampments across the state.

On Thursday afternoon, Newsom was seen clearing an encampment under the 5 Freeway in Mission Hills alongside Caltrans crews.

The executive order, signed on July 25, followed a recent Supreme Court decision giving local governments the authority to remove encampments and ticket people for camping in public. 

The order urged officials to “address unsanitary and dangerous encampments within their communities and provide people experiencing homelessness in the encampments with the care and supportive services they need.”

The issue spans 88 cities in Los Angeles County, which has a combined homeless population of over 75,000 people. 

The state of California has an estimated 180,000 unhoused people which is roughly one-third of the nation’s total homeless population.

Newsom called on California officials to “act with urgency to address dangerous encampments.” In a post on X, he said, “No more excuses. We’ve provided the time. We’ve provided the funds. Now it’s time for locals to do their job.”

Agencies are urged to prioritize clearing encampments after providing advance notice. While Newsom can’t force local authorities to act, his administration can apply pressure by withholding money and resources from counties and cities that fail to cooperate.

Some local officials, including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, have criticized the move, saying that citing or arresting people in encampments is not a solution if doing so unfairly criminalizes them.

“My position has and continues to be that I do not believe the criminalization of homelessness is the right path,” said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “I find it almost ludicrous to think that we’re going to issue $250 tickets to individuals who are unhoused who are then going to get another ticket and another ticket and then have a warrant out for their arrest…and for what?” 

Under Newsom, the state has invested over $40 billion to boost affordable housing and over $27 billion to address homelessness. 

“This is not about criminalization,” Newsom said on Thursday. “What’s criminal is neglecting people who are struggling, suffering and dying on our watch. We need local government to step up. This is a crisis. The state’s unprecedented billions of dollars of support? I’m not interested in providing that support and not seeing the results. I’m a taxpayer, not just the governor. It’s not complicated. We’ll send that money to counties that are producing results.”

The full text of Newsom’s executive order can be read here.