[inestyne]

I think municipalities should be free to make the best deal they can with large employers like this. Chips fall where they may. They are all elected officials so therefore directly accountable. Seems like the system is working just fine here.

Doesn't seem like this is anyone else's business.

[xenihn]

>They are all elected officials so therefore directly accountable. Seems like the system is working just fine here.

Did you actually read the LA Times article? Be honest. This post really makes it sound like you did not.

[inestyne]

Yes I did, bad assumption

[s73ver_]

Part of holding those officials accountable is reporting on what they're doing.

And, quite frankly, no, they should not be able to make deals like this. Not without the city voting on it. There is precisely zero reason why this is needed.

[adamnemecek]

> They are all "elected" officials so therefore "directly" "accountable".

Please look into how campaign funding works. The fundamental problem is that if you employ half of the city, you have quite a bit more leverage than the mayor.

[tclancy]

>Seems like the system is working just fine here.

They gifted a parking garage/ 1 billion dollars of tax-payer funds to a multinational corporation who was hardly going to pull up stakes and move one of their flagship parks. How is this working fine?

[inestyne]

If you live in that town and work for Disney you probably think it's working just fine.

[tomjakubowski]

Anaheim's population is roughly 350k. Disneyland has 22k employees. Obviously, not all of them live in Anaheim; anecdotally, at one time I knew a handful of Disneyland employees and only one of them lived in the city.

I'm sure Disney corporate, headquartered in nearish-by Burbank, employs some Anaheim residents too, but you're still talking about a small minority of Anaheim's citizens.

It's also not clear why an ordinary Anaheim citizen and employee of Disney would be happy with this arrangement.

[kevinh]

From the article:

> Chris Shively, an Anaheim resident and server at Blue Bayou restaurant in Disneyland, drives by the Mickey & Friends garage each day knowing that city tax dollars are paying for the facility.

> “It’s a company — they have their own best interests,” he said. “But it is definitely something where the company, Disney, got a great deal — a deal that we are paying for. Absolutely frustrating.”

[kbart]

I certainly would be pissed finding out that my city officials effectively donated billion to a private company.

[1_2__4]

Are you paid for this opinion? I have to imagine yes.

[SmellyGeekBoy]

I don't agree with the parent either, but this growing trend of accusing everyone you disagree with on the internet of being a paid shill is just getting absurd.

[xenihn]

It's not so absurd when you are good friends with people who run astroturfing companies.

[inestyne]

It's an attempt to nullify the speaker rather than responding to the statement. It's become quite the thing these days.

No I am not a paid shill, try again,

[xenihn]

Ok, but it's not absurd.

[tzakrajs]

I paid him like $10, totally worth it.

[inestyne]

Are you serious? Wow

[inestyne]

You guys pre-suppose the poor people in this town can't make up their own minds and are somehow oblivious to whats really happening. I guarantee each one of you that your opinion would be different if you lived in this town and worked for Disney. Who are we to tell these people how to vote?

What is your alternative? Pass laws to 'force' them to 'do the right thing' according to people who don't live there?