We need another show of support! The City Council voted in favor of the DisneylandForward expansion. There was a litany of issues with this vote. A Request for Rehearing has been filed and the Council will be considering it on Tuesday, May 7, 5PM, at City Hall Council Chambers (200 S. Anaheim Blvd., First Floor). Please attend with us and demand a rehearing!

The DisneylandForward vote happened on Tuesday, April 16. Thank you to those who shared their concerns and opinions with the Anaheim City Council, either in-person or electronically. While the Council voted unanimously in support of the expansion, a lot has been happening behind the scenes since then. To catch you up to speed:  

What Has Happened:

• April 16: The vote for the DisneylandForward expansion passes unanimously, despite public outcry and a lack of necessary information pertaining to the project.
• April 22: A Request for Rehearing is filed with the City of Anaheim. The request was made on the following grounds (summarized): 
  • That there was not a fair hearing and the petitioner was thereby deprived of any rights; 
    • Anaheim residents were denied adequate time to share their views when, what was promised to be, two separate Public Hearings were combined into one.
    • Some Anaheim residents opposed to the project were denied a reasonable opportunity to speak altogether, due to the City of Anaheim's deliberate actions which deviated from past practice, making it physically impossible for some to retain their place in line to speak during Public Comments.
    • Members of the Anaheim City Council failed to act with disinterested zeal, indicating their reluctance to fairly consider testimony from those opposed to the project. Their dismissive indifference to the Public Comments was palpable and is well-documented through video recordings.
  • That there was a prejudicial abuse of discretion by the City Council within the meaning of Section 1094.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure of the State of California;  
    • The City of Anaheim accepted/adopted all DisneylandForward-provided studies as being true and accurate. Independent appraisals/studies were not ordered or completed by the City of Anaheim for verification of information, in violation of City Policy (Council Policy 5.5).
    • The City of Anaheim may have engaged in ex-parte communication with the applicant [Disney], which denied the public opportunity to access and review the same evidence upon which the City Council based their approval of the project. 
    • Members of the City Council indicate they might not have examined all of the evidence, as they claimed to have done in the "Finding of Fact and Statement of Overriding Consideration." 
    • All of these points considered, the current council was willfully and grossly negligent in their respective duties. They acted as uninformed decision-makers, and failed in their duties to fairly represent the people of Anaheim with the disinterested zeal required of their offices.
  • In the spirit of transparency, the Request for Rehearing Addendum can be made available in its entirety. Please send an email to savemagicway@gmail.com.

What Comes Next:

• The City Council will address the Request for Rehearing at the upcoming City Council meeting. Here are the details:
  • What: City Council Meeting
  • When: Tuesday, May 7, 5PM
  • Where: City Hall Council Chambers, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., First Floor
  • Why: The Anaheim City Council needs to be reminded of the incredibly valid concerns surrounding this project. More importantly, the Council needs to reminded of their obligation to serve and protect their constituents. Their display on April 16th was absolutely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. They need to be better, and we need to demand this change!

What You Can Do:

• Attend the City Council meeting on May 7 to urge our City Council to do better by the residents of Anaheim, to reconsider the vote that happened on April 16, and to keep all Anaheim streets (including Magic Way and Disneyland Drive) open for all.
• If you are unable to make it to the upcoming meeting, please send an email to  publiccomment@anaheim.net, opposing the DisneylandForward project and requesting a rehearing. Your email will need to be sent/received prior to the Council meeting.
• If you are someone who was not accommodated at the April 16 vote, or if you had a negative experience there, please send an email accounting to savemagicway@gmail.com. Attestations and personal statements are currently being collected.
• Continue sharing this petition - it is still open and we are still collecting signatures!
• To assist in holding our current City Council accountable, we encourage you to watch and share this video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-7kAeWy-a9w. It is a true testament to how concerned Anaheim residents were treated at the April 16th vote, and it is unacceptable. 

We are still fighting the good fight and working to make Anaheim better for its residents! We still need transparency, we still need change, and we still need protection for our quality of life. Thank you for your support to date, and we hope to see you at the meeting!