Disneyland’s Development Plans

What concerns me as an Anaheim citizen is the appearance that the proposed Disneyland expansion plan is a foregone conclusion by Disneyland, the city, the City Council, the Planning Commission, the developers, the builders, the people who live in the city, the people who don’t live in the city, the media, the homeless and just about anybody who has heard of the proposed expansion. Everybody seems to be on the Disneyland expansion plan bandwagon!

Everybody, that is, except for those few individuals who take the time to read the mammoth, multivolumed environmental impact report and who take the time to get involved by attending the tedious, decision-making meetings that are conveniently held in the middle of the day when most working people cannot attend.

The article “Disney Plan Won’t Put Bite on Taxpayers, Anaheim Says” (April 21) is Pollyanna-ish and misleading. It gives the impression that all the city has to do is meet Disney’s “demands” that the city spend $750 million to possibly receive $27 million to $36 million (not firm figures) in the very distant future of 1998 to 2008.

I raise the issue of why Disneyland is not investing its own capital, issuing its own corporate bonds and recapturing all of the future profits if this is such a good deal. Also, if Disneyland is so concerned about making profit for the city of Anaheim, why does Disneyland appear to be so opposed to an admission tax, which would generate revenue for the General Fund, while at the same time, no one blinks at the proposal of increasing the current Hotel Bed Tax from 13% to 15%?

As an analyst and an agent, I am both skeptical and suspicious of politicians and special-interest groups that have a no-risk plan where taxpayers won’t have to pay a penny to build streets, sewers and other public works. A penny, no, but millions of tax dollars, maybe.

DOUG KINTZ

Anaheim