Disney ‘fairy tale’ isn’t for everyone

[hobie16]

Some low-income workers at the resort share motel rooms as the theme park fights efforts to build affordable housing nearby.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... -headlines

[Main Streeter]

Some low-income workers at the resort share motel rooms

Many CMs live in their cars or old motor homes. Parking wherever & praying not to be found out. This situation is deplorable now! Expect things to become worse for CMs in the future. :twisted:

[CBeilby]

Just another reason to fire everyone who works in the Team Dumbass Building and rebuild the company administration from the ground up, preferably with people who've worked front line in the parks, and remember what it's like.

[mechurchlady]

The house next door to me was built in 1928, is two bedrooms, one bath, no room to build, and about $400,000. There is no way for a person to afford housing in our area. I live 13 miles from Disneyland and it is impossible to find good affordable housing. I cannot leave my mother because on my income I could afford parking on the street maybe.

[ktulu]

I do question why my brother is moving back out to the left coast, he has historically not made "good money" and last time he was out there it was a 3 year stint living with our dad...

Ah well, best of luck to him and the other folks out there :)

[roxie]

wow that is so heartbreaking.. I didn't realize it was that bad on the west coast...

[Brayon]

wow that is so heartbreaking.. I didn't realize it was that bad on the west coast...

Its just as bad in Florida. Thanks to High End Tourism, the cost of living has gone up, but pay to workers hasn't. I share a 3 bedroom, with 3 other roommates. Even with all of us combining our income, we barely make it month to month. But, I'm used to being poor...

[BirdMom]

In this case it's so easy to say "blame Disney" but look at the big picture over the last 30 years. The county has changed a lot, and Disney hasn't had *that* much control over the changes. And I have to say that the areas directly around the park have improved with the resort planning - a lot of the stuff that used to be around was pretty tacky with little upkeep.

I don't know that I'm defending the company - yes there is a need for affordable housing in O.C. Yesterday, if not sooner. However, as I pointed out in another post on this same subject, there were cheap apartments on one side of the property at one time that housed poor people with a criminal element amongst them. This is NOT the sort of thing that the city really wants next to a resort area. Why do the affordable units have to be right next to the parks? Where is the logic in that? There is such a thing as master planning.

I'm not completely heartless - we were paying $1400 a month for our two bedroom apartment in Placentia before we bought our house. I know what it means to sweat out the payments when you're not making a lot of money. Hell - long before some of you were born, I was one of the people who did live out of my car for a brief period - so I know what it is to have a crap life. But why is the blame for lack of affordable housing being laid out at Disney's feet, when city councils and the County Board of Supervisors have rolled over for every big time developer all over the county who make campaign contributions and want to build yet another luxury development, be it single family housing, condos or luxury apartments? Disney may be the 800-lb. gorilla of O.C. businesses, but blame the politicians who make the final decisions - not the individual corporation. O.C. is built out. Maybe some of the old shuttered industrial areas need to be converted to affordable housing zoning, but for tourism to thrive and continue creating paying jobs (no matter how crappy the pay), areas must be zoned as Disney and the city would like, in such a manner that there will be polished looking places to stay and shops, entertainment and restaurants to patronize, and the apartments can be a mile or two farther from the resort area.

People can moan and bitch about Disney having a negative impact on affordable housing in Anaheim because of the zoning issue, but instead, why not moan and bitch at the ones who can directly be affected by public response - the city and county politicians? Don't like what the city is doing? Call Anaheim City Hall and Mayor Curt Pringle's office and complain. Call the County Board of Supervisors or show up to a city council meeting and voice your concerns. Participate rather than wagging your finger at the Mouse.

[mechurchlady]

Good point birdMom. The city I live in would love to tear down my church and put in $750,000+ homes and the property is worth about $3 million. I do not recall in Norwalk there being built low income housing except along the freeway and not much therefor many years. You are right that Disney is not to blame entirely but the lack of building of affordable housing and wages is the cause. Disney is not the only one that has people making very little money and truly we are jumping on a "Blame Disney" Bandwagon.

[Princess Jasmine]

I had to quit DL because I couldn't find a place to live.

It was okay the 4 months I was there, had a pretty sweet deal on rent with the girl I was staying with, but she wound up getting evicted and I couldn't find a place to live or roommates (didn't know anyone really) on such short notice.

So...I had to leave unfortunately...I'd like to go back but I don't see it ever happening. As brief as it was, the time spent working at DL was nothing short of awesome.