California
Disneyland Reaches California Record $233 Million Wage Theft Settlement With Workers
The Walt Disney Co. has reached a California record $233 million settlement with Disneyland workers over a 2019 class-action wage theft lawsuit.
The settlement will provide back pay to workers at the Anaheim theme park, with interest dating back to the start of 2019, and comes as Anaheim is set to raise the minimum wage to $20.50 per hour at the start of 2025. Disney approved the preliminary settlement on Friday and it will be reviewed by a Superior Court judge on Jan. 17 before workers are notified.
The lawsuit alleged that in 2019, Disney did not adjust wages in accordance with the passage of Measure L, an Anaheim ballot proposition that required companies that received tax rebates from the city — namely Disney — to pay at least $15/hour.
Disney’s attorneys argued that it did not have tax rebate agreements with Anaheim and wasn’t subject to the terms of the law. A judge initially sided with Disney, but an appellate court reversed the decision after it was determined that such agreements were made with the city as part of a 1996 expansion deal that helped pave the way for the creation of Disneyland’s neighbor park, Disney’s California Adventure.
The California Supreme Court later turned down Disney’s request to hear the case, ending the legal battle.
The settlement is the latest victory for Disneyland workers after a multiyear labor campaign in which employees outlined the financial struggles they face despite being employed by the beloved “Happiest Place on Earth.” The park’s employees staged protests outside the entrance to the Disneyland Resort and shared stories of their struggles to reporters and on social media.
Their struggle even reached the attention of Walt Disney’s grandniece, Abigail E. Disney, who interviewed Disneyland employees for her 2022 documentary, “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales.” Some employees told her that they had to live out of their cars on the streets of Anaheim and struggled to even provide food for their families.
Along with the lawsuit, Disney workers pushed for stronger wages through their union reps at the Master Services Council, a coalition of four unions that represent over 14,000 Disneyland employees. After voting to authorize a strike, MSC members and negotiators reached a deal that raised base pay to $24/hour.
The post Disneyland Reaches California Record $233 Million Wage Theft Settlement With Workers appeared first on TheWrap.
California
California wildfires live updates: Firefighters battle to contain blazes while thousands wait to return home
As winds die down in Southern California, firefighters have been able to get some of the most devastating wildfires under control. But as residents are allowed to return to the areas, the challenges of recovery are becoming painfully clear. Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate joins Stephanie Ruhle to discuss.
California
Handful of dirt bikes and ATV join pair of riders during LA County pursuit
A handful of dirt bikes and an ATV joined a pair of riders being chased by the California Highway Patrol Thursday afternoon.
The pursuit started in East Los Angeles when officers spotted two dirt bikers riding along the roads. It continued through a handful of freeways as officers on the ground dropped back to allow a police helicopter to track them.
The original riders continued to weave through traffic until more dirt bikers and a few ATVs joined them on their drive around LA County.
California
Endangered plant may have made California wildfires worse
A move to protect a federally endangered plant by halting the state construction of new utility lines is being highlighted in a newspaper report as a potential factor in California’s Palisades fire.
Downed utility lines in the area are being investigated for fuelling, and potentially even causing, the immense Palisades fire, says The New York Times.
However, the California Coastal Commission, who intervened in the utility line construction, have said that they did give out new permits for the utility pole project and “are very supportive of wildfire resiliency work.”
Why It Matters
The cause of the Pacific Palisades fire is under investigation by the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and if government negligence was found to play a part, it would further fuel existing frustration with Mayor Bass, and Governor Newsom expressed by some California residents.
LA is also facing a climate-change-shaped future of increased droughts which will further impact the scope of wildfires, and needs to figure out how to balance everyday conservation with fire protection for the entire region.
What To Know
In 2020, the California Coastal Commission fined the Los Angeles Department of Public Works (LADWP) $1.9 million over their utility pole project in the Pacific Palisades, as the project had bulldozed almost 200 federally protected Braunton’s milkvetch (Astragalus brauntonii) plants.
According to the Sierra Club, there are only 3,000 of these “purple-petalled perennial wildflower” plants left in the mountains, and they are listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The utility pole project policed by the Coastal Commission in 2020 was a public works project designed to install stronger, metal, utility poles in the Palisades, as some of the utility poles in the area were built almost 100 years ago. Downed utility lines have caused blazes in the past, and reporters from The New York Times have now found bits of power line debris in the Palisade hills.
The Coastal Commission told the LADWP in 2020 that they needed to seek a permit from the Coastal Commission to restart the development, as well as undo their roadwork and revegetate the area. While the LADWP paid the fine, it does not appear they ever restarted the utility poles project.
The LADWP has been contacted via phone call and voicemail for comment.
Sarah Christie, a spokesperson for the Coastal Commission, spoke to Newsweek about this incident saying: “In 2019, a hiker reported unpermitted bulldozing through an area of endangered plants and hiking trails in Topanga State Park.
“In addition to damaging native plants and public trails, this type of grading also can also encourage highly flammable, non-native grasses to flourish. But the damage was repaired the following year, and the Commission approved a permit for the Utility to move forward with their work to replace the poles.
“We are very supportive of wildfire resiliency work and will continue to promote efforts to harden homes and public infrastructure and create defensible space.”
What People Are Saying
Eric Edmunds, Chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force in a 2020 letter: “Our task force has been involved with far too many cases of utility companies not using good judgment and failing to comply with the laws, policies, and ordinances that are in place to protect and preserve our finite natural resources.”
The LADWP in 2020: “[This project is] essential in regards to our wildfire mitigation plan.”
What Happens Next
The cause of the Palisades fire is still under investigation by the ATF, who have said it will take time to figure out the root cause of the blaze.
In the meantime, Angelenos are still combating active blazes, with the Eaton fire now at 55 percent containment, and the Palisades fire at 22 percent containment.
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